So I had a print fail and resin got under the resin tank base. I removed the base to clean up the mess. I wish there was a little DO NOT REMOVE sticker. But here I am. I need to recalibrate the base. Does anyone know the factory measurement from the bottom of the build platform to the top of the resin tank base? I saw a previous user post a number of 214mm but he also stated that each machine was different. Is this true? If so how do I know what is the right number for my machine? I have purchased some of these scriber gauges and will attempt to replicate this @Jens_Schnabelprocess as best I can.
**I have also found the following solution but I’m not sure what kind of gap tool to buy? Is it something like this? @eaelec
I found a much faster way to align the corners of the tray carrier with the build platform:
A. Remove the resin tank.
B. Set the printer to open mode.
C. Start a print, the build plate will come all the way down.
D. Unplug the printer.
Now that the plate is stopped at the bottom, get out your trusty spark plug gapping tool,
set the tool for a 7.5 mm gap. Adjust the gap at each corner by inserting the tool between the tray carrier and the bottom of the build plate, then adjust the screw at the same corner. You will need a #10 Torx Security driver, not a plain Torx and you should go around more than once because each adjustment can affect the other corners.
Is 7.5mm a typo?** I’m guessing it’s .75mm? Any tips or more detail around this method would also be helpful and much appreciated! And any thoughts as to which method will get me factory setting results? Is that even possible? Will my printer now be forever “a little off”?
I included some links if you search that page for the phrase “unofficial resources”; one of them is the video you already found which is probably your best bet in terms of procedure.
If you ask Formlabs they will tell you the printer needs to go back to them for recalibration. I expect if you’re careful and patient enough you may be able to restore acceptable performance… but be prepared for it to take some time and iterations.
Wow, that was quite the process! Glad you got it working and sounds like it’s better dialed than the factory. Definitely some helpful tips in there. Support quoted me $1300 to do the calibration. That’s more than half what I paid for the machine new. I’m going to go ahead and give the first method above a try but without an accurate height measurement to start with I’m not sure how close I can get…
Hi, thanks for the link to your post. I guess where I’m struggling is that I don’t have a starting point. Let’s say I use 214mm as a suggested starting point and then let’s say I get the platform completely parallel with the tank carrier using a combination of your methods and others. Is having these two parts exactly parallel the only goal here? Or is the distance from the build platform base to the top of the tank carrier crucial as well? Does it matter if that distance is 214mm or 215mm as long as it’s parallel?
I suspect the distance between the tray and build platform is the more critical measurement. Too far and the print won’t adhere. Too close and I’d be worried about the platform crushing or cracking the tank, or less catastrophically, squishing away too much resin for a layer to form. Also note tank height will affect resin level sense. So there are few factors at play.
I can’t comment too much on drastic failure modes as I didn’t encounter them, but you should be aware I’m told embarking on this does come with a risk of doing irreparable damage to your machine.
I’m not actually sure if the Z-motor is programmed to drop a specific distance (I know there’s a homing sensor at the top of the tower) or until a certain resistance is met on the springs. If I had to guess I’d assume the former.
Since you aren’t 100% certain on the starting value, might be best to start conservative. You could even do an initial test without a tank or build platform installed to get a sense of where the tower will end up, as a sanity check.
I’d start by achieving adhesion, then work on perfecting leveling.
I suspect in leveling you also want to have at least a little bit of travel in each of the springs - i.e. you don’t want to fully ratchet down any corner. One of my corners is close, but not all the way, tightened.
At the very fine end, I’ve also noticed slightly different results with different build platforms. e.g. I have one platform (not the one I calibrated with) which I’ve found needs to be Z-Tuned by ~0.5mm I get results consistent with the one I calibrated against. But you’d only notice it if you’re paying close attention and doing direct-on-base prints near the threshold of adhesion.
Hope this helps. I wish you the best of luck, and would definitely be keen to hear how it goes and anything you learn along the way.
Although, I wonder if @eaelec approach of lowering the build platform all the way down and using a .75mm gap tool for calibrating would get me any closer to a factory setting?
Hey tmarquis, where did you get the 7.5mm figure? The build tray is approx. 7.5mm thick without the silicone layer, but it’s about 10-10.5mm thick with silicone. So I’d expect the build platform needs to be a minimum of 10.5mm away from the tank carrier.
Your solution is definitely the most simple and elegant solution I’ve found thus far. I’m just curious why 7.5mm? It doesn’t seem right to me. That would have the build platform crushing into the silicone layer of the tray.
I’m new to all of this, so if i’m missing something, please feel free to correct me.