HeyGears UltraCraft Reflex RS Turbo Resin 3D Printer Review: It’s Shockingly Easy and High Performance

Introduction

HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo is an upgraded version of HeyGears Reflex RS. The RS Turbo features a new generation of 8k LCD screen, called the 8k amber screen, which enables the HeyGears RS Turbo 3D print with sharper details and a longer lifespan of the screen with a 1 million printed layers capability. However, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo still features plug-and-play, easy-to-use, and user-friendly features, which are very suitable for those users who dive into miniature model printing or seek a highly reliable and stable resin 3D printer for prototype validation.

The Design of the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo

Appearance Design: A Stylish Desktop 3D Printer

As far as I am concerned, I think the HeyGears Reflex Series 3D printer is the most aesthetically pleasing design compared to other desktop resin 3D printers. With its smooth lines and tea-colored protective cover, it has a very homey aesthetic, and it blends in with my workshop like a smart home appliance.

In addition to connecting wirelessly to the BluePrint Studio slicer, it also supports offline importing of print files by using a USB or TFD card to plug into the left ports of the RS Turbo. On the back of the machine, there are ports for HeyGears’s unique Pulsing Release Module, power supply, and air hose connections. The Pulsing Release Module is a HeyGears exclusive accessory that enhances printing efficiency by reducing the peeling force, particularly when 3D printing with high-performance resins, and conserves resin. If you are interested, click this link to learn more: HeyGears Pulsing Release Module Kit.

After opening the lid, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo is also very simple and aesthetically pleasing. First up is the molding platform, which is made of steel and has a surface so smooth that it allows for easy removal of models. Inside, there are two ambient lights on the left and right sides emitting yellow light, which helps in observing the interior even when the lid is closed.

It’s essential to highlight the Z-axis of the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo, which uses a dual-rail C5 grade Z-axis module design. This means it offers excellent performance in precision and balance during vertical movement, resulting in smooth and astonishingly accurate 3D printing surfaces. According to official tests, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo’s Z-axis module can withstand weights up to 50 kg for tens of thousands of repetitive movements. And test results show that it maintains an error margin within ±2 μm per layer. This is truly remarkable precision control!

Compared to its predecessor, the HeyGears Reflex RS, the biggest change in the HeyGears Reflex RS Turo is the upgrade to an 8K amber screen. As shown in the image below, this screen is very clear and semi-transparent, resembling amber. The direct benefits of the 8K amber screen are two-fold: first, it allows for sharper detail printing due to the screen’s contrast ratio of 566:1, which effectively filters out stray light. Second, it extends the lifespan of the screen. The official claim is that the 8K amber screen can handle printing one million layers, meaning you might go from replacing a new LCD screen every three months to every six months. The latter part will conduct a printing performance test on this machine, allowing you to witness the astonishing performance of the 8K amber screen. If you’re eager to know, you can scroll down to the subsequent content.

Function Design: Aim at Making it Easy to Use

The HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo resin 3D printer is also designed with user-friendly automatic printing assistance in terms of the hardware. Honestly, it’s the easiest-to-use resin 3D printer I’ve ever seen.

Firstly, it features a floating LCD screen design, which is equipped with four high-precision force sensors. When the molding platform approaches the LCD screen, the floating screen automatically adjusts its angle based on the tilt of the molding platform to ensure that the screen remains parallel to the molding platform. Then, the screen locks into place to maintain this parallel alignment. The precise adjustment value comes from the four force sensors. During the automatic leveling process, if there are any residual solids, the force sensors will detect them very sensitively and then remind us to clean the resin tank to avoid printing failures. These automatic leveling and residue-detecting actions are completed automatically at the start of each print project, without requiring our intervention. If I didn’t mention it, you might not even notice it while using the device.

Another very interesting feature is that during printing, HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo can monitor force value changes in real-time, and the force curve will be displayed on the touch screen. This function can accurately detect whether there are any abnormal force values during each layer of printing. If any abnormalities occur, they will be recorded in the print log to help users troubleshoot issues and view reports.

In addition, there are other automatic printing auxiliary functions, such as automatic resin replenishment and automatic heating. However, the automatic heating function requires purchasing an additional heating resin tank, which can also be compatible with the pulse stripping module. The automatic resin replenishment function uses the principle of a communicating vessel for automatic resin replenishment, but there is no liquid level detector that alerts the user when the resin is running out.

