Industrial 3D printer brand SoonSer has unveiled a series of use cases that showcase the large-format prototyping prowess of its Mars Pro machines. 

With build areas as large as 1600 x 800 x 600mm, SoonSer’s SLA systems are designed to help users produce huge one-off models or accelerate their R&D process by creating multiple mock-ups in a single run. To demonstrate what’s possible with the Mars Pro, the firm has now revealed a set of potential applications for its products, ranging from a precise industrial model to massive ‘artificial mountains.’

Artificial Mountian Cases for Shaoxing University, Video via SoonSer 

SoonSer’s 3D printing portfolio 

Based in China, SoonSer offering includes the Coscan dental 3D scanner, the CeraRay CR-II, and CeraRay TC-I ceramic 3D printers, and its flagship Mars Pro machines. Designed to be easy-to-use and maintain but still yield stable and ultra-precise 3D models, the Mars Pro is available in three similar, albeit slightly different, versions.

Varying mostly by their weight, size, and build volumes, all three SLA systems: the 600, 850, and 1600, feature the same modular design. This means each is built around a marble platform and rigid Z-axis structure, providing them with the stability needed to create accurate parts, while their layout is said to give a ‘lifting effect’ to resulting models. 

Where the machines differ is scalability, as while the Mars Pro 600 has a not-in-itself-tiny 600 x 600 x 400mm build volume, SoonSer has fitted the 850 and 1600 editions with much larger platforms. In doing so, the company has left some wiggle room for adopters to scale their production capabilities as they need to, whether that be for producing healthcare or automotive parts or high-quality prototypes. 

Utilising the Mars Pro, SoonSer has been able to 3D print an ultra-resolution model for a client with potential industrial planning applications. 

Mars Pro prototyping in-action 

In order to showcase the sheer print accuracy, speed and scalability it’s possible to achieve with the Mars Pro, SoonSer has now released three different case studies. In the first, the firm 3D printed a multicolored production line model with intricate details over seven days, which is designed to precisely highlight different areas of a real industrial workflow. 

Produced using SoonSer’s resin SLA 3D printers, even the smallest elements of the model, which include more than 65 different components, are said to feature an extremely high level of detail, reflecting the machines’ precision industrial planning potential. 

The company’s second prototype demonstration, meanwhile, showcases the Mars Pro’s railway model 3D printing capabilities, with a recreation of the autonomous ‘Yunba’ Sky Shuttle being built in China. Featuring windows made from the transparent S-CL7001 resin and a steel tube-reinforced structure, the scale model train was first created in smaller parts before being polished, assembled, and painted. 

Yunba Sky Shuttle Model. (Video via SoonSer)

Thanks to its strengthened core, the model has ultimately been able to meet the needs of its end-user, which aims to display the replica train for long periods without having to carry out any maintenance. What’s more, by using the economical Mars Pro and PP-like S-CL7001 to produce the model, SoonSer’s client has been able to cut its production process down to just five days, yielding a huge time-saving. 

Moving mountains with 3D printing

Elsewhere, in one of SoonSer’s largest industrial printing demos to date, the firm has shared details of its collaboration with the China University of Mining and Technology. Once again deploying the Mars Pro, but this time depositing a mixture of resin, fiber-reinforced plastic, and aluminum, the firm was able to help build a colossal 6,000 x 2,500 x 1,500 mm artificial mountain, which is said to be ‘five people tall.’ 

Top of the mountains 3D printed for China University of Mining and Technology. (Photo via SoonSer)

Shortly after erecting its first replica cliff, the company then worked with Shaoxing University as well, in a project that saw it create another, more flexible model. Built for display at one of the university’s exhibits, the 6m x 2.5m x 0.85m piece was constructed in three chunks, each with an additive manufactured surface that, according to SoonSer, featured “exceptional sidewalls and crisp feature resolution.”

Once ready, the mountain’s pieces were bolted together and later reinforced with an array of metal joints to ensure that its surface doesn’t deform during long-term display. Currently installed at the students’ site of choice, the massive print took around 20 days to complete from production through to final testing, and it has now been fixed to hydraulic rods that allow it to rotate to any angle from 45° to 75°.

For those manufacturers seeking to achieve similar large-format 3D printing results, more information about the Mars Pro can now be found via the dedicated SoonSer store page. Likewise, the company is currently seeking a distributor that would be interested in shipping its industrial systems to clients, and is encouraging potential suitors to reach out. 

（Editor's note: the above article was published at TCT magazine, and the article link is :https://www.tctmagazine.com/spon-con/soonser-takes-prototyping-scale-speed-and-precision-to-a-new/)