Sovol SV06 ACE 3D Printer Open Source, 600mm/s Max High Speed 3D Printers, Fully Auto Leveling, with Camera Upgraded Structure Planetary Dual Gear Direct Drive Printing Size 8.66x8.66x9.84 inch

Summary: Worked out of the box and was printing decent quality items the same day. The software is standard Orca Slicer and tweaked Klipper, so the manufacturer can't lock main features behind a paywall. Runs on your network and is opensource, they even provide the 3d files of the printer so you can print replacement/modified parts if you want. Sovol was smart and enlisted a few good content creators to make how-to videos, including setup and upgrades. I only have 24 hours of total print time and will update the review later if needed.Background: I started on a borrowed Monoprice MP Mini and learned a lot, especially about build volume and bed slingers. The Mini had ok print quality on most things, was slower, needed a micro SD card to get files to it, and had no way to check on prints remotely (prints fail, it happens but without having it close by you just don’t know if everything is ok). I am an IT person by trade, so anything that connects to my home network get severely locked down. I also have had far to many devices that stop working because the manufacturer decided not to support the web portion it needed even though the device still works great.My requirements:Needed larger build volume: 350mm x 350mm x 345mm vs 120mm x 120mm x 120mmNeeded LAN connection: RJ45 (ethernet) and WifiNo Planned obsolescence: Open Source and upgradable with no internet required to work.Works without constant fiddling: I can send to Orca Slicer from thingiverse on my desktop and just print.Need remote monitoring: Has a webcam and connection to Orca Slicer. Simply print and watch it work from your desktop.Need a removable plate: PEI plate includedNeed option to print fast: 700mm/sec vs 55mm/secAfter diving down the rabbit hole, I wanted to build a Voron but currently do not have the time or printer with a big enough build volume to print the parts needed. I looked at the other name brand printers, but ruled out most. The Sovol is like a Voron, but mostly put together. It took me a few hours with help from small curious onlookers to get it out of the box, setup, and printing (even though I overly complicated the setup). The directions are good and there are a number of Sovol sponsored videos showing tips and tricks to do a full setup. Once it was assembled and levelled, I connected it to its own vLAN on my network which had no internet (one of my big requirements). Then I downloaded and installed the latest Orca Slicer LTS build (an older version was on the included USB stick), plugged in the IP address of the printer (after creating a firewall rule because of the vLAN) and there it was. I used the “Open in Orca Slicer” option in Thingiverse (Printables has a button for Orca Slicer too), then hit the print button in Orca Slicer to send it remotely to the printer so it started printing and watched the printer auto level and start printing on the included web cam from the comfort of my office chair. No more walking to the basement where the printer is only to have forgotten the SD card. No more making 5 trips to see if the print is doing ok, just going back to Orca Slicer.The print quality was much better than the Monoprice and I could batch print things that were too big to fit one of one the Mini. Because it is so much easier to print and the prints look better, I use the Sovol printer far more.Future tinkering: I plan to enclose the Sovol, but can do that later because of the open source nature of the printer (they sell one or I can design my own). I plan to add a Bondtech INDX when they are out to give me a tool changer with Multi-Material (Looks pretty straight forward on the Sovol compared to other name brand printers). I plan to add fume exhaust with the enclosure, but again can wait until later. I was going to upgrade a whole bunch of things like the bed and leveling sensor, but the Sovol works good enough that I don’t have a reason too yet. The biggest benefit to me is that I CAN if I want and someone already has a video on how to do it which was probably sponsored by SOVOL. They want it to be your printer, not theirs that they are leasing you through software.Competitors:Prusa (top contender) - I really wanted an XL with a tool changer, but my pocketbook just laughed. Even a Prusa Core One or MK4s was almost twice the price. They are really nice and you get more features, but tinkering seems more difficult. Putting something like Bontechs upcoming INDX on a Core One would be interesting, but it will be a lot easier on the Sovol. Adding an enclosure to the Sovol is pretty easy, but would take tinkering to make it as good as the Core One. Also, software and parts seem a little more closed off, but again I would own a Prusa if Sovol didn’t make the SV-08.Bambu - Needs internet to use some of the main features and Bambu has automatically rolled out changes that ruffled a lot of feathers in the community. The printers look nice and are a great price if you are ok with being locked into the Bambu Ecosphere. The H2D looks amazing, but if their software stops working for some reason, so does your printer. The Sovol can be put on main line Klipper and already works with main line Orca Slicer.Voron 2.4 Kit - I just don’t have the time or budget right now. Maybe in a few years, but honestly I think starting with the Sovol and upgrading it is a better idea for people who don’t want the printer to be the hobby. The software and hardware are as open as you want, since you select and load everything.Creality, Anycubix, etc. - These all seemed to have similar issues with software and upgradability as Bambu (though not to the same extent). There are a lot of nice options and features on these, but I want to decide when I stop using the machine and how to make it better. Creality was a close contender behind Prusa, but again the Sovol just made more sense.

