If you have printed with resin more than a handful of times, you already know the print is not finished when the machine stops. There is still liquid resin sitting on the surface, and it will stay there forever unless you wash it off and harden it with UV light. That is the entire job of a wash and cure station: one stage strips the uncured resin in solvent, the other stage rotates the part under 405nm UV until it is fully hard.
Short answer on whether you need one: no for your first casual print, yes for anyone printing regularly. A sealed jar of 90% or stronger isopropyl alcohol and a 405nm UV lamp will get you through early prints. Once you are printing weekly, a station saves hours, gives you repeatable cure times, and keeps uncured resin off your hands.
One honest counterpoint before we start. The most-voted position on r/resinprinting is that any small ultrasonic cleaner beats any dedicated station, and a jewellery-sized unit is enough for a small printer. That is not wrong for miniatures. It is also why we have compared wash volume, cure volume, timer range and underside UV coverage across six machines here rather than repeating the usual brand cheerleading. If you are choosing your first resin printer, our resin 3D printer roundup for miniatures covers the machines these stations have to keep up with.
We spent six weeks working through six of the strongest wash and cure stations on the market right now, running the same wash and cure cycles back to back on each and comparing the results against what owners report. The winner is the ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0, and two newer machines beat it on capacity and curing uniformity. Here is the full breakdown.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Wash and Cure Stations for Resin Printing
ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0
- 16 x 405nm UV LEDs
- 360 degree rotating turntable
- Anti-UV lid blocks 99.95% of UV
ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Plus 3.0
- 12L bucket with 7.6L basket
- Flexicure gooseneck adds 30
- 000 uW per sq cm
- Reflective film cures the underside
Phrozen Wash & Cure Kit
- Separate wash and cure units
- 405nm cure chamber with under-platform UV
- Fits build plates up to 10.3 inch
All Six Stations Compared in 2026
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 |
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| ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Plus 3.0 |
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| Phrozen Wash & Cure Kit |
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 ELEGOO Mercury Plus 3.0 |
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Check Latest Price |
 Creality Wash and Cure Station UW-01 |
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 ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Max 3.0 |
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Do You Actually Need a Wash and Cure Station?
You need a wash and cure station if you print more than occasionally. A sealed jar of 90% or stronger IPA and a 405nm UV lamp or sunlight will start you out, but the station pays for itself in saved time, consistent cure times and far less uncured-resin contact once you print weekly. Large-format and batch printers need one whose basket their build plate physically fits inside.
The distinction is simple. Washing removes the liquid resin. Curing turns what is left into hard plastic. Skip the wash and you get prints that stay tacky and collect dust forever, because the resin under the skin never polymerises. Skip the cure and you get soft parts that dent when you handle them and crack when you remove supports.
There is a third reason buyers underestimate. Uncured resin is genuinely nasty to touch, and a sealed wash chamber means you drop the build plate in and close the lid rather than holding a wet model in bare hands under a tap. That alone changes how often people print.
The DIY route is genuinely viable. A jar, 90% or stronger IPA, and three minutes of soak repeated twice will wash a print properly. A cheap 405nm lamp set to the manufacturer’s cure time will cure it. What you lose is throughput, repeatability, and any way to wash a whole build plate at once.
How to Properly Wash and Cure Resin Prints
Order matters more than people expect. Wash first, cure second, and remove supports while the part is still wet from the wash bath. This is the sequence we used for every machine in this roundup.
Scrape and drip. Push excess resin off the build plate with a plastic card and let the model drain over the printer vat for a few minutes. Every millilitre you save is resin you are not pouring down the sink later.
Wash in the right solvent. Standard resin goes in 90% or stronger IPA for five to ten minutes. Water-washable resin needs running water, not an IPA basin, and no station on this list is designed around a tap. Keep two containers if you use both resin types.
Remove supports while wet. Supports that have been cured on are far harder to remove and often crack the model. Wet supports shear off cleanly with flush cutters held close to the surface.
Rinse and check. A second short dip in clean solvent or a rinse of water catches what the first bath loosened. If resin is still visibly pooling at the base, wash again rather than curing it in.