Ecosystem workflow: Shockingly easy to use

In addition to intelligent hardware design, HeyGears has its own ecosystem. This includes 3D printers, Blueprint Studio slicing software, curing machines, cleaning machines, and various self-developed resins. These ecosystem products offer users an all-in-one 3D printing experience, with a very convenient and simple workflow. For example, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo 3D printer, curing machine, and cleaning machine can all connect to Blueprint Studio simultaneously. Then you can send the sliced file to these three devices. It will automatically set the curing time and cleaning time based on the type of resin, eliminating the need to look up curing parameters for each resin. Users can also remotely monitor the status of machines on Blueprint Studio, such as environmental temperature, resin temperature, remaining lifespan of the release film, and resin quantity.

Additionally, I really appreciate HeyGears’ parameter-free setup service. Just select the corresponding device, resin type, and layer thickness in Blueprint Studio. And you can start slicing and printing without manually setting each layer’s printing speed, exposure time, waiting time, peeling speed, support diameter, and other time-consuming, tedious, and high-failure-rate steps. This is because HeyGears has integrated the optimal printing process parameters for each resin. Just select a specific resin, and it will automatically set all parameters for you. This is truly convenient, and HeyGears’ ecosystem allows me to truly experience the simplicity and convenience of 3D printing.

Printing Performance: High Performance Resin 3D Printer

8k Amber Screen for Sharper Detail Printing

The 8K amber screen features a high contrast ratio of 566:1, which means that the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo has an advantage in printing fine details. Below, I used it to print very small English and Chinese text to evaluate its detail formation capability. The image below shows a tiny English poem printed using the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo’s 8K amber screen, and each English letter is approximately 0.5 mm wide. From the image, you can see that the English sentence was successfully printed.

Similarly, even more complex Chinese characters can be fully formed. As shown in the image below, each character has a width of 1 mm. The ability to print such tiny and structurally complex characters is truly surprising to me. If it were an ordinary LCD screen with low contrast, such printing precision would likely be unachievable. Printing such tiny characters usually results in overexposure, preventing them from forming completely.

The image below shows my test of the minimum text size molding capability using PAS10 resin. The results also indicate that the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo can barely print and form English letters at a width of 0.5 mm, which is consistent with the results from above.

What I want to add is that the smallest text size printing capability is not the same as the smallest detail printing capability. 3D printing text is more challenging than printing general model details because text structures are more complex. When it comes to printing on miniature models’ details, the smallest detail printing is much smaller than the smallest text size printing. The HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo can print sharper model details than its predecessor, the Reflex RS.

Full Modeling Platform Printing Consistency

Just like their previous generation, each HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo machine undergoes the light uniformity calibration for different areas of the screen before leaving the factory. This ensures that users achieve consistent print quality across the entire screen area when performing full modeling platform 3D printing. Additionally, their screens feature anti-aging algorithms, which means that the 8K amber screen automatically adjusts the light uniformity of various areas of the screen based on usage time. In this way, it can maintain an optimal range of light intensity as much as possible, thereby preventing the screen from becoming obsolete too soon.

3D Printing Miniatures With HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo

With such high-precision printing capabilities, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo is ideal for 3D printing all kinds of tabletop miniatures. Below, I will use three types of HeyGears resin, specially designed for printing tabletop miniatures, to print miniatures. Through this application scenario, I will show you the charm of the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo.

Print with PAP10 Resin for Ultra-Fine Detail Models

PAP10 precise detail resin is specifically designed for printing intricate details on miniatures. When used with HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo, the PAP10 gray version can achieve a minimum pillar print diameter of 0.15mm and the finest detail prints down to 0.08mm! Additionally, there is a black version of PAP10 that allows for even finer detail prints at 0.06mm.

Therefore, when printing miniatures, I can fully utilize PAP10 precision detail resin to achieve prints with rich and sharp details. The miniature model below was printed using HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo with PAP10 resin. The result perfectly reproduces the sharp details of the model! PAP10 has excellent molding capabilities, and the support contact diameter is very small, so I didn’t need to spend much time sanding the support contact points. In summary, everything turned out great and met my expectations perfectly.

