As recommended, I purchased a separate resin tank for the grey resin. Everything arrived yesterday( grey resin and the new tank) but am not sure what to do with the full clear resin tank. I need to keep stuff off of the bottom of the clear tank and it out of light so that the clear resin doesn’t cure. I’d prefer leaving the resin in the tank while it is stored to prevent the messy process of dumping it into a different container.
Can I store the full tank in the box the new tank shipped in without light getting in? The new tank came wrapped in plastic, should I put cling wrap or something over the old tank to keep stuff off of the bottom?
Hey Michael,
I did exactly what you said when changing my tanks. I laid a thin microfiber on the bottom of the cardboard box my spare tray came in, then swapped the plastic protector (on the top) from the new tray to my old one with clear in it. Then I swapped my new resin tank into the Form 1 and filled it with grey. I threw a black microfiber cloth over the box to make sure no light would get in. Oh and remember to take out your build platform before anything so you don’t drip on your mirror.
I’ve done the swap a couple times now, making sure to wipe the bottom of the tank going into to Form with a microfiber cloth, with great results.
Thanks for your comments, Dylan. I don’t have any microfiber so here’s what I did instead. The bottom of the tank is inset slightly so I figure that it won’t touch the bottom cardboard if it is handled gently. I set the partially full tank in the new tank’s box, closed it, and then wrapped the box with aluminum foil in case the cardboard box isn’t light-proof. Then, with permanent marker, wrote on the outside what kind of resin sat inside and I included bunch of warnings not to tip or tilt for good measure. We’ll see if that’s enough! Formlabs should make a tank rack as an accessory as it would make things a lot easier… they could even make the door out of that orange light-blocking material the Form 1 uses!
My day job has me working in the film industry and I have a few movie film canisters lying around that I used for storage of general things. Film is far more sensitive to light than resin so this is the perfect afterlife for a large film canister. And when you get film it comes in a lightproof plastic bag. Great as an additional method to keep dust and dirt out of the resin. The resin tank fits in a large canister (10.8" in diameter & 2.0" thick) ease and some room to spare. As long as you keep them level to avoid spillage you wont have any problems. And they are great for stacking because they are designed to stack without sliding. fortunately I had a few but a quick search online you can find them for cheap.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the suggestion on the tank rack accessory - it’s something we’re thinking about right now.
I think the measures you are taking are excellent. In our experience, you can use cling wrap over the top of the tank (wipe off the outer sides and top edges first with a paper towel to insure you wont be spreading around resin). Cling wrap can be secured with a large rubber band. This helps to keep out dust or foreign debris from the resin. Laying down a clean, dust free surface on the inside of the cardboard box (like printer paper or wax paper) would probably help avoid dust or fibers from the cardboard touching the optical window (although as you noticed, 'we’ve inset the optical window to help avoid this). You can also give the optical window a gentle wipe down with a microfiber cloth just before inserting the tank into your machine. Finally, make sure you always remember to remove your build platform before swapping your tank in and out, and once the build platform is gone try to inspect your mirror for dust or any spots of resin. A clean mirror is critical to your Form 1’s performance.
Personally, I prefer a dark drawer or cabinet to hold our tanks in, since there’s not chance of accidentally upending them, but your labeling idea is a good one - thanks for sharing your suggestions.
1 Like