Dear community,
we transported our Form 1 a few weeks ago and did not use it until now. We have several mistakes in our parts, Now we cleaned the mirror with compressed air. I have attached a picture of the mirror. Hope you can see what I mean. After the cleaning the mirror looks like there is some fog on it.
Can you help me?
Many thanks, Stefan 
Hello,
did you alos cleaned it as suggested by formLabs team? I mean with the black tissue that cames with the finishing kit. I never used compressed air because if there is dust inside machine, the air injection will move and sperad it all over the internal parts, also on the laser galvos and small mirrors.
Pease clean it in 2 steps: with glass cleaning products and a tissue that won’t lost wires, dry the mirror and use the black tissue that the Form’ team provide to give you. If you don’t have that one, you can easily find a microfibres and antistatic tissue. Avoid to use only paper hankies to finish the cleaning.
If you still have problems, maybe there are some dirt that need alchool or orther solvents different from water.
If that, clean before with these solvents, then dry and finish the cleaning with microfibres tissue.
Mattia
Hi Stefan,
I highly recommend you contact customer support before continuing with any cleaning. Please do not use the included black cloth or any other household glass cleaners. Household glass cleaners will damage the mirror further. Customer support will provide you with instructions specific to your case and take care of you if any further actions are required.
-Adam
Hi Adam,
While I agree that the mirror needs to be cleaned with Pec Pads and IPA, I think that Mattia is right in suggesting that it is a very bad idea to blow in the machine’s bowels.
I know : I did it, and it resulted in a bunch of dust flying around. I have no idea how it could have gotten in there as you seem to have done a good job in sealing it, but I was scared as hell that some silly particle would end up on the small mirrors.
I used a “Swiffer” duster to catch as much as I could, taking great care not to come anywhere close to the sensitive part.
I’d like to add that the cleaning of the underside of the optical glass is incredibly difficult, even with your special procedure, because of the glue holding the neoprene joint.
That glue was dissolved even by the tiny amount of IPA that I used, and made smears from hell which I never could totally get rid of.
I think that this is a very poor design…
The joint should be glued on the machine, and the glass should not have any metal frame : it should just be held in place by clamps + screws.
It would probably bring the cost down, and make the glass a cheaper part to replace, because yes : at some point, this thing can get un-cleanable, no matter how much time you take, and how many pec-pads you use !
This may apply, but maybe not.
Many compressors (especially units in factories) have moisture and oil in the compressed air. It takes a lot of equipment to clean-up the air.
Bill Box