Sovol SV06 Plus Hands-On Review – Just as Good Only Bigger?

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At first glance, the Sovol SV06 Plus* appears as if Sovol has only slightly enlarged the SV06 and not improved or added any features. And even at second glance, it is “just” an enlarged version of the original with a new touchscreen.

But that’s not a bad thing at all, as the original is also a good budget-friendly 3D printer with lots of features. So if you’re interested in the SV06 but need a larger print volume, the Sovol SV06 Plus is for you.

The Sovol SV06 Plus has a relatively large print volume of 300 × 300 × 340 mm, a dual z-axis for stabilization, a PEI-coated print bed, a direct drive extruder, and it has automatic print bed leveling.

Technical Specifications

• Technology: FDM
• Operation: 4.3” color touch screen
• Extruder: Direct Drive Extruder
• Print temperature: max. 300 °C
• Print bed temperature: max. 100 °C
• Print volume: 300 × 300 × 340 mm
• Print bed material: PEI-coated spring steel, magnetic, flexible
• Print bed leveling: Automatic at 25 points
• Print speed: Maximum 150 mm/s, standard 70 mm/s
• Nozzle: 1 × 0.4 mm
• Printing accuracy: ± 0.1 mm
• Layer height: 0.05 to 0.35 mm
• Filament: 1.75 mm PLA, ABS, PETG, TPU, PC, ASA, HIPS
• Filament Sensor: Yes
• Resume Print: Yes
• LED illumination: No
• File Transfer: MicroSD Card, USB
• Slicer: Cura

Scope of Delivery & Unboxing

The SV06 Plus comes with everything you need to start printing right away. As you can see from the pictures above, it comes mostly pre-assembled. The most complex modules, such as the frame with the print head and the base with the print bed are already completely pre-assembled and only need to be connected to each other.

The delivery also includes all the tools you need for the assembly. There is also a bit more PLA filament than most other 3D printers. With the included instructions and the files on the microSD card, the Sovol SV06 Plus is quickly assembled and ready to use.

Assembly

The assembly of the Sovol SV06 Plus is done within 15 to 20 minutes. Most parts are already pre-assembled and only need to be connected. The included instruction manual is also very clear and for all the steps described, the individual screws are packed in bags.

As with most other 3D printers, the first step is to screw the pre-assembled frame to the base. However, unlike most other models, it is screwed to the frame from the side rather than the bottom.

This gives the Sovol SV06 Plus a distinctive look familiar from many Prusa printers.

The filament sensor is also already attached to the filament holder. It hangs relatively free-swinging so that it can follow the movements of the filament.

Unlike many other 3D printers, the power supply is not located at the bottom of the base of the machine, but on the side of the frame. I like it more when the power supply is hidden in the base of the 3D printer. In this constellation, the Sovol SV06 Plus still looks like one of the earlier DIY devices.

The print head with extruder and level sensor is attached to the x-axis by three screws.

While it is convenient to be able to quickly remove the main board from the frame, this is not something that happens often enough to justify this construction. The only advantage is that you save a few seconds during assembly.

The display is easy to mount, but can’t be removed in practical use. The cable is too short for that.

Finally, you just have to connect the cables to the individual components. All cables are marked and routed in such a way that incorrect assignment is not possible.

Design

The Sovol SV06 Plus is a classic “Prusa-style” Cartesian FDM 3D printer. While it has many practical features that improve operation and print results, everything else has been stripped down as much as possible to save on manufacturing costs. The result is a well-balanced, stable and reliable 3D printer with a good price-performance ratio.

One of the biggest pluses of the Sovol SV06 Plus is its print head. It is very light despite having an integrated extruder and a leveling sensor on the side. Its low weight means that relatively high printing speeds are possible. Together with the stable z-axis, vibrations only occur at very high printing speeds.

The built-in dual-gear all-metal direct drive extruder has flawless control over the filament. There is also a large rotary wheel on the front of the print head that allows you to easily load the filament.

The leveling sensor on the right side of the printhead takes the manual leveling out of your hands. However, it is relatively large compared to a BL-Touch or CR-Touch. Nevertheless, it is mounted in a space-saving way and reliably levels the print bed automatically.

