Form 2 Clear v4 printing issues

Support & Troubleshooting Form 2
1

Hi everyone

I recently bought a Form2 from a colleague at a makerspace I’m part of. It has not seen a lot of use. I already have a few years of experience working with Form3 and the standard Grey resin. I also make my own 3D-models and have been printing them for years with little issue.

The printer came with a Form2 LT resin tank filled with Clear V4 and an unsealed cartridge of Clear V4. If I’m reading the batch code correctly it expires in 2027. However, the tank has been stored in the machine for quite some time, and during transport of the printer I had to take the tank out and store it separately (in dark conditions) while driving. I didn’t want to risk the resin spilling onto the machine.

But I have done 3 test prints, 2 with mini rafts and 1 with full rafts, and they all have the same 3 issues:

  • Supports become a gooey smear across the print platform

Mask1
Mask1496×506 64.9 KB

Print 1 Mini rafts 0.050mm layer height

Thingy1
Thingy1897×433 64.4 KB
Print 2 Full rafts 0.025mm layer height

Crab6
Crab61000×750 79.2 KB

Print 3 Mini rafts 0.050mm layer height

  • The contact points meld into the model like building limestone in a stalactite cave

Crab2
Crab21000×750 93.4 KB

Crab5
Crab51000×750 107 KB

  • Surface is extremely rough and it also seems like there was a huge shift halfway through

Crab7
Crab71000×750 96.8 KB

Crab4
Crab41000×881 126 KB

I’m aware that the first prints after moving a printer might be wonky due to it needing to “settle” but there has been no improvement whatsoever.

Firmware is also the latest.

My theory of what is wrong is either the resin has been exposed to too much sunlight or too much moisture. It did seem fairly thick, but I only have former experience with the standard Grey. I also noticed a lot of bubbles being produced by the paddle in the tank moving back and forth, but from what I could see from older forum posts this should not be an issue?

Another possible explanation could be that the tank’s underside needs to be cleaned, or the laser heads needs to be cleaned, but I want to hear with you guys first.

Any help appreciated.

2

@BlackCrane It looks like there are a couple of things going on here. For starters, I would clean the printer’s optics. I have some links for you below.

It sounds like the resin itself isn’t the issue, but it’s a good idea to remove the resin from the tank and start with fresh resin from the cartridge to be on the safe side.

You can always contact support, and we’ll be happy to work with you directly. We are still supporting the Form 2 as much as possible.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the reply.
I got hold of the correct supplies and have managed to clean the glass properly. It was in fact quite filthy so that might have been it.

Now I have a different issue and I have tried to contact customer support directly through the website but I keep encountering the same error. When I click Next it just takes me to a page where I can upload files, but I have no relevant files to upload and there is no skip or next button making me unable to complete the contact form. I tested in both Firefox and Chrome on desktop.

4

Hi @BlackCrane, thanks for bringing up this issue!
To clarify: At the point when you see the option to upload files, the support case was already created. I can see that your ticket was logged successfully in our system and a member of our team will reach out shortly.

1 Like