The Ackuretta SOL is a household name in the medium-budget range of dental 3D printers. With a robust library of open materials and simple digital and physical workflow, it still remains one of the best bang-for-your-buck dental 3D printers out there. So what makes this unit the popular value proposition today?
Figure 1: SOL, Cleani and Curie Plus – a very effective combination
Disclaimer:
This is a personal and individual opinion on the Ackuretta SOL. Ackuretta nor any of its global distributors have not been involved in the writing or editing of this piece and have not restricted any conclusions made by myself of this product.
Notable features:
- Compact footprint and relatively small print volume
- Straightforward physical set up
- No innate resin heating with the printer itself (but now does come with an additional accessory heater)
- Multiple build plate sizes for different applications
- Open resin library that is probably second the Asiga’s in size
- Consistent and reliable prints which are slower
Basics:
| Printer size | 29.2 x 27.1 x 41.6cm |
| Weight | 120 bananas* |
| Technology | LCD |
| Print volume | Std plate: 15 x 9.2 x 12cm Med plate: 7.5 x 7 x 12cm Mini plate: 4.4 x 2 x 12cm |
| Slicer | Alpha AI |
| XY resolution | 49 µm |
| Price guide | US$5800 (excluding Concierge) |
* 1 banana = 0.15kg
Figure 2: Splints for days on the Ackuretta SOL
Set up:
Setting up the SOL is a piece of cake. Due to its low footprint, it can easily be unboxed and set up by oneself.
Levelling is factory-performed, and installation is as close to plug-and-play as you can get it. I did encounter some issues sending jobs wirelessly but otherwise Wi-Fi connection was consistent.
There is no innate heating functionality with the SOL but these days it comes with an accessory chamber heater which works surprisingly well. The cable for that heater is a tad fiddly and being an accessory heater, it does mean it will occupy a separate power socket.
Figure 3: Same model resin, different printers – the SOL offers consistent and reliable prints that rival its more expensive DLP competitors
Software:
The SOL uses Alpha AI. It boasts a clean user interface that is pretty straightforward to navigate. It’s very easy to select which resin and settings to use.
Default support settings do tend to favour print success over removability and polishability. You can manually edit support settings and add/remove supports, but I found this process overly “clicky”.
Like may other slicers out in the market, I do feel the icons and fonts could be made bigger.
You can pay for an optional Premium plan which improves optimises support generation and object orientation depending on the application. It also allows for additional CAD options such as model hollowing, drainage hole creation, bevel creation, object trimming and support bar generation. Useful tools, but of course at a price.
As long as your PC and SOL are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can send the sliced print file directly to the printer wirelessly. I occasionally experienced issues transferring the print file to the printer wirelessly but overall it was pretty reliable and didn’t take long.
Figure 4: Alpha AI – simples
Resin library:
The resin library for the SOL is impressive and apart from the extensive Asiga library, is still probably the biggest out of all open dental 3D printers.
More or less most of the popular resins out there have been validated for the SOL, so users are definitely spoilt for choice and will have no issues finding resins to print on it.
Figure 5: Ackuretta Curo Ortho Model – models printed orientated horizontally and vertically – note the difference in layer line formation
The printing experience:
The SOL lacks any innate heating functionality, so without the accessory chamber heater, users may encounter increased failure rates of highly-filled resins in cooler climates. Thankfully Ackuretta has realised this and now new units are shipped with this accessory.
The printer itself is quiet during operation which allows it to be used in front of patients.
Print time is not terribly fast compared to its DLP competitors slow due to it being an LCD printer. Models orientated horizontally and positioned direct to the build plate will take around 40-45 minutes (Ackuretta Model Ortho to print at 100 micron (standard) layers. I found Voco Model Beige 2.0 had a higher failure rate that Ackuretta’s native Curo range of resins.
Beyond the specific issue with Voco Model Beige 2.0, I also found hollowed models experienced higher rates of failure vs solid models. If printing hollowed models, I’d recommend a wall thickness of at least 3mm, not to bevel the walls and to minimise the number of drainage holes so there is adequate base layer adhesion. Surgical guides and splints printed nicely on the SOL but just keep in mind vertical splint prints may take a little while.
Figure 6: The Small Build plate is teensy weensy and is ideal for printing small restorations
There are 2 additional build plates that can be purchased separately – the Medium and Small build plates – quite useful for printing the odd appliance/restoration. However, the SOL itself is not a speed demon, so same appointment printing is still extremely ambitious. Same-day applications would be fine though.
I must admit, besides the lack of innate heating functionality and the speed, there are no glaring weaknesses that the SOL has. That being said, at the same time, there are few exceptional and outstanding qualities that the SOL possesses. It’s just thoroughly above average in pretty much all aspects – a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none.
Figure 7: The SOL is great value and a very strong overall performer that punches above its weight but doesn’t quite hit any peak
Conclusion:
I can see why the SOL is a popular pick for small-to-medium practices with low-to-medium print volume requirements. It’s a nice open alternative to the pricier Asiga Max UV, although it doesn’t come with any unique bells and whistles that can truly make a unit exceptional. Overall, the SOL is a pleasant unit that is suitable for low-to-medium-volume users that don’t require same-appointment functionality.
3 points why you should get it:
- Cost-effective
- Easy set up
- Healthy open resin library
3 points why you should get it:
- Strong performance overall but no truly exceptional qualities that may be desirable in specific applications
- Accessory chamber heater occupies an additional power socket
- Prints slower than its DLP competitors