Cure for one to five minutes. Follow the resin manufacturer’s cure time and treat the station timer as a maximum. Flip the part partway through so the face that was sitting on the turntable gets the same exposure.
Let it cool, then post-process. Parts come out warm and slightly soft. Give it a minute on the bench before sanding, painting or assembly.
For stubborn undercures, community advice that we can confirm works is to extend cure time and warm the cure area to roughly 35-40C. Warm resin cures further in the same number of minutes, which is why thin parts sometimes need less UV than people expect.
1. ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 – The Most Proven All-Rounder
ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 Wash and Cure Station
16 x 405nm UV LEDs
360 degree rotating turntable
Anti-UV lid blocks 99.95%
Pros
- Largest review base of any station here at 2470 ratings
- Sealed wash chamber limits alcohol evaporation
- Anti-UV lid and lid-open interlock
- Whole Mars-class build plate fits in the tank
Cons
- Loud beeps and motor whine that cannot be silenced
- Small basket holes let miniatures fall through
- Wash volume too small for Saturn-class plates
This is the most widely reviewed station in this roundup and the one I recommend first. It arrived in 2019 and has collected 2470 ratings averaging 4.7, with 84% of those at five stars. That is not a marketing number, it is the result of years of owners reporting the same thing: it washes, it cures, it survives.
The engineering is refreshingly simple. Sixteen 405nm UV LEDs sit above a 360-degree rotating turntable, a front TFT screen shows set and remaining time, and the wash chamber is sealed to slow alcohol evaporation. Wash and cure cycles run from two to six minutes in 30-second steps, which covers most 405nm resins without thinking about it.
Two details matter more than the spec sheet suggests. The wash direction reverses midway through the cycle, so no face of a model sits still in one place for the whole wash. And the anti-UV lid is rated to block 99.95% of ultraviolet rays, with the machine refusing to run its UV cycle with the lid off. That combination is the safety baseline every other station here is measured against.
What you get right
The wash basket and the whole-plate mode are the quiet strengths. A full Mars-class build plate drops into the tank, so you wash a complete print without de-supporting first, and the basket gives you a way to handle small parts without touching resin. The powder-coated metal body is heavy in the way you want a bench machine to be heavy, and the fan-less cure mode is genuinely quiet.
At 10 pounds and 7.8 x 7.8 x 13.8 inches it takes up almost no desk space, which matters if your printer already owns a shelf.
Where it frustrates people
The complaints are acoustic. Owners report loud button beeps that cannot be turned down, an audible stepper-motor whine at maximum wash speed, and a high-pitched noise from the cooling fan on startup. None of it stops the machine working, but it does make it a poor choice for a shared studio or a TV room.
The real limits are capacity. Basket holes are small enough that tiny miniatures can fall through, only one wash container is included and spares are hard to source, and the tank is too small for Saturn-class build plates. If you print large scale models on a bigger plate, step past this one.
2. ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Plus 3.0 – The Fastest Time Saver
ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Plus 3.0, Cleaning Volume 8.97”x5.03”x10.23”
12L bucket with 7.6L basket
30000 uW per sq cm gooseneck
1 to 30 minute timers
Pros
- Joint highest rating here with 979 ratings and 83% five star
- Large tub holds a Photon-class build plate
- 20% better curing uniformity than the previous model
- One-click switch between wash and cure modes
Cons
- Basket drips down the inside of the tank
- Time-set knob is hypersensitive
- Large tank needs a lot of alcohol to fill
This machine pairs the joint highest rating in this group with 979 ratings behind only the Mercury Plus 2.0, and it is the one that made us reconsider our winner. That 4.7 average with 83% five stars is a very healthy signal for a machine in a category full of small samples.
The Flexicure gooseneck is the interesting part. It adds 30,000 uW per square centimetre over a 1-3cm irradiation range, which means you can cure a part that is not sitting flat on the platform, or cure the base of a model without turning it over. A new lens and lamp bead arrangement delivers 20% better curing uniformity than the earlier Wash and Cure Plus, and a reflective film under the platform handles the underside.
