The Formlabs software team has been working hard on some exciting new updates to your printer. We just rolled out new versions of PreForm (the software that preps your design for the printer) and firmware (the software that shows up on your Form 2’s screen).
You can read all about PreForm 2.5 and firmware 1.6 in the full blog post. Let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions for future software updates.
Awesome work guys. Keep 'em coming!
Very nice improvements in 2.5, and glad they apply to both printers. The F2 just keeps getting better with the firmware updates; thank you. Not sure why, but my update froze at the ‘starting’ phase, but after waiting many hours, as well as checking to find that the button could invoke sleep mode and arouse from sleep, I unplugged it, replugged it, and all appears to be OK. I wonder how common that is, or if i just missed a sentence in the instructions.
In the current open mode, the feedstock process is manual and the cover should be opened and the print is interrupted. The empty cartridges will create the waste, and i want to reuse it in open mode.
So, I asking for a feedstock button in open mode, and the user can refill the empty cartridges with 3rd party resin, then we can execute feedstock process manually but without opening the cover and interrupting the print. Of course, the option for automatic process in openmode is more inspiring!!!
Are you saying in Open Mode the Form2 does not currently have a way to dispense resin from a refilled cartridge?
I think in Open Mode- the Form2 should NOT recognize the cartridge as anything other than “Inserted” and allow you to select the Settings that it uses for different types of resins, based upon what you have refilled the cartridge with.
If the User is experimenting with third party resins, their material data sheets ought to list specific gravity and viscosity…
if the Open Mode User can simply enter these specifications- I see no reason why the automatic dispensing resin level sensor capability can not monitor tank level as usual.
Alternatively- A “DISPENSE RESIN” button on the screen should be shown that allows the user to hand meter the resin level. Pressing it should open the valve for a preset amount of time. ( so you don’t have to HOLD it for the slower flowing resins. ) It would be great if the preset time could be adjusted- as one of the settings the user can enter for each different resin they choose to use… that way they could develop a table of setting that could be shared with other users.
Me- my only issue with preform is that is is having a hard time importing multiple models… Not several at once,… but one after another.
It keeps giving me a “File Broken” error and offering to fix it… but then never fixes nor imports any model.
This only happens AFTER I have imported ONE model…
Or- it won’t like ANY model if I open a NEW Preform document while I have an existing Preform document already open.
The models are coming out of FreeForm Plus- which for 15 years has been the Gold Standard of perfect watertight geometry. They are all perfectly good models.
I know this is a Preform issue, because if I import one model- then, save the Preform file- QUIT Preform- then re-launch the Preform file directly from the desktop icon for the file, it will let me import an additional model that it previously claimed was “broken”.
I am running windows 10 ( unfortunately- gad what an awful OS ) on a Xeon machine running an Nvidia quadro P4000 videocard.
anyone else having this issue?
Yes, I get this error every day. Its really annoying.
Formlabs will probably never allow you to refill the cartridges. There is a limit to the number of times the bite valve can be activated and if it fails you get a big mess outside and inside the machine.
If you have issues importing STL files try repairing them outside Preform. Meshmixer and Blender can both be used to repair models (free). Fusion 360 (also free even for small businesses) has a bunch of interesting functionality for STL files as well.
I think the issue with PreForm is that you can load several STL files in and it will crash, then you reload the exact same STL files and it will work.