A clip on the bottom of the resin tank broke off. Three still hold it. Before i start a print, i was wondering if others have printed with a broken clip? I try to be as careful as possible. I let the tank slip into the holes and then push back. But installing and removing is difficult. I always have to use allot of pressure to get it in and out. I’ve had five resin tanks and this is the first time this has happened. Thanks
Gary
Yes, I’ve had a couple of tanks where one of the lugs (as I call them) have failed. I tried gluing them back on but they just broke pretty much immediately. I’ve also noticed the lugs on some of my other tanks had some cracks in them so I applied some Dichloromethane to heal the cracks and hopefully catch them before they fail completely.
Anyway, I took some measurements and modelled a RH and LH version for printing on the Form 2. After I’d printed a couple off I realised that the metal bed on which the tanks sits (and where the lugs locate) gets really quite hot so I wasn’t sure how they’d hold up considering all the Formlabs Standard resins have quite a low HDT. Anyway, I thought it was worth a try until I get around to maybe casting some out of polyurethane or polyester. The geometry might not be exactly the same as the original but it seems to be close enough to be functional.
I’ve attached a couple of STL files of my design in case you want to have a go print some off yourself. I printed mine with both Std Grey and Std Black resins but Rigid or High Temp might be better if you have them available.
To fit, you need to cut down what’s left of the broken lug to just under 3mm height (I used some wire cutters to bring it down to size). This remaining part serves to locate the printed replacement. I then used epoxy to bond the new lug onto the bottom of the tank and they seem to be holding up just fine so far. Good luck if you decide to have a go.
Tank lug Solid LH.STL (293.1 KB)
Tank lug Solid RH.STL (289.2 KB)
Hey there @Resindustkits!
Sorry to hear you’re having some issues with your Resin Tank! That’s certainly not the result we want you to see!
If the other 3 clips are working fine and you can comfortably and securely get the tank in and out of the printer I think you should still be fine to keep using that one!
That being said, if that tank is making you nervous for any reason, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our support team at the link below and we’d be happy to lend a hand.
https://support.formlabs.com/s/contact-support?language=en_US
I did a print and seems like it turned out good. Didn’t do a real close look, but appears fine. I am a little concerned with how much pressure it takes to get in and out, so not surprised that it happened. I try to be as careful as possible. Not sure what your definition of “comfortably” is. I’ve contacted support about a problem with the part that the resin tank clips into. The back right corner is loose while all others are tight. This right back corner is the same corner that the clip broke off from. Not sure if this is connected problem. Should i contact support since its the same area?
Gary
Great question! If you currently have an ongoing support case with us, please don’t hesitate to mention this issue as well.
My apologies about word choice, as 'comfortably’s indeed pretty subjective a descriptor here. 
Basically what I meant was, the tank feels secure when inserted in the printer(no wobble if you wiggle the tank around a little), and you’re able to get the tank in and out of the printer as normal.
I feel the forces required to locate and remove the tank are faaaaaar to high. Maybe something better can be incorporated in the FormLabs 3? And a retro fit for the 2 would be greatly appreciated. Some kind of open/close clamp arrangement would be much better…
Thanks for your reply. I wasn’t sure if anyone else had the same feeling about the amount of force used to remove and insert the tank was to much. I’m sure i’ll be breaking more clips.
Thanks. I will give it a try, can’t hurt. How many time have you removed the tank. Wondering if it will only hold up a few time. But will give it a try, thanks again
The tanks have been in and out maybe half a dozen times and seem to be fine so far. Having said that, I don’t find the tanks at all difficult to get in and out so maybe mine’s a bit looser than yours. I’ve had to take one out of service while I replace the acrylic and the PDMS.
I’ve printed a split mould in Flexible resin for casting some polyurethane/polyester lugs. These should be stronger and more resistant to the heat than the directly printed ones but I’ve not got around to casting any yet.
I hope the printed lugs work out for you. Let us know how you get on.
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