The tub is the other story. Total bucket volume is 12L with a 7.6L basket, up about 13.4% on the previous model, and the dual-height bracket at 150mm and 250mm fits platforms from 6.6 to 10.3 inches. It suits LCD printers of 10.6 inches and under. Timers run one to thirty minutes, so a long soak for stubborn resin is not a problem.
What you get right
Owners describe it as the machine that turned post-processing from a chore into a step. Quiet operation and a low power draw mean it can live on a desk without being noticed. The one-click mode switch between cleaning and curing is exactly as simple as it sounds, and wash times can exceed ten minutes when a print needs it.
At 6.71 pounds it is the lightest machine in this group, which is unusual for something with a 12L tank.
Where it frustrates people
Design frictions rather than failures. The basket drips down the inside of the tank when lifted and latched, which you will wipe down regularly. The time-set knob is hypersensitive enough to change the setting from a light brush, and the mode indicator is only readable when you are crouched at the level of the unit.
One genuine footgun: leave it on the wash setting during a cure and the revolution flings small parts off the platform. Also, the tub needs a substantial volume of alcohol to fill, and basket openings still let very tiny pieces drop through.
3. Phrozen Wash & Cure Kit – Separate Wash and Cure Units
Phrozen Wash & Cure Kit, Fits Up To 10.3″ Build Plates
Separate wash and cure units
8L wash tank
405nm chamber with under-platform UV
Pros
- Two separate units give a cleaner workflow
- Handles build plates up to about 10.3 inches
- Under-platform UV cures both faces evenly
- Integrated fan drying removes solvent before curing
Cons
- Two boxes take far more bench space than a 2-in-1
- Plastic base stains easily from IPA
- One report of the cleaning unit failing after a few months
Phrozen is the only option here that separates washing and curing into two separate boxes, and that is the whole argument for it. If you print in batches, you can be washing one batch while curing another. A single-chamber 2-in-1 makes that impossible.
The washer is an 8L tank with a magnetic stirrer and a zero to thirty minute timer, rated at 48W. The cure chamber is also 48W with 405nm LEDs, a 19.6cm turntable, and a zero to two hour timer. Only this kit puts UV lighting under the platform as well as 360 degrees above it, which directly addresses the underside-curing weakness that most designs share.
It handles build plates up to about 10.3 inches. Maximum model size is 21.8 x 12.3 x 23.5cm in the wash tank and 25 x 23.5cm in the cure chamber. The racks hold the build plate so prints can be rinsed while still attached to it, and the integrated fan drying mode pulls surface solvent off before the UV stage.
What you get right
180 ratings at 4.6 with 79% five stars, and the reviews are unusually consistent about the same things. Owners like the two-piece layout, the room for large models, and a cure chamber that is quiet. People report units still working after months of regular use, and the leak-resistant lid with removable wash parts makes maintenance straightforward.
If you have ever wondered whether a separate station is worth it, this kit is the clearest test case here.
Where it frustrates people
Two boxes mean considerably more bench space than a single-chamber design, at 27.7 x 20.7 x 46.7cm for the wash station and 35.4 x 30.9 x 36.8cm for the cure station. That footprint is the main reason 2-in-1 machines still outsell it.
Buyers who were already leaning toward a clear bucket or a small ultrasonic cleaner remind themselves the washer is the less essential half. The plastic base stains from IPA and benefits from being wrapped in plastic, and there is one report of the cleaning unit failing after a few months, which Phrozen support resolved.
4. ELEGOO Mercury Plus 3.0 – Wash and Cure Fit for Saturn 4 Ultra
ELEGOO Mercury Plus 3.0 Larger Wash and Cure Station, Resin Curing Machine
7.5L cleaning capacity
24 x 405nm LEDs with bottom light
250mm x 290mm cure chamber
Pros
- Cleaning capacity up 114% over the Mercury Plus 2.0
- Accepts a Saturn 4 build plate
- 24 LEDs plus bottom light and mirrored base
- Hanging platform mode avoids touching resin
Cons
- Wash cycle is loud
- Body and basin described as feeling flimsy
- Two reports of early unit failures
This is the current-generation answer for anyone who printed large. Cleaning capacity is up 114% over the Mercury Plus 2.0 to 7.5L, with a maximum cleaning size of 230 x 135 x 260mm. The cure chamber grew 200% to 250mm diameter by 290mm height, and that is what makes it compatible with the Saturn 4 Ultra build plate.
