After the latest update, I’ve noticed my 3 is now making horrible grinding and squeaking noises. This is with both white and durable tanks.
I have a video, but I guess I can’t upload it. 
Anybody else?
I do have a tweet with the video: https://twitter.com/nwsayer/status/1357880882934157315
hello, did you ever clean and re-grease the threaded rods that move the light unit? there is a special grease that can be applied to the threaded rods …Cleaning and lubricating the X-axis lead screw (Form 3) (1).pdf (601.5 KB)
i had the problem with a brand new printer … but the second time it was printed it was gone. i only had the problem with a new tank for standard resin gray. since i started using the v2.1 tanks everything is much better! longer life and no more noise … your noise sounds really bad …
best regards sebastian
I’ve never done that. I don’t mind giving it a try. Does that special cleaning tool come with the printer or do I have to ask for or buy it?
hello, so it wasn’t included with my printer … you may be able to print it yourself. I’ve never done that either, ask formlabs whether you can buy it or print it yourself, that would interest me too …
Prints are failing now because of this, so I’ve reached out to support. I’ll give an update when this is resolved.
Well, I wrote a big giant reply to this, and when attempting to post it I got a 500 server error.
Now attempting to post it again gives me an error that the “body is too similar to what you recently posted.”
So I’ll add this garbage filler text to see if I can get it to actually work.
Support responded with a .form file for the recommended cleaning tool. There are a couple of problems with this, though. For one, the printer isn’t doing well printing things because of the poor motion of the LPU, and for another the .form file calls for Tough resin, and I don’t have any of that (let along a tank dedicated to it). They also sent an Amazon link for the recommended lubricating grease, and I’ve ordered a tube of it, but it’ll take a week to get here. In the meantime, I got a tube of what I believe is something similar from Home Depot (Lucas Oil White Lithium grease). My plan is to attempt to just clean the rod as best as I can and lubricate it with that, and then attempt to print the cleaning tool.
So far, the printing of the cleaning tool is making the same horrible noises, but I can’t yet see whether or not it’s succeeding. I suspect I won’t know until it’s done in another half hour. I am attempting to print the tool with Clear resin and I will attempt to use it after cleaning but without curing it (for fear that the curing will warp it).
I’ll then use the tool to clean the X rod, then re-lubricate it and try again. Fingers crossed.
Aaaaand nope.
The cleaning tool did print properly, but two passes with it, followed by re-lubricating the rod has not changed anything. The noise is still just as bad and attempting to print with my Durable resin tank binds up the motor during filling.
I purchased an expedited support plan and got to speak with a Form support rep over the phone. After they took some time to consult with internal engineering folks, the consensus is that the printer has died and must be replaced. If cleaning and re-lubricating the X rod doesn’t do anything, then it must be something else related to the X rod motor or something of the sort that cannot be field-serviced.
So my Form 3 lasted just about 1.3 years and must now be replaced at a cost of about 1/3 of it’s original purchase price.
I’m slightly annoyed.
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If that happens to us, after our Form1+ bad experience, frankly I will be outraged.
We only bought one because we had thought problems like you experienced had been worked out of the design.
I mean, I guess if I have to look on the bright side, I’d say that they were within their rights to tell me to pound sand and buy a new printer 1 day after the warranty expired. This isn’t as bad as that.
Another thing is that my previous printer had a notation that it was a “Late 2019” Form 3. This one does not. That suggests to me that in the meantime there have been further design improvements that I will benefit from.
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