Well received my Form Wash, these are a few of my first thoughts.
Packaged well. Form Wash box was slightly damaged in shipment but the product was not damaged.
It came with a full set of tools similar to the original Form 2 finish station.
Flush cutters, scraper, pry tool, tweezers, hygrometer etc.
As usual for the Formlabs folks the unit has been designed to be ergonomically friendly, contained fold out wings with storage spaces for tools.
I quickly printed some items and placed them into the Form Wash. Very easy to operate, simple time set and off it went lowering the items attached to the build platform into the wash. I set it for 10 minutes. Every 3 minutes it reverses the agitator to enhance the cleaning and insuring hidden nooks are cleaned from both sides. When finished it raises to allow air drying and has an internal lid that closes to minimize fumes and evaporation of alcohol. This is also slanted and has drains to recover dripping liquid.
It has a slight thumping noise at the beginning but subsided after a few minutes. Not sure if this is normal, but relatively quiet.
I would suggest either doing an initial quick dip in some alcohol to remove excess resin or at least a wipe / scrape of the build plate to remove excess resin drops so as to enhance the longevity of the alcohol.
For me this was a perfect solution to forgetting the print in the alcohol and having it set for hours instead of minutes and possibly ruining my print. Or needing to go to out of the office and not having time to wait. So now instead of leaving it hang in the printer I can quickly transfer the build plate set the timer and leave it to clean while away and be air dried and ready to process when I return.
It has a basket that can be used if you want to return the build plate to the printer or if you need to orient the part in a different direction, which maybe the case with some holes or hollow cavities that present a challenge to cleaning. Or you could manually dip while changing orientation. Have it your way!! So far very impressed, Love the product and like the Form 2 it just works.
Thanks for the review! We’re always excited to see first user impressions for new products.
A quick dip in an IPA bucket is a great idea for maintaining the longevity of the alcohol in Form Wash. The automatic part lifting is my favorite feature as well. Seeing supports become flexible after accidentally soaking in IPA overnight is only interesting the first couple of times…
“Seeing supports become flexible after accidentally soaking in IPA overnight is only interesting the first couple of times…”
lol
I am so glad I am not the only person that forgets their prints in IPA!
I started setting the timer on my phone after couple ruined prints. But I will definitely be getting this station, thanks for the review.
Simply brings the printer alive, an essential purchase.
Thanks for the nice feedback! They are indispensable here at our office, too.