Between printings

Support & Troubleshooting Form 2
1

i have 2 questions. recently we purchase formlabs 2. im using the durable material.

  1. after finishing printing, can the part stay on the build plate for more than 48 hr before alcohol cleaning? does the part will damage due to that?
  2. do i need to clean the build plate between printing?

thanks
tomer

2

I haven’t used durable but I have left black and grey on the platform over the weekend many times with no problems. As long as the lid is closed, the part will not cure on the platform.
I clean the build plate after every print. Do I have to? I don’t know but it works and I have no reason to change.

3

I frequently leave prints on the printer for more than 24 hours and sometimes more than 48 hours before post processing them without issue. I typically wipe the build plate with a paper towel after each build even if using the same resin. I want to make sure there are no small pieces of hardened resin on the build platform before the next use. Sometimes I use a little IPA and then air dry the build platform outside of the printer until the IPA has dried off.
Mike A.
Scout Design & MFG

4

You can leave the print on the platform for as long as you need to pretty much, as long as it’s not in light then it’s not going to be affected by anything.
I always clean the platform off before the next print–wipe it down with paper towels and then clean with a little IPA.

5

I don’t clean my platform between builds if I am sticking with the same resin.

However I do use a thicker, more angled scraper to remove prints so it isn’t uncommon to have metal particles left behind from this process. I wipe the areas I touched with the heavier tool and toss it back in the printer. I have had no adhesion issues yet.

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6

If I am using the same resin, I don’t clean between prints. If you wipe with a paper towel I strongly suggest wiping again with IPA and a lint-free cloth to get any contamination from the paper towel off of the platform. Particularly if the resin is cool and thick, it grabs fibers off the paper towel that are difficult to see until they are in your part.

Every 5-10 or so prints though I will do a full clean just to be sure everything is good. Wipe with paper towel, scrape with razor blade to get rid of burrs, wipe with IPA and lint-free cloth.

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7

thx you all for your knowledge

i left for more than 48 hr the print on the build plate (durable material)
and the print “extended” by appx 3-4 mm !

i will not recommend to do so in the future

tomer

8

First time I have heard of that happening. Are you able to share the STL or screenshot? Was it a particularly heavy part? Do you have comparable data for a print without the 48 hr delay to measure the 3-4mm change?

9

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