I've been 3D printing since early 2021 and looked at many different 3D Printers and narrowed down it down to the Sovol SV01 (Classsic) to be my 1st printer because I liked the features offered for a good price and their customer service. During my 2 years of printing, I learned a lot and had been enjoying printing since. But......I quickly realized that a 2nd printer would greatly help when printing large multi-object prints and multiple colors. I looked at many printers and kept going back to Sovol’s website and was eyeing the SV06. I saw Sovol’s announcement of the SV06 late 2022 and really liked the features it offered but kept contemplating on making a purchase for a 2nd printer. 7 months later, I decided I was ready for a 2nd printer and purchased the Sovol SV06. I’m glad I purchased it.Upon opening the packaging, I noticed it was packaged extremely well! Each component was packed into its own compartment and all the screws/bolts bags are labeled making it easier to assemble. If your new to the 3D printing world, then this is an excellent printer with very little effort in assembling. The entire process of assembling took me just under 30mins from unboxing to turning it on (I took my time reading through the guide and tightening all the screws/bolts). There is also a guide that was included with the packaging with pictures and there are videos online on how to assemble it. The guide is very detailed.Once I got it all assembled and also got the auto z aligned & bed leveled, I started by printing the benchy included on the sd card but got half way through it and realized the nozzle/hot end was angled severely which may not be a problem for small prints but a huge problem for large prints. I took the extruder off the mount (so much easier to remove than my older SV01) and looked over it. I contact Sovol’s support and they were extremely helpful. They provided a replacement and links to videos and information & once I received the replacement parts it was easy to fix the issue.Pros:• The biggest pro that I like about this printer is the Bed Leveling feature. Unlike my SV01, I would have to level it every few prints even after adding the silicon pieces instead of springs. With the SV06, the bed does not have any springs or silicon pieces. It slides on rods and includes an inductive sensor. I included the G29 command in my startup gcode and it checks the bed before printing.• I like the size of this printer. It is smaller than my Sovol SV01. Its not to small but not to big. Its a good size that will allow for printing almost anything. If your into printing cosplay helmets they you may have to cut up parts and print multiple parts. For me I’ll probably print helmets on my SV01 and print all the small misc. pieces on my SV06 so I can complete them much quicker.• The extruder is extremely easy to work with. With my previous SV01 I would have to move the gantry to the very top to give me room to work on the extruder and sometimes maneuvering to get a good angle to work on it. With the SV06 there’s 3 screws to undo and remove the wiring clip and its free to work on. Wish this was feature was around on my SV01.• Prints PLA, PLA+, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA, Nylon & etc... I mostly print with PLA, PLA+, PETG & TPU. I haven’t tried TPU on the SV06 but PLA, PLA+ and PETG print extremely well.• Filament change from the printer is very easy compared to my SV01. Its easier to navigate through the menu to find the filament change.Cons:• Loading filament was a little tricky the 1st few times but after several attempts its become much easier than my SV01. There are videos on how to properly load filament that should help.• The size of the bed. Even though for me its not a con since I have another printer that I can use but if this is your 1st printer that may be an issue. Its build plate says 235mm x 235mm but the actual build plate size is 220mm x 220mm. Wish Sovol would had adjusted the wording on that since it can cause some confusion. If this is to small you could always go with a SV06 Plus that has a bigger bed.• I’ve read online that others experience the bearings being very loud. I experienced the same issue but used some specialized grease and fixed the loud sound. This can be an issue if you don’t have specialized grease to fix it. It should be something Sovol should have fixed before sending them but not a big deal. Just something to think about when purchasing.• Still uses a micro sd card and a micro usb. Wish this used a USB-A or USB-C connection but not an issue for me since I had an extra Raspberry PI running Octoprint connected to my SV06 using a micro usb cable. Also something to think about when purchasing.• No Run out Sensor offered. I never used my run out sensor on my SV01 since I problems getting filament to load into it so for me its not an issue. I just keep an eye out on how much filament I have loaded and guestimate on when I need to change it.• No color display like the SV06 Plus but for me its not to much of a problem since I’m use to it on my SV01.I’ve only printed a few test pieces but so far the SV06 has been a great printer for the price. If this is your 1st printer then I think it will be a 1st good printer or 2nd/3rd/etc… printer. Its very easy to use and is loaded with a lot of features that I can’t wait to start using it more! I like it so much that I may have to get another SV06 so I can print more!