Issues with Print Quality on Form 3 - Need Help with Troubleshooting

Support & Troubleshooting
1

Hey everyone, :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I am super excited about the possibilities, I’ve been running into some roadblocks with print quality, and I was hoping the awesome Form 3 community could lend a hand.

Here’s the breakdown of my woes:

  • Some of my prints, especially the taller ones, are showing these weird layer shifts. It seems totally random, and I can’t figure out what’s causing it.

  • The finish on my prints is a bit rough and has these visible lines. I’ve been following the recommended settings and resins to the T, but my prints just aren’t coming out as smooth as I see others achieve.

  • Even after carefully removing the supports, the marks they leave behind are super noticeable. I’m following all the post-processing steps, but the results just aren’t ideal.

To conquer these challenges, I’ve already tried a few things:

  1. Leveled the printer and made sure it’s calibrated (hopefully that’s not the culprit!)
  2. Experimented with different resin types to see if it made a difference
  3. Deep-cleaned the build platform and resin tank before every print (cleanliness is key, right?)

I also check this: https://forum.formlabs.com/t/print-your-own-head-on-your-own-form1-and-form1-3d-printer-kickstarter-projectsnowflake But I have not found any solution.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Respected community member :innocent:

2

Can you post some pictures?

3

Thanks for sharing your situation with us @brightbuzz . We’re sorry you’re experiencing these issues. Talking it through with our product experts there are a few potential culprits:

  • Part orientation
  • Old versions of PreForm with outdated print settings
  • A very old resin tank
  • Loose build platform / printer vibration during printing
  • Optics issue

Could you create a support ticket so our team can get on the case and help you find the root cause? Per @br4n_d0n 's suggestion, photos will be helpful for us to better understand what exactly is going on.

Thank you!

4

what resin and microns are you printing?
Does the shift looks like its 1 or 2 parts? or lines everywhere that looks like it went in a paper shredder?

Once we got that,
Lets find out if its the machine.
Try Clean and regrease your z axis ( the bar that brings the build plate). Dry grease was an issue for me. I use silicone grease.

Is your object hollow? it could be thin or bubbles trapped in. try thicken the object or if there is an opening print where the opening is on the top. Bleed holes on the object may help.
Is it solid? Maybe its too tall and needs height supports. or try printing flat down.

if you have photos of the object, I may able to help. or DM

5

also make sure there’s no cupping, or reverse-cupping (an area that may create a vacuum seal) add air relief holes if at all possible, kind of want to see pics of these prints tbh