I’m new to the FormLab 1+, but I think (thought) I had a grasp on it. I got ten ‘test’ prints done and was very pleased with the results. Now I’m working on my first serious print,s and I’m having problems.
The first layer goes down fine. It looks just like it should in the preview. Then…nothing else prints. I come back a few hours later and the machine acts like it is finished (so it runs through the whole process) but what I have is a single layer (maybe more) that I have to scrape off, and a blob of material on the bottom of the tank, which usually peals off pretty easy. I’ve used different tanks and different materials. I am using the default base and support settings, which have worked fine for me before.
Do you have any photo’s of your prints, @Don_Foley. A photo of how you orientated your print in Preform will help as well. It’s very hard to find out what went wrong purely based on your description. All you’re saying right now is that your print fails after the first layer(s). This could happen because of a variety of reasons
I didn’t shoot the print, imagine the first layer of a base on the build platform, that’s it.
Here’s the PreForm screen grab.
The mirror is clean, the laser seems to be doing its job, the surfaces of the tank (top and bottom) look spotless, the build platform seems to be rising properly, the tank seems to be tilting the same as during successful prints. But my last four prints with two different tanks, two different models and two different materials have the same result, a thin first layer on the build platform and a blob of material on the bottom of the tank.
Non-adherence often comes down to a loose build platform (make sure it’s seated well and tightly-fitted). You may also want to take a look at this article on the fine-tuning functionality in PreForm. You may want to adjust your build platform down slightly using the built-in tools.
I’d suggest that you start a conversation w/ our support team, if you haven’t already, who can help walk you through the entire process.
Sam, I’m good with trying to troubleshoot first, I just wasn’t sure what to do. My defaults in the advanced support settings are:
Slope multiplier: 1.00
Base thickness: 2.00
Height above base: 5.00
I assume these are defaults. The article says to adjust the base height in the advanced support settings before adjusting the platform height in the fine tuning section. Could you suggest a setting for my next print? Height above base 5.01? or increase the platform height 0.1?
