# Form1+ laser flare issues illustrated - pics and video **URL:** \ **Category:** Support & Troubleshooting\ **Created:** [January 7, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201 "2015-01-07T19:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SachaGloor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SachaGloor](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/SachaGloor)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/61 "2015-01-09T14:53:12Z")
Hi Steve That would be nice. Sacha ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Roberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Ralph\_Roberts](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Ralph_Roberts)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/62 "2015-01-09T16:15:02Z")
Watching this thread very closely… Ive had the same issues for over a month now. [“I’m about to jump”](http://forum.formlabs.com/t/third-form1-machine-laser-fail-i-am-about-to-jump/2928/54) ---
**Author:** ![Jose\_Ignacio\_Vicente](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/jose_ignacio_vicente/32/18107_2.png) [@Jose\_Ignacio\_Vicente](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Jose_Ignacio_Vicente)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/63 "2015-01-09T16:50:52Z")
Thank you @KevinHolmes ---
**Author:** ![Ante\_Vukorepa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/ante_vukorepa/32/18125_2.png) [@Ante\_Vukorepa](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Ante_Vukorepa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/64 "2015-01-09T17:44:06Z")
> [@CraigBroady](#): > > No laser spot is a perfect circle. Creating a laser module with a spot that captures most of the energy within a specified diameter with tolerances both reliably and repeatedly is a classic engineering and product development challenge. Some amount of light outside of that diameter (whether in the form of a “tail” or a uniform gaussian spread “galaxy”) is inherent in the process. No one says it has to be a perfect circle. No one expects it to be. Laser beams need to be _conditioned_ to achieve a clean profile. Use an aperture. It’s the simplest spatial low-pass filter there is and is a normal part of about every laser optical path out there. Relying on the fact scans are fast and intensity of the flare is low is misleading - you keep curing over the same area in the vat with the flare. At some point it’s bound to solidify, and, even worse, resin with chunks of semi-solid resin will flow UNDER the printed object when you do a peel. ---
**Author:** ![Monger\_Designs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/monger_designs/32/181_2.png) [@Monger\_Designs](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Monger_Designs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/65 "2015-01-09T17:56:27Z")
Or better yet, switch to DLP projection, Formlabs. Lasers are clearly full of problems. ---
**Author:** ![Ante\_Vukorepa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/ante_vukorepa/32/18125_2.png) [@Ante\_Vukorepa](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Ante_Vukorepa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/66 "2015-01-09T18:20:32Z")
Build volume would be VERY small. Not a problem for jewelry, but it would gouge a huge chunk out of Formlabs’ user base. ---
**Author:** ![KevinHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ec8ea/32.png) [@KevinHolmes](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/KevinHolmes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/67 "2015-01-09T18:24:22Z")
@Ante_Vukorepa pretty sure that was heavy irony … not something I’ve seen from @Monger_Designs on the forums before, but I suspect he’s a little peeved at the long dialogue with FL support he’s had over this … ---
**Author:** ![Ante\_Vukorepa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/ante_vukorepa/32/18125_2.png) [@Ante\_Vukorepa](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Ante_Vukorepa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/68 "2015-01-09T18:26:26Z")
Ah. Sorry, didn’t read sarcasm into it. ---
**Author:** ![Monger\_Designs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/monger_designs/32/181_2.png) [@Monger\_Designs](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Monger_Designs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/69 "2015-01-09T18:29:42Z")
@Ante_Vukorepa I hear what you’re saying about the build size, but if the lens or the distance is adjustable, you can still get a large print area from a DLP. I’m just saying, if the laser is causing so many issues and there are too many things that can go wrong, galvos, mirrors to be cleans, laser spot goes bad. Looks like even FSL3D is giving up on the laser and switching to DLP projection > **[FSL3D Waited for 2015 International CES to Announce New Products and Features](https://3dprint.com/36144/fsl3d-ces-new-products/)** > > 2015 International CES, set in Las Vegas, is abuzz with excitement as the latest and greatest, not to mention futuristic, innovations in technology are presented to hundreds of thousands of event goers focused on visiting booths, presenting their own... ---
**Author:** ![Monger\_Designs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/monger_designs/32/181_2.png) [@Monger\_Designs](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Monger_Designs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/70 "2015-01-09T18:30:39Z")
wait…what sarcasm? I was serious damn it lol ---
