Open Mode / Form 2 API ? Adjust the settings to work better with 3rd party stuff?

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1

Hey there!

So I use my Form 2 for a lot of things. I want to try to use to 3rd party resin that requires slightly different settings on the laser hardware. Stuff that should be adjustable in settings (I think). i.e. laser speed, time between layers, etc.

Does anyone know if there is a way to do this currently? I do not want to go and buy another SLA printer that’s even more expensive than the Form 2 but does all the same things, just to gain access to an open system that allows these kinds of changes. If the Form 2 could do this, it would easily out sell every other SLA printer on the market I think. The printer I would have to get doesn’t have half the features the Form 2 has…

Somebody help? Or provide some answers if possible? Formlabs? Anybody?

2

Hi there :slight_smile:

Currently, OpenFL isn’t available for the Form 2. I’m a bit surprised to hear that a 3rd party resin is suggestion modifications to parameters like laser exposure. Typically, 3rd party manufacturers developing resins for the Form 2 will optimize them to work well with an existing resin profile.

You might reach out and ask if any of the existing Form 2 material profiles are compatible. The safest and most effective option for users looking to print with 3rd party resins on the Form 2, is to use Open Mode with an existing profile.

3

The resin I wanted to use was created by a company called Tiger. See below:

These printers do the same thing but have what they call an “open system” as in a system in which you can adjust parameters. It looks like they have the same laser exposure, so I was incorrect in that. The resin they make has different requirements for the way the laser cures each layer. OpenFL will allow me to make these kinds of changes and experimentations I am assuming? When, if ever, will OpenFL become available for the Form 2?

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4

just to be clear, the settings underneath are supplied by the manufacturer and reflect the requirements of the resin I want to use.

5

It looks like the Tiger machine uses a slightly different printing process. The Form 2 uses Laser-Based Stereolithography and the Tiger system uses DLP. You should check out this post that goes over some of the main differences.

Because the technologies function quite differently, it’s going to be a challenge to translate the DLP settings from that machine to work well with SLA. There are quite a number of different variables to take into account with SLA and this material profile for Clear V2 should give you a good benchmark.

Currently, we don’t have a release date form OpenFL on the Form 2.