Fine details: Affordable new resin 3D printer boasts 9K resolution

3D printers have become increasingly affordable. While FDM printers—which heat and extrude thermoplastic filament—are widely popular, the newly introduced Creality Halot-X1 Neo takes a different approach. As a resin 3D printer, it uses liquid photosensitive resin cured layer-by-layer via UV light. This stereolithography technique excels at producing small, highly detailed models without visible layer lines.

Priced at $239, the budget-friendly Halot-X1 Neo features a high-resolution 9K display (8,520 x 4,320 pixels), yielding an XY resolution and pixel size of 18 µm. It supports layer heights between 0.01 mm and 0.2 mm and offers print speeds of up to 60 mm/h. Because resin printers cure entire layers simultaneously rather than tracing paths with a print head, print speed remains independent of the model's cross-sectional area per layer.

The printer itself measures 235.5 x 230 x 395.5 mm, while its maximum build volume is limited to 156.36 x 77.76 x 160 mm—typical for compact resin 3D printers. Notable omissions include built-in air filtration, and the AI monitoring camera must be purchased separately. On the connectivity front, it supports Wi-Fi and USB, alongside Creality's software feature that leverages AI to generate 3D models for printing. The Halot-X1 Neo is available in the US for $239, with an EU launch planned for early October.