Print with PAF10 Resin (PVC-like) for Flexible Needs

Next, I used Reflex RS Turbo combined with PAF10 Resin to print some miniature models that require flexibility and drop resistance. PAF10 resin is a PVC-like resin with excellent flexibility, making it very suitable for printing miniature models that need flexibility and drop resistance. For example, those with long slender parts, such as long swords and spears.

The images below show a miniature model printed using the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo 3D printer with PAF10 resin. As shown in the image, the model includes spear parts. Compared to PAP10 resin, PAF10 resin has greater toughness; for example, when attempting to forcefully bend the spear of the miniature model by hand, it was found to be very difficult to break. Therefore, PAF10 resin is really suitable for printing models that require toughness.

In terms of print quality, such as surface finish and detail formation, it is also very good. Another crucial point that needs to be emphasized is that when used with the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo resin 3D printer, there is no need to set various complex parameters yourself. Everything is extremely simple and user-friendly.

The smooth surfaces of the models have no visible layer lines, and apart from the matte effect of the PAF10 resin, I believe that the precise Z-axis movement of this 3D printer also plays an important role! With a layer thickness error of ±2 microns per layer, this truly represents top-tier precision control!

Print with PAS10 Resin for a Smooth Surface Without Layer Lines

Compared to PAP10 and PAF10 resins, the greatest advantage of PAS10 is its perfect surface print quality. Moreover, its color, Pale Purple, is very attractive. Therefore, if you want to achieve an even more perfect model surface effect, PAS10 resin is highly recommended as it is also quite affordable, making it the most cost-effective resin for printing miniatures.

Tests with the Reflex RS Turbo 3D printer have shown that it can achieve a perfect surface finish—without any visible layer lines! In terms of detail formation, while PAS10 resin may not match PAP10 resin and PAF10 resin for the smallest details, it can still meet requirements for non-ultra-fine details.

3D Printing for Prototyping and Engineering

The HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo currently supports over 10 types of official HeyGears resins, thus basically meeting various 2D printing needs. As their parameter research continues to improve, I believe that in the future, it will support more high-performance resins, such as transparent resin.

I still tested their PAU11 ABS-like resin and PAH10 black high-temperature resistant resin. PAU11 is an advanced resin with ABS-like properties, featuring high impact resistance and excellent toughness, making it less prone to breaking. Both materials offer a good balance of mechanical performance, dimensional accuracy, and long-term color stability. They are ideal choices for various end-use products and industrial applications, commonly used in the production of screws, mechanical parts, and housings.

The PAH10 black resin has greater flexural strength and higher temperature deformation resistance. If you want to print some load-bearing parts, choosing HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo with PAH10 black is an excellent solution.

Features I like

• HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo offers a one-stop 3D printing experience that is very easy to use, requiring no complex parameter settings from the user.
• The print result of the 8K amber screen exceeded my expectations, with sharper details and longer screen life.
• The automatic leveling of the floating LCD screen and residue detection are really beneficial. On one hand, I no longer need to worry about print failures due to leveling issues before each print. On the other hand, it can automatically detect residues, reminding me to clean the resin tank in time, thus protecting the peel film from damage.
• It is a product full of automation, with software and hardware striving for intelligent integration as much as possible. It is very convenient to use, especially for beginners in 3D printing.
• The HeyGears Reflex RS is equipped with five force sensors. On one hand, it can monitor the force changes of each layer in real-time to detect printing anomalies. On the other hand, it feeds back real-time force changes to its Motion Algorithm 3.0, thereby adjusting the Z-axis movement speed in real-time, which significantly saves printing time.
• An excellent dual-rail Z-axis module. HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo offers highly precise control over Z-axis movement, ensuring each layer has an error margin of ±2 micrometers, thus guaranteeing that the model surface shows no noticeable layer lines.
• This is a product of aesthetic significance. I really love its appearance design. In terms of aesthetics, it stands out among all desktop 3D printers.

Room for Improvement

• The back of the molding platform should preferably be designed with a certain slope so that after printing, the resin can automatically flow into the resin tank, eliminating the need for manual scraping.

Learn more: HeyGears Reflex 2 3D printer review.

FAQs

How Many Resins Are Compatible With The HeyGears RS Turbo Now?

The image below shows all the resins currently compatible with the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo on Blueprint Studio. So far, it supports 13 official self-developed resins, which can meet various 3D printing needs.

