
This week’s question is about software for an older resin 3D printer.
Reader Edward writes:
“I recently received an anet n4 3d printer. It came with everything in the box but when I plugged in the USB there is no software for the slicer just 2 images. I have been trying to find someone that has one of the USBs with the right programs or someone that can send me the software.”
This is indeed a problem, as ANET no longer exists. The company launched in 2016 producing desktop resin 3D printers. We even tested the N4 back in 2020.
However, a couple of years later in 2022 rumours circulated that the company might be going out of business. This was almost certainly due to the negative reputation the company acquired after several of their ANET A8 devices caught fire, with at least one causing loss of life. While the company fixed the technical issues, it was too little, too late.
While the company’s website has been alive but dormant for some time, I checked it today and found that it no longer exists. There is no way to download the required software from the company.
The ANET N4 is a small resin 3D printer that, at the time of its release, was comparable to machines of that day. It requires a slicer able to handle resin 3D printing GCODE, which had previously been provided by ANET.
Today there are at least two major third party resin 3D print slicers, Lychee and Chitubox. Perhaps they still have a profile for the N4? I took a look.
Lychee Slicer
In Lychee Slicer, which has recently undergone a significant upgrade and even added FFF support, it is possible to add new printers. The software has profiles for a wide range of machines from no less than 36 different 3D printer manufacturers.
But ANET is not among them.
Chitubox Slicer
What about Chitubox?
Alas, ANET does not appear in their list of 25 different manufacturers, either.
Unless you can find an ancient version of (probably) Chitubox that might have the ANET N4 in it, you are out of luck finding a provided profile.
Manual Setup
But that’s not the end of the story. All of these slicing tools allow for the possibility of adding an “unknown” 3D printer. The catch is that you’d have to set up the profile entirely manually.
This would include putting in the build volume dimensions, for example. There are a number of other parameters that are related to the resin used, such as exposure times, lift speeds and delays, etc.
All of this could be done manually, but it will take some time to set up, and then iteratively test to dial in the resin settings. Resin calibration is something that is commonly done anyway, so that part should not be extra work.
This can absolutely be done, and that’s likely the cost of using an ancient, unsupported 3D printer. While you may have obtained the device itself for free, operating it will require more time and effort, and possibly some cost if parts are broken.
Another concern will be whether the machine actually works. Resin tank film tends to deteriorate, and your resin calibration might cause an accident to puncture the film. In that case you would have to source replacement film. There may be other issues, and it is just a matter of time before this not particularly durable machine will fail. ANET is not around to provide spare parts.
Something to consider would be to simply buy a new resin 3D printer from an active manufacturer that is properly supported. Today’s resin 3D printers are significantly better than those of even a couple of years ago, and provide very high quality output reliably. They also cost in some cases less than US$200. That price just might be worth it, considering the time and trouble required to get the N4 going again.