I have been using open mode, and it seems to work so well without the wiper, that it would be very nice to be able to disable the wiper (in non-open mode) to significantly speed up builds.
Perhaps having an option to wipe every X layers would be best. Then it could be set to 0 to disable it, or 5 to wipe every 5th layer for example.
I TRULY love this idea!
Hopefully Formlabs incorporate it into future Preform releases.
Been discussed many times already. FL doesn’t seem inclined to open up “Open” mode any more than it is already open. No heat, no wiper, not automatic resin dispensing. Their reasons are valid, though perhaps a little contrived. Basically, they don’t want the support headaches that would result from the issues this kind of functionality would cause with less-advanced users.
Wipe/Heat using Open Mode would be nice with Form 2.
Don’t know if you have seen “Print The Legend” on Netflix.
When the other Printer Company started with “Control” and “SECRETS”, things “CHANGED”.
Change is good, if the company and consumer profit and grow from the change.
It does not seem to be so with the changes in Form 2.
I guess Formlabs is in “Control”.
Just Saying.
Have you done the calculation to see how much time it would save on your prints? Most of the time for my parts is due to the laser drawing its path in the base section. I think you would still want the up/down to get a fresh resin layer in there each time. Personally, I would rather take extra time on all prints if there is an increased likelihood that it prints out properly and that the dimensions are accurate. I understand others might feel differently though.
It makes me really sad too that we have this great hardware and no control over it. The machine has so much potential and is severely limited by the software that accompanies it. It can’t be that innovation and usability should be hindered like this. When I think about future, there’s no way that this is the end solution. We all saw the fate of Makerbot and I hope that Formlabs realizes that they’re currently supported by the maker community, people who want to tinker and experiment. Their machine doesn’t seem to lend to this.
When I think about future, there’s no way that this is the end solution. We all saw the fate of Makerbot and I hope that Formlabs realizes that they’re currently supported by the maker community, people who want to tinker and experiment. Their machine doesn’t seem to lend to this
Well said danekshea
I worked with other printers and opted for Fromlabs 1+.
It is not perfect (nothing is) and it is great for people like me who are not mechanically incline.
I like my Formlabs 1+ ( Sassy Monkey ) and would love to also have a Form 2 but…
Kind of like having a multifeature vacuum cleaner where certain features work Only when you use the manufacturers bags.
The bags must be purchased or the cleaner is less than useful.
Looks like not allowing ( Owners of Formlabs 2) acces to the wiper and Heat using Open Mode
is turning out to be more trouble than it is worth.
I hope people are not turned away because of this issue
but it seem to me that there is already some movement.
Just saying.
I use my Form 2 every day and have absolutely no desire whatsoever to use open mode, one of the reasons I bought it was because of the closed system and their dedication to supporting the full printing system (machine, settings, resins, build prep, finishing). I assume there are other users like me (probably the business users).
I am not against a true open mode as long as I can stay within my closed system. I just think that FL has limited resources and has to focus on certain things. My point is that I don’t think FL is doomed to fail by not supporting a truly open system. Autodesk makes a system that is truly open, but it costs like $7,000, has an extremely small build volume, and you are on your own for everything.
In regards to the original post, I would like to see an estimate of how much time would be saved.
One of the reasons I like the Form2 is because it doesn’t require a lot of tinkering to get the settings just right. I do think though they should enable the advanced features in Open Mode, just so they can avoid some of the issues that people have had like the faulty valves or what to do with leftover resin.
I need to time it next build, but its not hard to imagine the wiper cycle adds 2 seconds per layer. For a 3,000 layer build, that would mean it takes 100 minutes for the wiper alone. (3,000 x 2 seconds = 6,000 seconds = 100 minutes)
I think this would be great. In our prints to date. The form 2 takes almost twice as long as the Form 1+ for the same print.
I believe most of this is the wiper. With our use of both closed and open mode, the failure rate is so low (pretty much every time it was our fault or a worn tray) that using the wiper every X amount of layers would be great.
I don’t mind the longer print time as the form 2 has far surpassed the form 1+ in capability. But faster print times would be nice!
I’ll take slow prints and no mirror cleaning over many failed prints and at least once a week cleanings of the mirrors any day.
(To be fair, we were pushing the Form 1+ to its absolute limits for our prints.)