Sometimes after starting a print (but before the first layer) the Form 2 asks you to change the tank (e.g. if it’s the wrong resin, or the contacts aren’t making a connection). But in recent versions (not sure if behavior was different before) it’s not smart enough to move the wiper out of the way. As a result you can’t actually remove the tank, and need to hit Abort and wait for it to reset everything. You can’t move the wiper by hand, either, as the motor locks it in place until you Abort.
Is there a good reason the Form 2 doesn’t move the wiper out of the way when it asks you to change the tank?
Not quite sure i understand, as you need to remove the wiper with the tank in order to change the tank. You need to unclip it, regardless of where it’s positioned. It’s always “in the way” in that sense
When the dialog presents, the wiper is on the right side of the tank where it blocks the foot so the tank cannot be pulled back far enough to clear the retainers and remove it. Unclipping doesn’t help; it’s the mobile bracket the wiper attaches to which is in the way. And that bugger is held in place hard, so you can’t just slide it out of the way like you can when the machine is idle.
That’s what I thought too the first time it happened. Seems like an easy thing to slip past QA, and with their infinite supplies I’d bet the guys at Formlabs don’t often run out of resin.
This has been and issue from the beginning. I have wanted to remove the tank to clean the resin sensor area and it was blocked because of the wiper being in the way. they just need to move the wiper towards the middle an inch an you could remove the tray. frustrating! I think it’s just a software change?
Mike
I’ve encountered this a few times as well, and tend to abandon patience and force the wiper out of the way. I’ve forwarded this to our software team so that we can look at moving the wiper to a more convenient location when the change tank notification flashes.
Frew, are you saying it is OK to force the wiper out of the way? for me , I have pushed pretty hard on the wiper to do that but was afraid to break something. I think you are just over coming the stepper motor holding force?
Shouldn’t cause any issues.
AFAIK, there’s no way you can damage a stepper motor by forcing it when idle, as long as the force isn’t high enough to break the actual part (which it shouldn’t be).
While Frew’s comment suggests it doesn’t break anything, I’ve been reluctant to use that kind of force around the printer. Not so much worried about the stepper motor, as wear on the mechanical parts it connects to (gears, ribbed drive belt, etc). Glad to hear they’re putting the enhancement in the software queue.
Maybe I need to clarify, let’s say the resin sensor can’t detect the resin level during a print. I get an error that says I should check that the resin sensor area is clean. At this point the print has paused with the build plate part way up and the wiper all the way to the right side. I would like to take the resin tank out at this point to clean the sensor area as well as re-seat the tank. I can not because of the obstruction on the machine that prevents you from removing the wiper when it is in this position. Now the wiper stepper motor is energized at this point and the print is paused. I have pushed very hard on it to move it with on joy. When the motor is energized and if I could move it would it lose it’s place and end up under the build plate as it goes down? I am not sure I am ready to take that risk.
I hope this helps explain, when the stepper is energized it is VERY difficult to move.
Mike A
Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend forcing the stepper out of the way, as at the very least it has a tendency to fling resin towards the cover. Cancelling the printer and moving the wiper is a much safer workflow for now.
Thanks for clarifying, Frew. If I understand correctly @mlabird brings up a good use case where it’s problematic to hit the Cancel button, as all progress on the current print would be lost. Let’s make sure that’s captured in the hopefully-upcoming fix!
