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The Sovol SV08* is the first CoreXY 3D printer from Sovol and offers an affordable and less complex alternative to the Voron 2.4.
In recent years, CoreXY printers have gained popularity due to their high speed and precision. Sovol has recognized that there is a demand for affordable but powerful CoreXY printers and has responded to this market development with the SV08.
In this article, I share my hands-on experience with the SV08 and show what this printer has to offer!
Review Summary
The Sovol SV08 really only has one drawback: the simple but time-consuming assembly. However, it only takes about an hour and after that, you get a very reliable CoreXY 3D printer with amazing print quality, upgradeability and a huge print volume.
These are my highlights of the Sovol SV08:
High Print Quality
High printing precision thanks to resonance compensation and stable CoreXY construction.
Many Upgrades Available
The display can be upgraded and an enclosure is also available for it.
High Speed
Up to 700 mm/s!
Compatible with Orca Slicer
(and with many other slicers too)
Overall Rating:
4,7/5
Advantages
✓ CoreXY design
✓ Fantastic price-performance ratio
✓ High printing speed
✓ Excellent print quality
Disadvantages
× Assembly takes approx. 1 hour
The Sovol SV08 is the first CoreXY 3D printer from Sovol and it gets everything right: high printing speeds, precise printing and best of all: useful upgrades.
Table of Contents:
Design
Print volume: The Sovol SV08 has a really generous print volume of 350 × 350 × 345 mm. This means you have plenty of space for all your large print projects. Whether you want to print prototypes, detailed models or larger, functional parts, this printer gives you plenty of options.
The printer chassis is made of robust metal, which ensures stability and durability. The high-quality linear guides and belts ensure precise movement of the print head.
CoreXY: The Sovol SV08 uses the CoreXY kinematics system. Thanks to the lower moving mass of the print head, the printer can work faster and more accurately. The result? More precise and faster prints, perfect for complex and demanding projects.
In fact, the trend at the moment is increasingly moving towards CoreXY printers, as this design makes it easier to achieve high speeds while maintaining high print quality.
Compared to other kinematic systems, such as the Cartesian system, CoreXY offers greater efficiency and better performance at high speeds.
Four independent Z-motors: A highlight of this CoreXY design of the SV08 are the four independent Z-motors. These enable precise and automatic leveling of the print bed by individually adjusting the four corners of the gantry. The motors are powerful and work synchronously to ensure perfect alignment of the print bed. This greatly improves print quality and significantly reduces the number of misprints.
Setup & Leveling
Assembling the Sovol SV08 can take a while, but it’s straightforward! It’s definitely a project that can take a good hour to complete, so make sure you have enough time and patience. But don’t worry, the instructions are clear and easy to understand, so even less experienced users will get on well.
What is particularly striking is the quality of the components and the well-thought-out design. All the parts fit together well and there are no major hurdles to overcome. You are guided through the assembly step by step so that you can be proud of your own work at the end.
The printer uses four independent Z-motors that adjust each corner of the print bed individually. This ensures that the bed is always perfectly level, which is particularly important for precise prints.
The SV08 is equipped with an inductive sensor and a pressure sensor on the nozzle. These sensors help to determine and maintain the optimum distance between the nozzle and the print bed.
The leveling process is fully automatic. All you have to do is start the process via the menu and the printer takes care of the rest. In just a few minutes, the bed is perfectly leveled without you having to intervene manually. This makes the SV08 ideal for beginners!
You can run the automatic leveling before each print. Normally, however, leveling should only be necessary sporadically after several prints.
Operation & Upgrades
Display: The Sovol SV08 comes with a very small display as standard. This can be a little fiddly at first, but after a short period of getting used to it, it is easy to operate.
One thing that really stands out is the confusing display of the print files. It can sometimes be difficult to find the right file quickly.
HDMI display upgrade: The HDMI display is a very useful upgrade. This larger display makes operating the printer much more convenient and intuitive. The menus are better structured and navigation is much easier. I can really recommend this upgrade to anyone who plans to use the printer intensively.
Enclosure Upgrade: If you are planning to print with filaments such as ABS, then the Enclosure Upgrade is a must. ABS requires a stable temperature and an enclosed environment to achieve optimal results. With the Enclosure Upgrade, you can control the printing conditions and significantly improve the print quality.
Special Features
Incredibly fast: An outstanding feature of the SV08 is its incredible printing speed. With a maximum acceleration of 40,000 mm/s² and a print speed of up to 700 mm/s , this printer is a real powerhouse. This speed saves you considerable time, especially on large print projects.
High-performance extruder: The SV08’s high-performance extruder enables precise and reliable material feed, which is particularly important for demanding filaments. The nozzle can be easily replaced, which makes maintenance easier and gives you the flexibility to use different nozzle diameters for different printing requirements.
Built-in camera: Another practical feature is the built-in camera. It allows you to monitor the printing process in real time, even if you are not right next to the printer. This is particularly useful for ensuring that everything runs smoothly and for detecting problems at an early stage.
Print Quality and Performance
The first print with the SV08 was of course the 3DBenchy as a test to see if everything went right during assembly. The quality was relatively good, but could be improved, so I calibrated the print temperature, speed and retraction.
IMPORTANT: Although the SV08 reaches 700 mm/s, I got the best results between 200 and 300 mm/s. Just to avoid any misunderstandings and false hopes 😉
After another test with the Benchy, I was satisfied with the print quality and immediately started a large project.
The project was a very detailed Spider-Man helmet with a complex texture. Not only did I want to push the print volume to the limit, but many areas are also relatively difficult to print, which should test the printer and its quality. The result is absolutely impressive. There were no printing errors whatsoever.
Finally, I printed another large project: a fantasy dwarf with a large shield and spear. This object is actually more suitable for a resin printer as it has a lot of detail. However, I wanted to challenge the SV08 and scaled this object as large as I could in its print volume.
Again, the result is absolutely flawless and the SV08 had absolutely no trouble rendering the fine details, even at the top end of the print volume.
The print quality of the SV08 is impressive. The surface finish of the printed objects is smooth and free from annoying print defects such as ringing or stringing. The dimensional accuracy is also excellent, which is particularly important for functional parts.
Firmware and Slicer
Klipper firmware: The Sovol SV08 uses Klipper as firmware, which means many advantages for you. This firmware not only improves the print quality, but also enables functions such as “Input Shaping” to minimize vibrations and “Pressure Advance” for a better filament flow. This allows you to monitor and control it remotely.
Compatibility with different slicers: No matter which slicer you prefer – the Sovol SV08 is compatible with Orca Slicer, Cura and PrusaSlicer. This gives you the freedom to use the software you are most comfortable with. For optimal results, you can use specific profile settings for each slicer that are tailored to the specific requirements of the SV08.
My Verdict
I think the SV08 from Sovol* is a big step forward for Sovol. I have also tested its predecessors and I am really impressed with the significant improvements in ease of use, print quality and reliability of results!
What particularly pleased me were the useful upgrade options. Nowadays, many 3D printers come with all kinds of features that the normal user doesn’t even need. Upgrading these when needed was and still is the ideal way for me to get the best value for money for all users. Sovol has recognized very well that a great-looking touchscreen is not absolutely necessary and that many users do not print with temperature-sensitive filaments such as ABS.
My verdict: Definitely recommended for fast, precise printing tasks with large print volumes!
The Sovol SV08 is the first CoreXY 3D printer from Sovol and it gets everything right: high printing speeds, precise printing and best of all: useful upgrades.
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