Capability for the printer to detect or calculate when resin has run out

Did this get sorted out?  I got a warning about the refill on a 220 ml build, but cancelled it because I couldn’t get back to work the next day to refill.  I then resized the build to 194 ml, as that is less than the 200 ml max tank capacity that has been listed a few times by Formlabs here in the forum.  I got no warning when I sent the model to print, but it still paused halfway, despite having a full tank.  18 hours later I got to the printer and filled the tank and finished the print, but it failed massively right at the seam line where it paused.  Goodbye 30 bucks.

Is there a way to override that pause function?  Can it be included in the next preForm version?

@Ryan

I think adding a precise weighing mechanism to this design would make a 4 or 5 thousand dollar printer, and you wouldn’t have seen it until 2015.  There’s got to be a better way, likely a third party (i.e. you or me or another Former)(printable?) solution, with Formlabs allowing/assisting access to hardware or software for experimentation. like a hardware/software SDK?  What say Formlabs?

@Kevin

I was thinking the same thing, maybe a 100 ml tank that sits beside the post that positions the build plate.  It could easily fit without interfering with the build plate movement or the lid.   The difficulty is in the timing to avoid over filling.

Let’s say you fill the tank before a large build to 200 ml, and then when you’ve used around 125 ml, the Form 1 would pause.  The ‘extension reservoir’ could then safely release the extra resin. The tricky part is that you need to push a physical button on the Form1 to get it to continue.  If someone could figure out a wireless trigger to hack that switch, the geometry and fit (a wireless release valve) of the extension reservoir (even a wireless release valve) wouldn’t be that difficult.

I think I’ll start by referencing the Peachy Printer technique, and then consider finding some sort of trickle feed mechanism and hedge my bets on auto refill.   If we could just override the forced pause by preForm 1.1, we could get 300 or 400 ml prints over a weekend.

Has anyone else started a solution outside of hiring a babysitter for your Form 1?

Guys what happens if you got a print on and you run out of resin? Is it really bad for the printer or resin tank?