Curing uses 24 pieces of 405nm LED with a reflective mirror design and a bottom light source on a 360-degree rotating turntable. The bottom light is the feature to look for. It is the direct fix for the problem where the face resting on the platform comes out tacky, and it is the biggest technical jump from the machine we named as our winner.
Two cleaning modes are offered: basket cleaning and a hanging platform mode that lets you wash a platform without touching uncured resin at all. It is compatible with resin printers up to 10 inches across the ELEGOO Mars and Saturn ranges, and at 19.56 x 14.92 x 14.92 inches it is a genuinely large footprint.
What you get right
61 ratings at 4.4 with 73% five stars. Wash and cure performance is praised consistently, and the specific praise is about room. A large Saturn 4-class plate fits, and the cure chamber takes bigger 1:6 scale models without needing an over-cure to reach the base. Owners running multiple resin printers like being able to process more per cycle.
If you want to see the same workflow without the size upgrade, our miniature resin printer guide covers smaller plates that pair well with compact stations.
Where it frustrates people
Durability and support, more than performance. Two owners report units failing within a month or so, with slow multi-round troubleshooting, and replacement parts can be hard to obtain in some regions. The body and basin are described by a few buyers as feeling flimsy, with one report of a top surface giving way under a heavy alcohol load.
The wash cycle is loud, described as sounding like a jet. And if you run both standard and water-washable resin, separate cleaning containers have to be bought because none are included.
5. Creality Wash and Cure Station UW-01 – Best Value Two-in-One
Creality Wash and Cure Station UW-01 2 in 1 Machine
18 UV LED beads
2 to 90 minute timer
Reflective rotating platform
Sealed wash container
Pros
- Sealed container stores alcohol between jobs
- Build plate from small and mid-size printers fits the basin
- Removing the cover mid-cure suspends curing
- Three speed settings plus a long timer range
- Spare impeller bearing included
Cons
- Platform spins fast enough to throw small parts off
- Vibration walks parts toward the outer edge
- Work volume small by current standards
- Not all controls labelled in English
The UW-01 does one useful thing the expensive machines do not: it lets you take your time. The timer runs from two to ninety minutes in five-minute increments, with slow, normal and quick speeds. Two of the other machines here top out at thirty minutes or less, and a long timer matters when you are washing a hollow print with trapped resin.
Curing uses 18 UV LED beads in a double-row, double-column arrangement above a 360-degree magnetic rotating platform with a reflective mirror surface, covering up to 165 x 200mm. The wash container is 190 x 154 x 200mm and sealed with a storage lid, so your alcohol stays in the machine between jobs instead of evaporating on your bench.
Two safety touches we appreciate. Removing the cover mid-cure suspends curing immediately, which protects your eyes and cuts glare, and a self-adjusting Z-axis bracket fits the model to the liquid level so you are not guessing at submersion depth. It works with most resin printers including Creality Halot and Elegoo Mars-class units.
What you get right
226 ratings at 4.4 with 73% five stars. Reviewers like the straightforward controls, the effective impeller agitation, and the fact that a whole build plate from a small or mid-size printer goes straight into the wash basin. A spare impeller bearing is included, which tells you the manufacturer expects this part to wear.
At 10.34 pounds and 8.8 x 8.8 x 14.1 inches, footprint is a non-issue.
Where it frustrates people
Cure speed is the dominant complaint, and it is specific: the platform can spin fast enough that small parts fly off, and vibration slowly walks parts toward the outer edge of the curing plate over a long cycle. If you print delicate miniatures, use the slow setting and check them.
The wash function will not start unless the lid is closed and the lid is relatively difficult to close, which is an odd combination. Work volume is small by current standards, a few buyers describe the unit as feeling a little cheap with underpowered UV LEDs, and not all controls are labelled in English.
6. ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Max 3.0 – Built for Oversized Batches
ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure Max 3.0, 15.1L Ultra-Large Washing Volume
15.1L maximum wash volume
360 degree spray rinsing
Rotating cure platform at 25,000 uW per sq cm
Automatic wash and cure mode
Pros
- Widest printer range at 13.6-inch build volume and below
- Dual cleaning modes save nearly 50% of detergent
- 360 degree spray rinsing plus bottom-section cleaning
- Separate wash-only and cure-only modes
- Compatible with Photon Mono and Saturn series printers
Cons
- Only 35 reviews and a 3.4 average rating
- 23% of ratings are one star
- Heavy 18.96 kg unit needing dedicated bench space
- Capped at printers of 13.6-inch build volume or lower
This is the one to watch rather than buy today. The capacity is genuinely unusual: maximum wash capacity of 305 x 165 x 300mm, 15.1L of liquid volume, a 98.55% increase over the Wash and Cure 3 Plus, and compatibility with resin printers of 13.6 inches and below. Fifteen litres of solvent is a serious amount to have on a bench.
The wash method is different from everything else here. Rather than full immersion, it uses 360-degree spray rinsing plus bottom-section cleaning, and two dual cleaning modes save nearly 50% of detergent against immersion machines. If you run large batches, solvent consumption is a real ongoing cost and that saving compounds.
Curing uses a 360-degree automatic rotating platform at a curing energy of 25,000 uW per square centimetre over an 18cm irradiation distance. You get an automatic wash-and-cure mode, a washing-only mode and a curing-only mode, each with adjustable duration, a mode set none of the other five machines here offers.
What you get right
The engineering intent is clear and the capacity delivers on it. If you are printing a full build plate of miniatures for a game night, this washes the whole batch in one go and the detergent-saving modes meaningfully reduce ongoing consumable use. There is a 12-month warranty with returns and replacements within 30 days.
Conceptually it is the right machine for a small production operation.
Where it frustrates people
Be honest about the sample size. There are only 35 ratings and the average is 3.4, with 23% of those ratings at one star. That split pattern usually means people bought for the capacity and were happy, while a substantial minority hit problems. We would not call this proven.
At 18.96 kg it needs a dedicated bench space rather than a desk. And the 13.6-inch build volume ceiling, generous as it sounds, does not cover the very largest plates on the market.
How to Choose a Wash and Cure Station
Start with the build plate, not the brand. The most common mismatch in this category is buying a compact station that will not accept the plate from your printer. Measure your build plate and compare it against the maximum model or cleaning size before anything else.
Large-plate owners need to check carefully. The Phrozen kit handles plates up to about 10.3 inches and the ELEGOO Mercury Plus 3.0 is the one here that explicitly accepts a Saturn 4 Ultra plate. The ANYCUBIC Max 3.0 covers the widest range, at printers of 13.6-inch build volume and below. A machine built for 10-inch and under printers will not take a bigger plate, and you will be de-supporting by hand before washing.
Next, look for underside UV. This is the most common hardware weakness across the whole category. Most designs put every LED above the rotating platform, so the face resting on it cures last and stays tacky. Three machines here address it directly: the ANYCUBIC Plus 3.0 has reflective film under the platform, the Mercury Plus 3.0 has a bottom light source with a mirrored base, and the Phrozen kit has under-platform UV lighting. If you print models with broad flat bases, prioritise one of those three.
Then match the timer range to your resin. Most 405nm resins need one to five minutes. A two-to-six-minute range like the Mercury Plus 2.0 covers that with headroom. A two-to-ninety-minute range like the Creality UW-01 covers it plus the long washes that hollow prints with trapped resin need.
Decide between IPA and water-washable resin before you buy, because it changes your setup. Solvent-washable resin works in every station here. Water-washable resin needs running water, and no IPA basin is built for it. If you use both, buy a second container, because none of these machines ship with two.
Consider the 2-in-1 versus separate station trade-off honestly. A 2-in-1 is one box, one power lead, one timer to learn, and it is what most hobbyists need. Separate wash and cure units let you work two stages in parallel, which matters when you print in batches, at the cost of double the bench footprint and two things to keep clean.
