My Asiga Max UV – Ol’ Faithful – was one of my favourite dental 3D printers. Its vast open library and reliability has made it the Gold Standard amongst lab users. So when the opportunity came to try out the Max 2, I was eager to see what Asiga could bring to the table.
Figure 1: The Asiga Max UV 2 – a new spin on a classic
Disclaimer:
This is a personal and individual opinion on the Asiga Max UV 2. Asiga 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:
- Small physical footprint and print volume
- Straightforward physical set up
- Slow heating and loud fan
- Resin vats have set lifetime based on volume printed; old Asiga Max UV vats (manufactured before mid-2023) may not be compatible with the Max 2
- Huge open resin library
- New vat technologies allow for reduced post-processing and faster prints
- Connection via Wi-Fi is much more consistent and reliable than its predecessor but still no USB connection capability
- Printer UI has been significantly improved
- Software lacks any basic CAD functionality and is not the easiest to navigate
Basics:
| Printer size | 26 x 38.5 x 37cm |
| Weight | 130 bananas* |
| Technology | DLP |
| Print volume | Std plate: 11.9 x 6.7 x 7.5cm |
| Slicer | Composer |
| XY resolution | 62 µm |
| Price guide | US$10000 |
* 1 banana = 0.15kg
Figure 2: Can your 3D printer do this straight out of the box?
Set up:
Setting up the Max UV 2 was very easy and it is packaged so efficiently and effectively. It literally took me a couple of minutes to unbox and setting up the printer with the new UI was a piece of cake – granted I am experienced in the Asiga system.
It is highly recommended to perform levelling every time the printer is moved. I am glad to report that the levelling process has been improved from the OG Max and it the process is more automated. Furthermore, the menu is much easier to navigate with a cleaner and better organized UI. Bravo Asiga.
The Asiga Max 2 continues to use its unique latch system that makes it incredibly easy to insert and remove your vats/trays and the mechanism is still an absolute winner to this day.
Wi-Fi connection was not the Max UV’s strong suite and to describe it as inconsistent would be putting it mildly at best. It thus brought me immense joy to find out wifi connection worked straight from the get-go, and it was noticeably easier and faster to send jobs via Wi-Fi on the Max 2. It’s a little disappointing that there still is no USB capability though.
Figure 3: A larger and cleaner printer UI definitely improves the Max 2 experience over the OG Max
Software:
The Asiga Max UV 2 still uses Composer, which believe it or not, used to be even harder to navigate through. It has improved with time, but it’s still not the most user-friendly program for the less tech-savvy.
I have found it takes an inordinate number of clicks to position and orientate objects properly. Like many other slicers out in the market, I do feel the icons and fonts could be made bigger. There is a tonne of customisability with the support and print settings, which can confuse new users.
There are unfortunately no basic CAD functions such as hollowing models and addition of drainage holes, which are becoming more and more frequent in other dental slicers.
Please note to use “Transparent Mode” for printing splints and surgical guides, you will need to activate it in the Advanced settings before you print them – this was not immediately obvious!
Figure 4: Composer – it’s certainly not the Maestro of dental slicers out there
Resin library:
One of the biggest selling points for any Asiga user is the huge resin library their units have access to it. There simply isn’t another 3D printer in the market that comes close to Asiga’s library. You can pretty much print any third-party dental resin in the market and the Max 2 is no different
Figure 5: Minimal prep 3D-printed veneer (Rodin Sculpture 2.0) on tooth #23
The printing experience:
The Asiga Max 2 does have a heater just like its predecessor, and newer versions of the Max 2 have a beefed up heater. Unfortunately the fan during operation is still just as loud as it was for the OG Max, but at the very least it’s faster to reach desired temperatures.
Print times haven’t really been improved too much. Models orientated horizontally and positioned direct to the build plate will still take around 30-40 minutes to print at 100 micron (standard) layers, depending on the model resin used. A splint orientated vertically will take just over 2 hours to print at 100 microns (Keysplint Hard). Splints still fit perfectly straight after post-processing. The Max UV 2’s reliability and consistency still hold up.
One of the best things to come out of Asiga in recent years is the UltraGLOSS tray, which allows for minimal post-processing of transparent resins post-print. In my opinion, definitely worth the additional cost. I’m also looking forward to the LIFT trays which will apparently cut print time for splints/nightguards by 20-30%. There is also a Transparent Mode in the Max 2 which improves clarity of some clear printed materials – this is however material dependent and in the limited prints I’ve done on my Max 2 I couldn’t find a substantially noticeable difference in Keysplint Hard and Keysplint Soft splints.
A bit of a bummer, but please note that any trays manufactured before the middle of 2023 will not “register” with the Max 2 (confirmed by a number of my colleagues too). This left me with more or less a dozen vats that were essentially unusable. Sucks, but it is what it is.
Figure 6: 3D printed bleaching tray – printed out of Keysplint Soft
Just like for the OG Max, one of the biggest gripes with the Asiga experience has got to be the set lifetime each tray has – if you, let’s say, purchase a 1L tray, after printing 1L worth of resin on it, the unit will block you from using the tray, even if it is still functioning perfectly fine. Annoying. For new users, I’d recommend sticking to 1L trays until you get the hang of the workflow.
Figure 7: You can tell which splints were printed using an UltraGLOSS tray and which weren’t
Conclusion:
I have stated before that the Max UV was too good of a unit for its time. The fact that many users still continue to use their OG Max units after many years is a testament to the quality of the hardware. The Max 2 brings in some nice quality-of-life improvements to the system. It’s not ground-breaking stuff, but as the Max and Max 2 are priced almost exactly the same, there’s really no reason why you wouldn’t get a Max 2. Just note for existing users that your trays may not be compatible with it to save yourself a bit of heartache.
3 points why you should get it:
- Huge resin library
- Outstanding print reliability and consistency
- Improved QoL experience over its predecessor
3 points why you shouldn’t get it:
- Existing Max users may not be able to use their old trays with it
- Expensive vats with set volume lifetime
- Software isn’t user-friendly