For me a top is a requirement for me to buy one. A cardboard box will keep dust and light out, but not really contain the fumes from the resin. FL resins are not too volatile, but MS Vorex is quite stinky. I need to keep the lid tightly on it’s tank to keep it from stinking up my lab. It really doesn’t need to be vacuum formed, it can simply be a 1/16" sheet of lexan with 1/4" lexan rod (slightly flattened on one side to help with bonding) bonded all around to the underside to fit tighly against the inside tank walls. Mitered corners on the rod, like a picture frame stuck to the bottom of the cover sheet. Easy to fab and mass produce.
I like the idea of taller sides to the resin tank as Christopher has added to the forum, I often have print-jobs requiring more than 200ml of resin to complete. For me, I have not had many print-jobs over 300ml.
The lid would be a nice to have addition making this more of a resin tank kit, but I would rather have the choice of including a resin tank lid or not.
The cardboard box for the shipping of the resin tank could be a functional storage system for the tanks if the design was more like a drawer, and also included areas where a slight modification of the box created a stack-able resin storage system. A dynamic labeling system and poof, you could attach other information to show the history of a resin tank.
Cheers and good journeys to all,
Brent
Technology Salad 3D
Hi guys,
I appreciate the various opinions, even though it’s starting to seem like everybody has a different one 
Just wanted to throw out another possibility. There are opaque zipper-resealable poly bags like the below image which would fit the trays well. I would be open to including one of these which each tank. And it could work in conjunction with a box if it made sense.
I used zip-lock bags back in my day (and a closet shelf). The issue was there are a lot of cases where the bag may get dipped in the resin while you are handling it. If the bag ever gets contaminated, you can NOT put the tank back in. And if the resin runs down the bag and under the tank… well you had better clean it very well before putting it in the printer. In my case I had an excellent supply of zip-lock bags to replace it with in the other room. But if they come with the tank, you only get one chance.
PS - If the bag is not clear, it would be challenging to know you have mess inside.
I have built a light tight box that is also somewhat of a sealed box for odors as well as light. My vote is to keep the cost down using just the clear PC and because I have a light tight box, I really would not use the mailer as storage. My printing work flow is quite simple now. Each shelf in the light tight box is a certain color so I pick the one I will use, put it in the printer, do the print, take it out of the printer and put it back on shelf. The only time the resin is exposed to “some” light is while it is printing but it’s already protected by the printer cover. Yes the box is a pain in the XXXX to make, but it solves a lot of problems.
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Thanks Zak, I have filled the survey for you. I like the good comments here made by all Formlab users. Thank you all!
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Thank you for sharing Steve. That sounds like a very useful system. I’d love to see some pictures sometime if you’d care to share. I’ll send you a message.
I’m currently on the fence about your revised tanks Time Man (Great work!) because the only real problem I have with the current tank is the fragile pour spout corner. Once they fix that I think it will be a very reliable part.
I can offer some advice to your design related questions however. You asked about tinted sides first. I don’t think thats necessary as most people either store their tanks in the original box or in a closed cabinet of some sort. In regards to the box I would just copy Formlabs design. It’s essentially the same thing you sourced anyway but like Josh mentioned should include some kind of internal support to keep the tank positioned properly. I store my tanks in the original boxes for this reason. As for the lid I think thats a necessity. It’s a quick, clean, and easy way to contain the resin for future prints. Zip lock bags are not an option for me. One of the best way to assure successful prints with an SLA printer is to be meticulous and down right anal when it comes to the process. Cleanliness is next to godliness and like Josh said inserting tanks full of resin in and out of ziplock bags is a recipe for disaster.
Good work and looking forward to the updates!
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Ah! Just as I was gong to post this morning The Jubbez beat me to it.
Well thar’ she blows folks- the final design of my vat. I’m excited to share it with you. Jeremy received one as part of a beta test I’m running now. I’ve shipped out a few to some of you who will be running them hard and making sure there’s nothing I missed. If they come out unscathed, they will then be released out into the wild in a couple weeks.
I wanted to thank you all for your input on the survey a while back, it was very useful. I took your suggestions to heart and built this vat with the features you all thought most important. It delayed my release some, but at the risk of falling victim to ‘feature-creep’, I did not want to release a sub-par product only to burn the early adapters. I figured an extra month or so before putting it out there was worth making it truly badass.
As you can see, the tank is now equipped with the uv/blue light filter on the sides to protect the resin inside. It is reversible in the machine, meaning you can consistently print on the hinge side without unevenly wearing one side of the tank. And it is compatible with the formlabs lids, if you so desire to keep it covered.
Of course, I have been watching the news of the Form2. It looks to be a truly impressive machine, and I can’t blame those of you who change up. But for all of those who are not making the move just yet, I think you will find this tray a very welcome addition to your printing.
I will be writing soon with pricing and ordering info, additional images, and reviews from the beta test,. Thanks everybody for your patience, I’m eager to get these out to you.
Zak
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It looks great. The reversible part is cool too.
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Please let me know when to order
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Thank you Jimmy and Josh.
And a note to all- I still have one or two tanks available for my beta test. If you are interested in trying one out and have significant print jobs you can run on it immediately upon receiving it this week, I’d be happy to send one to you at a discount from the retail price. Please contact me at zakvats@gmail.com to discuss. I could put one in the mail to you today. Thanks.
Opened a new 1l bottle of clear! Ready to test this tank for you Zak. While I wait for my form2 to arrive ha.
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I might get form2, but I am not sure I will sell the form1+ so this tank is always welcome!
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I ordered a Form2 as well for my product design business.
I am on the fence about selling my Form1+ though. It has been such a workhorse and the few resin tank prototypes I’ve used from Time_Man are still working well (no “cracking at the corner” issues), and the parts have printed cleanly aside from my doing funny things with the support structures and printing the part against advice from FL and others. He has done a very good job. These Zvats are very solidly assembled and a lot of care has been taken to make them easily slip into the Form1 and 1+ part printing workflow.
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12 hour print a success besides my mistake with supports ha! I went back and looked at the file woops. Loving this Glass tank!!! Will be keeping my form1+ when I receive my form2 as a backup for small less detail prints.
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I’m in the same boat. Ordered a Form 2 but my original machine has just had a complete refurb, so looking to keep it on. Email sent and interested in getting a tank 
Finally got to test Zak’s glass-bottom resin tank…
WOW!
Superior print quality with zero noticeable distortion, no ghosting on the bottom, no partial-cure blobs, super sharp definition on all features! These are the results I hoped for with the stock setup, now realized with the purchase of the test tank from Zak.
Only regrets:
- It got to my house while I was away on a cross-country business/vacation road trip.
- I don’t have one for every kind of resin I want.
- Zak doesn’t have a store here in Pensacola where I can get them when I need them.
I will not get rid of my Form1+ now, even if I do splurge on the 2…
Regards,
Rodrigo Dill
Design Chief / Partner
Nuchbutter Design Labs, LLC
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