So I’m pretty sure I purchased the last Form 1+ Printer off Amazon last night directly by Formlabs. It was around $1,800 and I was really on the fence about the Form 2 cost (huge wallet hit), so I figured the Form 1+ for almost $1500 off the initial price would be a good choice.
I’m very excited to be a part of the SLA community and to print some awesome stuff.
I just have a few questions that I thought I would list out and perhaps y’all could give me guidiance.
I know now they are discontinuing their production of the Form 1+ and are phasing out the accessories as well. It was disconcerting they way they replied about the discontinuation makes me nervous about the future of my ‘new’ printer.
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Would you guys think about buying a Zvat glass resin tray in lew of the acrylic FL trays? I understand the trays are consumables, but if they might not be around for much longer I want to make sure to find another source.
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What other brands of resin work well in the F1+? They are phasing out the bottles and switching to the F2 cartridges, I guess I could just open those and try to poor in a sealable UV protect bottle, could be messy though.
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What are some of the biggest things to watch out for when using the F1+, any “users knowledge” would be good here… 
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I noticed where sometimes resin or dust can get into the machine itself. Could you use a little bit of silicone to caulk it off?
Again thanks for any tips or tricks!
-Michael
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Here are a couple quick answers:
I think that resin trays will be available for a while. One thing you could do, is make sure you save the tray once the PDMS reaches the end of it’s useful life, and learn how to recoat with SilGard. You could also go the Zvat way, but that too will require you to recoat after you put about 2 liters of resin through it.
Using the resin cartridge instead of the bottle is no more messy than using the bottle. Simply open the top and pour directly into the tray. You don’t need to transfer the resin to another bottle.
Plenty of gotchas. Just read the posts.
Caulking the machine is of no help, since you have to remove the resin tray periodically, and that’s when dust gets in it. The optics on the Form 1+ are exposed, not sealed like the F2, so sooner or later dust will get in and accumulate on the mirrors. But don’t be too eager to clean the mirrors, they’re very fragile and prone to scratching.
Even without moving the tray there will be dust that gets inside the printer–ultimately you can probably expect the need to clean the dust after about 6 months.
Fair warning:
If you use compressed air duster to clean the mirrors, make sure it does not have a bitterant in it. I niavely bought compressed air “for electronics” and left a thin layer of grime on the mirror! Had to clean it with a pec-pad.
Apparently idiots use the stuff to get high, so other idiots demanded they ruin the air with chemical deterrents.
All great tips, thanks guys!
I would stay away from canned air altogether! I sprayed my mirror and could not get it clean. Had to replace the mirror.
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Get yourself a Rocket air blaster used for camera equipment. I have one and find it perfect for the job. Check out Zvat industries since they sell tanks for the Form1 with glass bottoms and offer a recoating service. They also sell a nice dust cover that will save you from worrying about dust.
I keep my Form1 covered with a cotton cloth that does work but will eventually snag a cover from Zvat since it looks like it fits better than what I have.
One thing about blasting the main mirror is don’t blast straight down, aim at an angle to avoid blasting any dust onto the small mirror and galvos on the back. You can lightly blast them last.
A good pen light is the best way to inspect,
Another user is coming out with a FEP vat system which looks very promising.
You may also want to check out the Open FL so you can use 3rd party resins. There is a master chart in the works from the users so you can see the settings for various resins.
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