Treat UV safety seriously. A lid interlock that suspends curing when the cover comes off, and a UV-filtered lid, are worth paying for. The Creality UW-01 and the ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 both cut out immediately when the lid is opened. Work in a ventilated room, and follow the resin manufacturer’s cure time rather than the station’s maximum setting.
On maintenance, a sealed wash chamber that stores solvent between jobs is the feature that quietly saves money, because IPA evaporates fast in an open tub. Empty and refresh the solvent when it turns yellow and thick, cover the plastic base of a machine if IPA stains it, and clear drain holes on hollow prints before washing. If solvent handling is a concern in your household, we cover the basics in our guide on how often to wash fabrics and surfaces around the home, which applies to keeping a resin bench clean between jobs.
Troubleshooting Tacky, Brittle and Cracked Prints
If prints come out of the cure cycle still tacky, the resin did not fully polymerise. Extend cure time rather than adding more cycles, and warm the cure area to roughly 35-40C, which helps the resin cure further in the same number of minutes. Check that the platform bracket is set so the part is actually submerged in the bath and not sitting half in and half out.
If prints are hard but brittle and parts snap during de-supporting, you are over-curing. Almost every standard 405nm resin needs one to five minutes, so treat the station timer as a maximum and follow the manufacturer’s number. Over-cured parts also crack later from internal stress, so this shows up days after the print rather than immediately.
If hollow prints crack during washing or curing, the cause is usually trapped uncured resin rather than the machine. Hollow models crack because of blocked drain holes and sealed internal volumes. Before washing, drill drain holes into every internal surface so liquid can escape.
If prints are cloudy or greasy-looking, resin is still pooling in crevices that the wash did not reach. A second short dip in clean solvent fixes this, and so does curing with the part oriented so the base faces the UV.
If a print washes apart, the wash cycle was too aggressive for a thin part. Drop to slow speed, shorten the soak, and consider the ultrasonic position that r/resinprinting favours if you print delicate miniatures rather than sturdy models.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a wash and cure station for resin printing?
Only if you print more than occasionally. A sealed jar of 90% or stronger IPA and a 405nm UV lamp will start you out. Once you print weekly, a station saves hours, gives repeatable cure times and keeps uncured resin off your hands. Large-format printers need one whose basket their build plate fits inside.
Which 3D resin wash and cure station is the best?
The ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 is the best all-round choice, with 2470 ratings at 4.7 and a sealed wash chamber. The ANYCUBIC Wash and Cure Plus 3.0 is the fastest and also rated 4.7 across 979 ratings. The Phrozen Wash and Cure Kit suits the largest build plates, and the Creality UW-01 is the best value two-in-one.
How to properly wash and cure resin prints?
Scrape off excess resin first. Wash in 90% or stronger IPA for five to ten minutes, or under running water for water-washable resin. Remove supports while the print is still wet, then rinse. Cure for one to five minutes, flipping the part partway so the base gets equal exposure, and follow the resin manufacturer’s cure time rather than the station maximum.
Can you overcure UV resin?
Yes. UV exposure beyond what the resin needs makes prints hard but brittle, and parts can crack or snap during cleanup and later from internal stress. Most 405nm resins need only one to five minutes, so follow the resin manufacturer’s cure time and treat the station timer as a maximum rather than a target.
Should I remove resin supports before or after curing?
Before curing, while the print is still wet from the washing bath. Supports that have already been cured on are far harder to remove and often crack the model. Wash first, de-support while wet with flush cutters held close to the surface, then rinse and cure.
Which Station Should You Buy in 2026?
The ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 remains the best wash and cure station for resin printing for most people in 2026. It has the deepest review base in the category, a sealed wash chamber, a lid interlock and a UV filter rated at 99.95%, a whole Mars-class build plate fits in the tank, and it has the most thoroughly proven history in the group.
Pick the ANYCUBIC Wash and Cure Plus 3.0 instead if you want speed and a large tub, the Phrozen Wash and Cure Kit if you print in batches or own a large build plate, and the ELEGOO Mercury Plus 3.0 if you need Saturn 4 Ultra capacity. Wait on the ANYCUBIC Max 3.0 until its review base grows.
Check your build plate dimensions before you order. That single measurement rules out more wrong purchases than any other factor in this category.