Thanks for the info here, looking forward to being able to print with resin soon.
Is there any news about the FormLabs Resin printers. Are they usable? I’ve not seen any posts on their status and am waiting to use them. If they aren’t usable presently but will be sometime later, can they be marked in Skedda as not available. Or if they are formally no longer an viable tool, can they just be removed from Skedda. So sorry to keep pressing about them. If there is something I can do to assist please PM me. I’d be more than happy to help someone bring them back to happiness.
@cfstaley @fixinit
My 2 cents: I like the Anycubic printers. The printer has an accompanying slicer. I’m running Photon Mono 4ks. They are relatively inexpensive and work pretty well.
Here’s what I got back from Form Labs-
Thanks for this info. It sounds like the layers of printed material aren’t adhering to the build platform as they should, leaving the “pancake” of cured resin that you’ve observed in the tank.
There are two key reasons this might happen: optical issues or Z-Axis tuning issues .
The build platform moves in the Z-Axis and if that’s too high, it might be too far from the resin tank for the cured layers to adhere properly. You can try fine tuning the Z-Axis to correct non-adherence.
The other possibility is reduced optical clarity. This can occur in an older resin tank (clouding of the flexible layer builds over time), contamination of the optical window, or contamination of the internal mirrors. Checking your resin tank and cleaning the optical window are the easiest steps to take, so I’d advise that first.
Cleaning the Form 2 optical window.
If those both look good, the problem may be the galvanometer mirrors. This can occur over time in older Form 2s due to contamination buildup, and fortunately we can usually make big improvements with a bit of cleaning and maintenance. It does involve removing the printer’s shell, but we provide detailed instructions.
I’ve attached a guide for cleaning the galvo mirrors. Please follow these directions very carefully, as components within the printer are precisely calibrated.
The most common cause of contamination after one (or more) cleanings on the galvo mirrors is streaking. Here are a few tips we’ve gathered that can help reduce streaking to improve the results of your cleaning:
- Be sure to just barely wet the swab with IPA. If you use too much, the swab may leave streaks on the mirrors.
- Gently scrub the mirror with your swab and follow up immediately with a clean, dry swab. This also helps prevent streaking, and removes any partially-dissolved residue left behind by the first.
- Repeat the cleaning procedure 2-3 times before you close the printer, waiting a few seconds in between each to allow the mirrors to dry. This will ensure you’ve removed as much contamination as possible and will save you time should the mirrors require more than one pass
At the end of the cleaning procedure, you’re asked to perform an optical test print. This works best in a standard resin like Grey or Clear. You can share photos of those results here:
Please use this link to upload any .form files, photos, videos, or any other useful files.
Let me know if you have any questions, and please let us know your results!
Link to Galvo Mirror Cleaning Instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pZf78DdQFoo2tjzkbQty6DmM7NRosznT/view
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Clean platform with IPA
7.pour IPA into vat, swish around and then gently wipe up with paper towel -
When cleaning the vat make sure to 1st do the “tank Clean procedure” found on the resin printer, then pour out the remaining resin into the bottle. (tank clean should create a solid sheet of resin that can be peeled out and there should be only minor resin remnants in the vat.)
Here is the email I got from formlabs last December
Hello Randall,
Thanks for getting back to us. I’m sorry you’re still seeing these issues. To answer your question about .form files, these are the files you send from PreForm to the printer. When you save a file in PreForm, it saves as a .form. If you go wherever those saved files go, you should see the .forms.
That said, if you are consistently getting print failures, with multiple tanks, resins, and part designs, on a Form 2, then there’s two options. The first is you can can keep trying to clean your optical system. Many customers have benefited from multiple cleanings. The other is that the laser diode is dying, which happens sometimes with older printers. That isn’t something we can fix in the field- we would need to talk replacement options.
As your printer is out of warranty, and we no longer sell Form 2 printers, your best bet in that case would be to take advantage of our Loyalty Upgrade Program. Form 2 customers such as yourself who purchase a new Form 3+ 3D printer get $499 off the cost of a Pro Service Plan (which includes phone support for printing questions, priority response from the Services team, a customized printing training, and more) as well as a $149 coupon for resin.
Let me know if you have any questions, and how you want to proceed.
Sincerely,
Peter B
I recently tried to use CalmLlama and the results were even worse as there wasn’t any cured resin in the tank at all. This to me indicates an optical issue. I’m willing to give cleaning the optical window and galvo mirrors a shot but it sounds difficult and I would risk making the problem worse.