**Author:** ![KevinHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ec8ea/32.png) [@KevinHolmes](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/KevinHolmes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/71 "2015-01-09T18:37:28Z")
personally - my dream SLA machine is a DLP chip gimbal mounted over resin floating on a saline bath - but in the meantime, until the commodity SLA revolution really gets going, the F1 still seems like the main game in town - and I’m keen to get mine working as best as I can … ---
**Author:** ![JoshK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@JoshK](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/JoshK)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/72 "2015-01-09T18:58:43Z")
Similar here, I dream of a 10,000 lumen projector over a huge tank of saline and resin 😄 As long as the part and platform stay under-water you could print any size and never need to deal with fluid level. Each time the platform steps down, the fluid level would remain the same. Simple, scaleable, and fast, very fast. Monger could lower the projector and print rings. I could raise the projector and print a lawn chair 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ante\_Vukorepa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/ante_vukorepa/32/18125_2.png) [@Ante\_Vukorepa](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Ante_Vukorepa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/73 "2015-01-09T19:13:52Z")
> [@Monger\_Designs](#): > > I hear what you’re saying about the build size, but if the lens or the distance is adjustable, you can still get a large print area from a DLP. Imagine the user support nightmare if you were to allow end-users to move and refocus the projector. Not to mention replacing the lightbulbs, explaining the relationship between projection area and exposure times to beginners etc. There’s a reason why none of the current consumer level offerings allow end-users to change the projection area. ---
**Author:** ![JoshK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@JoshK](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/JoshK)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/74 "2015-01-09T19:17:20Z")
> [@Ante\_Vukorepa](#): > > There’s a reason why none of the current consumer level offerings allow end-users to change the projection area. There would be notches on the mast for the projector. They would be factory calibrated. Just like we choose laser exposure by the name of the resin, you would select the height of the projector by what notch you had it in. ---
**Author:** ![Monger\_Designs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/monger_designs/32/181_2.png) [@Monger\_Designs](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Monger_Designs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/75 "2015-01-09T19:19:54Z")
Because laser issues on the first form1 and now the form1+ are not a support nightmare 😉 There could be pre-calibrated options. For example, for jewelers, it could be pre-set at 50 microns with a pretty good print area. For engineering, prototyping, it could be pre-set at 150 microns with a large print area. If someone still wanted to adjust the projector, they could have that option. ---
**Author:** ![KevinHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ec8ea/32.png) [@KevinHolmes](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/KevinHolmes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/76 "2015-01-09T19:22:09Z")
Lets not derail the topic- a new architecture is no solution … I remain attracted to the possibility of an iris or aperture as @Ante_Vukorepa describes here and in previous posts ---
**Author:** ![JoshK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@JoshK](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/JoshK)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/77 "2015-01-09T19:27:28Z")
But we were revolutionizing the world… 😃 Alright, back on topic. I’m posting my never-before-seen picture of the laser choke results. ![](http://forum.formlabs.com/uploads/formlabs/1866/d1e4042870b0748d.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Monger\_Designs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/monger_designs/32/181_2.png) [@Monger\_Designs](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Monger_Designs)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/78 "2015-01-09T19:30:02Z")
Agreed. That looks great Josh! Did you see improvements in the prints after installing it besides the beautiful laser spot? ---
**Author:** ![KevinHolmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ec8ea/32.png) [@KevinHolmes](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/KevinHolmes)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/79 "2015-01-09T19:30:37Z")
Thankyou @JoshK this is the brass ring right there in front of us … ---
**Author:** ![JoshK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4da419/32.png) [@JoshK](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/JoshK)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201/80 "2015-01-09T19:30:51Z")
Absolutely, before everything small sucked and everything large failed. Afterwards, everything printed awesome. [Previous page](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201.md?page=3) [Next page](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/form1-laser-flare-issues-illustrated-pics-and-video/3201.md?page=5)