How much resin is left?

Feature Requests & Ideas
21

Dear Frew,

I actually liked the Dashboard, it an improvement to the ancient Stratsys method i.e. log the materials yourself as some of their new machines still run on XP.

The problem is that I had to switch off the Dashboard function on the machine as it no more secure than any other online accounts. And the company that I worked for would certainly not allow any confidential information such as “file name” or even an “print image” to be recorded online.

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I cannot say this is a absolute requirement to all design companies from intellectual property point of view, but from my own experience I have always work with varies companies for the past 15 years that they always request this information not to be recorded online. Because “file name” is actually tie into our PDM, which is traceable to existing design that we are currently selling and also the “print image” is a dead giveaway.

Unless the Form2 (and password protected) and the dashboard has a VPN level security (e.g. 128 bit AES) then I would consider using the dashboard. But not until this is resolved, I had no choice but to switch off the Dashboard feature.

This is why I prefer having this fuel gauge information to be display on the machine itself or on preform or better still both. As your machine already has the capabilities of doing so (as shown in dashboard).

I would also like to add the importance to display this information in realtime and estimated resin usage after print so we (multiple users) can plan ahead and buy your resin accordingly, as I definitely don’t want in a situation to over stock the resin on our shelf over a year, which never got the chance to use / open.

I can actually understand it an estimated value, but it far better than nothing considering I’m doing the same thing with the Stratasys machine (estimated as well) i.e. plan ahead before print.

Note: Notification are very useful, but I prefer to have the option to add multiple users, because multiple people uses the same machine and if person A just went off for a print then there is no way of knowing for person B that the machine is occupied (without checking the machine it self, considering the 3D printer not always located in the same room with the rest of the designers) i.e. remaining resin after print or even time to finish.

Also when a .form file is sent to the machine for print via Ethernet, currently no one knows who is using the machine. So I end up asking each designers as to who block my print (as printing is on scheduled time).

This can be resolved with a traced by attaching computer name in which .form file was sent from like a spool file registry in an A4 printer.

Regards

Kelvin

22

AES128 is not very secure. Easily cracked with brute-force (just iterating through the keys until you hit it) attacks. AES256 is the minimum level of encryption considered acceptable now for any application that must be deemed “secure”. My understanding is that Dashboard runs on HTTPS and so is using AES256 encryption.

Security of data on a Cloud service is IMO not a concern, at least for the “big” cloud players like AWS (which is what FL uses) and Azure. I sell to these guys in my “real” job and they are as anal about security as the defense contractors I’ve dealt with. They won’t allow cameras or cell phones or USB keys or laptops in to the data center. When I send people in to work on an issue, they have to go through an “airlock” with metal detectors and X-ray. They get a virtual “cavity search” to get in and then again to get out. We call these locations “dark sites” because no equipment sent in can ever be removed. Failed devices go into a shredder. It actually makes it very difficult to figure out and solve problems. But it does mean that your data is secure. Their #1 priority is customer data security.

I consider services like AWS and Azure more secure than my company’s private network.

23

I really like the way how dashboard is heading, but…

I can’t use it, because we treat our design “file name” & even a snapshot image are as important as the 3d design files itself as it is part of the design intellectual properties.

Yes I’ve head many stories of a typical security checks within defence sector. they, but generally they have a blanket ban and force you to work onsite and never remotely.

Anyway most of the design that I do are for commercial interest and even they tend to be very strict and if information were leak accidentally or even unintentionally it can cost me my job.

I’ve actually worked with a security business before and it all about layers and 'm not convinced about https as the only defence.[poll max=20 public=true]

  • Who like to see “Resin Remaining” information to be displayed on the machine itself (or Preform)?
  • Who want no further action?
    [/poll]
24

I’ll vote “yes”, sure. Doesn’t do me a whole lot of good, but I like the idea of seeing all the machine’s operating parameters in Dashboard. Though I don’t think it’s going to be all that accurate…

1 Like
25

‘Resin remaining’ is currently approximated on the printer itself. When you insert a cartridge and go to the ‘my printer’ screen, the cartridge thumbnail does approximate the remaining resin level by quarters. Giving exact values can be challenging as things like resin left on a part after printing will affect the level.

What other features for displaying resin level would you like to see in the printer UI?

26

Hi Few,

Thank you… For displaying the resin, a value in a fuel tank (and expiry date) for resin is all I need right now.

Even if it an approximate value, I’m happy with it considering there are several people in the office using the same machine on a regular basis as we currently spend quite a bit of materials i.e. our annual material expenditure usually around the same cost of a Form2 machine itself.

I have to wait and see how we intend to use it in conjunction with the Stratasys machine that we have. but by having these functions it means we can plan ahead before printing.

Am I correct in saying tit uses the volumetric value based on the geometry + supports that been drawn up in Preform and provide this volumetric information to the machine and deducts from the cartridge volume (cartridge ID) every times it print?

Because this is the same method used by some of the Stratasys machines (I believe it is done in all their FDM & Polyjet, but not used in their tank based like SLA or SLS as only sell large quantity i.e. 10L bottle).

Regards

27

When putting together my Dad’s outdoor BBQ grill (propane), I noticed a clever way of determining how full the propane was. They simply used a spring gauge and weighed the tank.

I think FormLabs could do the same to display visually how full the resin cartridge is.

It does not solve the expiration date (should be entered when a new cartridge is added), nor the display of how much is left in the web dashboard, but would be a significant improvement over the current “blind” method.

We know that you can’t put a clear window in the cartridge (UV sensitivity and all that), and everything I hear discussed seems to be trying to work around that limitation.

1 Like
28

The calculation is based off of how much resin the machine dispenses rather than the exact volume of printed parts. Exact volume poses a few issues from things like print failures and residual resin on parts. Measuring the amount of resin dispensed by the cartridge may be slightly less precise but corrects the issue of untracked resin removed from the tank. Let me know if there’s any enhancements you’d like seen to this. I’ve forwarded the suggestion of making expiration of resin more noticeable.

Weighing the cartridge is one way to do this @hmspain. The current hardware won’t be capable of this but it may be one solution for more precisely tracking material usage in the future. If you’d like to DIY this, Specific Gravity for each of our materials is approximated in Section 9 of the SDS forms.