I loved my F1+ until it became unreliable, so I sent it in for Repair / Refurb. That has been a disaster and nearly a year later, it is still not useable.
I bought a F2 when they first came out, based on my good experience with the F1+ at that time. The F2 has been reliable (except the lead screw lubrication issue, and a tank not recognized issue) until now, when I see that the supports are softer and not all supports are printing, and the item itself is failing. Not better with new tank and resin and re-checking window.
I assume the laser is fading, and there is no internal calibration system, so I assume I have to send it in for Refurb. Problem is that I am afraid to based on my Horrible F1+ ‘repair’ experience.
Should I just assume that the FL printers have a 1 year product life, and can then be disposed of, so that I should plan on buying a new one each year? I need to change my accounting to make the printer an expense instead of an equipment purchase.
Any ideas? Has anyone had better success with Repair / Refurb? Is there a secret?
Thank you. I definitely love my 3 FL printers when they are working, and want to support FL and its mission, but I did expect a longer product life.
The Form2 optics deck isn’t hermetically sealed so there is some exchange with outside air that will slowly introduce VOCs into the printer to haze the mirrors and glass. There is also plenty of stuff inside the printer that will outgas over time, hazing the mirrors and glass. But also, the window below the resin tank is exposed to the ambient environment and it will haze pretty much as fast as the mirrors in your old Form1+ did. Try cleaning the top surface of the glass window and see if that helps…
If you are thinking of retiring it or sending it in for refurb, it seems like you have nothing to lose by cleaning the optical glass and mirrors… I know it is pretty delicate procedure, but it is definitely worth a try.
Our support team especially, is always working to improve and maximize the success of our customers and hopefully we’re able to get things corrected for you a bit more easily this time around. You should have every expectation of the printer lasting well over a year and each of the components are rated for far longer than that.
Unfortunately, for one reason or another issues can crop up and our support team is going to be best suited to help out and with troubleshooting and repair steps. You can get in touch with them by submitting the form on this page if you do decide to go that route.
Thank you. I did carefully clean the top surface when I replaced the tank and tried a new resin cartridge, but the result was the same. Is there a protocol for inspecting the internals as well as cleaning them? The F2 price is a bit high (for me) to consider it an expendable, but then there is the reality check (diminishing returns), which is why I put out the question on the forum among those also in the trenches. I have gone through so much time and materials trying to debug the F1+ (after refurb), that I have to factor that cost in, too. I am just glad I have an additional newer F2 that I can rely on for now. I would love to think that I could take care of and maintain them.
If you’ve done the basics like making sure the external glass is clean (and you cleaned it correctly if you decided it needed cleaning - 90% IPA and PecPad wipes), your next step is to follow the advice from FL and open a ticket and get their input on what to do next. You should definitely not attempt to disassemble the printer without their say so.
I don’t know how long I’ve had my Form1+ and Form2. Been quite a while. The Form2 is going on 2 years old I think, and I had the Form1+ for at least a year before that. Both printers still work fine. The Form1+ has needed some service, including disassembly to clean all the mirrors, twice. I’ve cleaned the exterior glass on my Form2 once, after about 1.5 years in service. I’m actually surprised at how well they do given I smoke cigars in the room where I keep the printers (fans running all the time ventilate to outside). But I keep both printers covered (self-made out of painting dropcloth plastic and duct tape) when not actively starting or removing a print.
Wow. Wish I could be that lucky. There was definitely a haze on the big mirror surface, even though zero spills, etc., etc. I worry about cleaning them because they are coated. I would happily roll with an annual replacement of the window and big mirror, except not sure if that is enough, or if the galvo mirrors get filmy as fast. I have 3 FL printers, so none of them is overly active (except the newest F2, because of the unresolved F1+ nearly-a-year ‘repair/refurb’ and the recent F2 fails). One of the selling points for the B9Core is the rapid response and resolution from their development team, but they made a bad choice to lock dentists out, so that they have to buy the $7k more ‘dental’ version from a corporate blunder company.
I suspect the mirrors all haze up at the same rate, unless a particular mirror is much closer to a source of volatile organics.
You do have to be careful about cleaning, and no matter how careful you are, there is a limit to how many times you’ll be able to clean a mirror. Because as you point out, the reflective coating is on the front of the glass not the back. Each time you clean the mirrors you remove a little bit of that coating…
If the option is to dispose of the printer, what is the safest way? Bring it to one of those places where one can discard computers and other electronic devices safely?
The Form 1+ I have my be beyond repair (long story… and not FL’s fault) and I may need to go the rout of disposing the printer.
Yeah. As long as it’s not dripping resin, it’s no different than any other printer as far as disposal is concerned. But you should describe what’s wrong with it. Never know. Someone like me might want to take it off your hands for spare parts…