Detail test, Form3 Grey V4 print weird ripple bump at 50 and 25

Support & Troubleshooting Form 3/3+
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Background: I was printing a lot on a friends Form2, basically detailed miniatures at 25um, great result, so I was referred to get a Form3, when I saw some issues on the forum I asked to hold my order, but it got shipped anyway, and I was encouraged to “try” and “they will figure out as we go”

My conclusion so far,
Form3 Grey V4 had issues printing 50 and 25, they also admitted that they are still improving settings at these two levels. The same print file worked perfect in Form2.
If you need to print really detailed items, and have small tolerance on bad surface, I would advise hold your order. This conclusion was drawn from my three rounds of tests, see attachment.

Test group 1. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nmOGL3H52O2knLtLtJLAwkO4xrUXqZh9
Several prints done at 25um using different support size(0.6/0.3), some rotate 90 degrees on build plate, add more support/less support, all prints show ripple-like bumps at first 100 layers at the backside. (Some may suggest sanding, but the bump areas are too much I could not apply sanding as I need those skin textures)

Test group 2. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pImtT_bDzCOrbxJhJCD_i3ujFbPNCM0p
With the unsatisfied result on F3, I used the same file to print on Form2(Dentalmodev2/Greyv4), print came out no surprises, as good as I had dozens of prints before.

Test group 3.https://drive.google.com/open?id=1avOMybzKbczvvjCw0c5zJ2_PwMtslstz
Reaching out to the support, they suggest try print on 100um, I also tried on 50um, 100um came out good, but unfortunately resolution could not meet my prototype requirement, at 50um the ripple start to show, but less obivious than 25um.

I’ve spent almost 2 weeks time, probably 1/3 of grey resin just to prove my initial concern was true. Form3 was released way too early before all things have been figured out.
If this is the business mode they decided to do, Formlabs should at least provide free resin and tank for testers like me and many others on forum.
Some may have good results on Form3, lucky ones, but right now my brand new Form3 does not meet my requirements, I’m still switching back to print on Form2.

6 Likes
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Hi @Jweng thanks for sharing that. They did the same thing to me - I asked them to hold my order, they said they would, but then accidentally shipped it anyway.

Can I ask who it was you spoke with at Formlabs who authorized you to try it out? Feel free to PM me if you don’t want to share the name publicly.

Also, did you use identical support structures when comparing prints between the Form 2 and Form 3?

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Thanks for posting you results. I print miniatures and collectables as well and it saddens me to see the poor results you are getting for the Form3. I had one one pre-ordered but cancelled it after seeing the issues people have been having with theirs. I had mine ordered through an official Canadian supplier and had no issue with the cancelation. I really hope they can figure out the technical issues with this machine in software updates. The hardware looks like it should in theory produce more detailed results but I have yet to see it.

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I think Adam Savage’s team had the same issue.

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Hey there, I also have had similar ripples with the Castable Wax Resin. So this problem is most likely NOT dependent on the type of resin used. Also to note, all the ripples that I’ve seen is always parallel to the build platform surface. Its deceiving to rate printers on their layer thickness capabilities when in reality the XY accuracy (software) should really be scrutinized as well…

Yes, we also share the same feelings about the Form 3. We are the “true beta testers” wasting resin…

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I have the same issues, using Grey V4 0,05 mm.

The print is a mess: stripes, lost details, inaccurrate edges.

Geh%C3%A4use_F3_6635_
Geh%C3%A4use_F3_6635_1800×798 98.7 KB

It seems to be a well known print processing issue (statement of user support).
FormLabs, WHEN will it be fixed? My Form 3 ist useless now for me.

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@JohnK42 Did you open a ticket and send your form file to Support? Assuming it’s reasonably oriented and sufficiently supported, it might be a good candidate for them to investigate.

Also if you feel like trying to print it again with larger contact points and more support, I’d love to know if that improves anything.

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Yes, I opened a ticket.
The answer was, that this is a well known issue (b.t.w., why don’t they fix it?) and they recommended to print in 0.1 mm resolution.

That’s no solution for me. 0.15 mm details are not printable in 0.1 resolution. I’m not willing to waste more expensive resin.

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Got similar issues here. But seems to depend a bit on the tray?

Got something else as well:
I had exactly the same file running on the Form 2 and Form 3 in high temp resin. 42 of the same parts in an array(awesome feature!!). All with same support size, location, etc. Strangely enough, the Form 2 print was fully successful, while about 10 of the parts on the Form 3 failed due to the part not printing on it’s supports. I was under the impression that supports could be smaller on the Form 3…

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Hi All,

I am experiencing these same issues printing on a Form3 in Grey V4 resin. Has anyone had any luck on getting information from form-labs on this issue? or had the issue resolved?

Cheers,
Ben

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Yep, that’s exactly how the support side of all my parts look.

And to all the people who hop in suggesting changes to the supports or orientation, I understand that you are trying to help, but as JohnK42 says, at this point this is a well known problem. Several people have gone through a lot of resin and time verifying and replicating this problem, and it is not user error. This is a flaw with the Form 3 that makes the printer pretty much unusable for anyone who needs detailed part with a good surface finish. If you position the part just right, you can get good results on the tank side of the part, but the support side of the part is going to be a mess.