Why Are There So Many Different Resins for 3D Printing?

Unlike traditional manufacturing, which often relies on a limited set of materials for specific processes, 3D printing, particularly resin-based technologies like SLA (Stereolithography), DLP (Digital Light Processing), and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), thrives on material versatility.

At its core, resin 3D printing involves using a light source (UV laser or projector) to cure a liquid photopolymer resin layer by layer, solidifying it into a 3D object. The magic, and the reason for the vast array of resins, lies in the ability to chemically engineer these photopolymers to exhibit a wide range of physical and mechanical properties once cured.

Think of it like this: you wouldn’t use a rubber band to build a house, nor would you use concrete for a bouncy ball. Similarly, different 3D printing applications demand different material characteristics.

Here’s why there’s such a diverse resin:

1. Tailored Mechanical Properties: This is perhaps the biggest driver. While standard resins are great for highly detailed visual prototypes due to their smooth finish, they are often brittle. For functional parts, engineers need resins that mimic properties like ABS (tough and impact-resistant), polypropylene (durable and flexible), or even ceramics (rigid and heat-resistant). This leads to resins specifically formulated for toughness, flexibility, durability, impact resistance, and even those reinforced with glass or ceramic particles for increased stiffness.
2. Specific Industry Needs: Many industries have highly specialized requirements.
   • Medical and Dental: Biocompatible resins are crucial for creating surgical guides, dental aligners, and even prosthetics, ensuring safety and compatibility with the human body. These often need to withstand sterilization processes.
   • Jewelry: Resins with excellent detail resolution and clean burnout properties are essential for creating intricate masters for investment casting.
   • Manufacturing and Tooling: High-temperature resins are vital for creating molds, fixtures, and jigs that can withstand elevated temperatures without deforming.
3. Aesthetic and Functional Attributes: Beyond pure mechanical strength, resins offer a spectrum of visual and functional characteristics:
   • Clear Resins: For transparent parts, fluidic devices, or light pipes.
   • Flexible/Elastic Resins: To simulate rubber, for grips, gaskets, or wearable prototypes that need to bend and compress.
   • High-Detail Resins: For miniatures, artistic models, or any application where intricate features are paramount.
   • Water-Washable Resins: For easier post-processing and reduced chemical waste.
4. Printing Process Optimization: The curing process itself can influence resin development. Some resins are designed for faster curing times, while others are optimized for specific wavelengths of light used by different printer technologies (SLA vs. DLP/LCD).

Which Is the Best HeyGears Resin for 3D Printing Miniatures?

As previously mentioned, HeyGears has launched three different performance resins to meet various needs for miniature 3D printing. These three resins are PAP10 Precision Detail Resin, PAF10 Flexible Resin (PVC-like), and PAS10 Standard Resin. Why are these three resins particularly suitable for 3D printing miniatures? Below is a comparison table is the scores of their performance parameters, which will give you a more intuitive understanding of their application differences.

What is the HeyGears RS Turbo 8K Amber Screen? What’s It Good For?

The HeyGears RS Turbo 8K Amber Screen delivers enhanced optical performance through a custom dichroic polarizer and specialized optical films, achieving a high contrast ratio of 566:1. This technology effectively blocks stray light, minimizing over or underexposure during printing to sharpen detail reproduction and improve surface smoothness. Additionally, its optical films reduce scattered light, ensuring precise UV curing for intricate geometries. Beyond performance gains, the screen offers an extended lifespan—dye-infused polarizers with superior UV and thermal resistance enable it to print over 1 million layers, significantly outlasting standard LCD screens.

Below is a comparison of the differences between the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo 8K Amber Screen and a regular LCD screen.

What Is The Difference Between the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo and the Reflex RS?

The only difference between HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo and HeyGears Reflex RS is the 8K Amber Screen. At the same price, RS Turbo offers higher performance and a new generation 8K Amber Screen. Of course, RS can still support purchasing the 8K Amber Screen module separately for an upgrade to match the performance of RS Turbo.

Conclusion

In summary, I highly recommend the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo resin 3D printer. During my use, I experienced a very simple and convenient one-stop 3D printing experience. If you, like me, don’t want to deal with those annoying parameter settings and want to easily achieve high-quality prints, the HeyGears Reflex RS Turbo is an ideal choice. It’s really super easy to use and has excellent performance!