The Sovol SV06 Plus has a stepper motor on each side of the z-axis. This ensures that the movements of the print head are very stable, even over the large print volume. With this large print volume, it would not be practical to use only one driven z-axis. It also increases the positioning accuracy.

Most modern 3D printers coming on the market have a print bed coated with PEI. This surface provides excellent adhesion for most filaments.

The little screws at the end of the print bed are super handy. It may seem like a mundane feature to you, but in day-to-day use it takes away the sometimes fiddly positioning of the magnetic print bed. Even though I love my Neptune 3 Max, I would also like to have such screws at the end of its print bed …

The biggest criticism I have of the Sovol SV06 Plus is a lack of strain relief for the cables of the print bed. A not to be underestimated amount of current flows here. If the cables should break, the risk of fire increases enormously.

Just about all other 3D printers I’ve tested so far (and there are dozens) have strain relief on the print bed in one form or another. This is actually a no-go and should definitely be improved in the next versions of the device and new products.

UPDATE: In the meantime, this weak point has been fixed and a strain relief is installed in all now available devices. It’s nice that Sovol listens so quickly to customer feedback!

Besides the larger print volume, the color touch screen is the biggest improvement over the SV06. The menu makes a lot of sense and allows you to modify more specific settings, like PID tuning.

Print Bed Leveling

Under the print bed, there are no turning screws to adjust its tilt. Instead, you only need to adjust the global distance of the Nozzle to the print bed, i.e. the Z-Offset, in the center of the print bed.

The leveling sensor does the rest by measuring the tilt of the print bed at 25 points on it. The data is then used for each print to compensate for any tilt of the print bed.

Slicer

I have used the Sovol SV06 Plus with Cura. While there is no pre-made profile for it, I created my own and tested it.

If you want to copy my settings, or optimize your own, you can read this article: Sovol SV06 Plus | Cura Settings & Profile – Guide & List

The only really challenging part is optimizing the retraction settings. The extruder behaves differently than most other 3D printers I’ve used. Its retraction distance is very short. However, through diligent calibration, I was able to quickly find the correct values.

Printing

The print quality of the Sovol SV06 Plus is +/- 0.1 mm. After I calibrated it, it reliably delivered good results.

As a test, I printed various objects from PLA filament. Among them were those with a complex surface and mechanical parts. I am very satisfied with the results.

The Sovol SV06 Plus prints at an average noise level of about 45 decibels. Only when the print head suddenly moves quickly can peaks of over 60 dB also occur. There are quieter 3D printers, but these values are relatively normal and in the lower midfield.

Surprisingly, the SV06 Plus has very few problems with stringing. As a result, it’s especially well-suited for beginners, as those new to FDM 3D printing often shy away from a thorough calibration.

Sovol SV06 Plus vs. Ender-3 S1 Plus

The main differences between the Sovol SV06 Plus and the Ender 3 S1 Plus* are that it is (mostly) cheaper, the print bed has a PEI coating rather than a PC coating, and it has a higher print volume.

	Sovol SV06 Plus	Ender 3 S1 Plus
Print volume	300 × 300 × 340 mm	300 × 300 × 300 mm
Max. Hotend temperature	300 °C	260 °C
Max. Print bed temperature	100 °C	100 °C
Extruder	Direct Drive	Direct Drive
Display	Multicolor touch screen	Multicolor touch screen
Driven Z axes	2	2
Print bed	PEI-coated spring steel	PC-coated spring steel
Leveling	Induction sensor, automatic	CR-Touch, automatic
Filament Sensor	Yes	Yes
Resume Print	Yes	Yes
Timing belt tensioner	Yes	Yes
Tool drawer	No	Yes

Is the Sovol SV06 Plus Worth it?

The Sovol SV06 Plus* has an excellent price-performance ratio. For its low price, it has many useful features.

The lightweight print head and excellent adhesion to the print bed mean that even complex objects can be printed flawlessly at a high print speed.

In addition to being relatively easy to assemble, it is also very user-friendly. Therefore, I would recommend the Sovol SV06 Plus to beginners who are looking for an affordable 3D printer, with a larger print volume than most other entry-level devices.

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