Does anyone have any tricks or settings to help remove parts made with Rigid resin from the build platform?
Parts made with tough resin pop off easily or relatively easy from the same build platforms.
Parts made with Rigid resin are a nightmare and the initial raft some times takes me an hour or so to remove with continual chipping by moving the scraper along the build platform.
The never ending problem of part removal. Taking the flush cutters that came with your printer and clipping under a corner helps greatly, however usually takes a small chip out of the print. This basically puts a wedge under the corner and as you close the cutters it lifts the part off the build platform. I use a box cutter blade, like those found on the Husky Utility Knife from Home Depot, I just use the blade and wedge it under the corner at approx a 10-20 degree angle then I have a piece of wooden handle on a Painter’s Edge Spatula,https://www.jerrysartarama.com/creative-mark-painters-edge-spatulas, I one similar to the SP 2 model. I take the handle and put in the notch where the blade locks into the knife and push firmly on the blade. Probably a lot better way to do that. Once the blade is under the part approx 1.8 -1/4 inch I slide the thin blade spatula under the blade and wiggle it under the part, It usually pops right off with minimal tool markings. The spatula I have came with an FDM printer for part removal. PS Also I keep my hand under the build platform while I do this so I don’t become a blood donor, or worse need one. I have tried heating it, freezing it, removing before curing after curing, beating with a hammer at a 90 sheer angle on a table edge, twisting on a vice, printing 2 parts and squeezing together in a vice. OMG what a PITA. The above works as good as any and better than mode. JMHO
Manike,
Are you using a normal resin tank for your Tough resin and a LT tank for your Rigid?
Are you printing directly on the build plate?
If you are then may I suggest that you back off your z-offset only when using your LT tanks.
This will help with compression of the first few layers.
I have the same issue with Rigid but I found that its not the resin its the LT tanks.
We have two form 2’s and all most all the resins that formlabs offer and when ever I use a resin that requires a LT tank I have to back off my z-offset to .7 mm above otherwise my parts will not come off the build plate without braking the part.
I have found this to be true with every LT tank I have received from formlabs no matter what machine I use it in.
So when ever I use a LT tank I back off my z-offset & this has worked great for me. Parts then release like all the others. You may need to find your sweet spot as far as how much you need to back off as every machine is different.
Get yourself a good flat sharp scraper to use because the one they supply is a joke.
Side note: When you do change your z-offset this will affect your z dimension to your first surface as it will not compress as much on the first layers. (only when printing directly on the build plate)
Thanks for the input.
I’ve tried a million ways to get the rigid raft/base off and ultimately only chipping it bit by bit has worked. I will get a razor and try lifting the edges more but I am never able to get underneath it even if it has lifted a little as it just shatters/chips.
I agree with holding it to avoid becoming a blood donor! I have worked up quite a sweat sometimes just trying to remove whats left after a rigid build!
I am only using LT tanks. I am not building directly onto the build plate (I do occasionally but those seem to be less of an issue and it’s the build raft that is the problem to remove)
I will try adjusting up the z-offset and see if that helps.
Thanks
Because the part and the supports also stiffen the raft, just like vice-versa, I often use a scraper to break the all the supports connecting the part to the raft, and then set the part aside. This works best for parts without delicate features, of course.
With the part removed, the raft is sometimes easier to remove because the part and supports aren’t keeping it from flexing. There can still be cases when it’s stuck firmly to the build platform, but at least with the part set aside, the remaining raft can be dealt with more emphatic techniques.
I have no choice but to remove the part by breaking the supports first and then dealing with the raft separately. There is no way I would ever be able to get a part off with the raft attached currently like I can with my other resins.
I love Rigid.
But I have noticed that ALL the resins trend toward sticking more as you print several builds in a row. Rigid is just way worse than the others.
How I work it out is that I realized that resin builds up in the microscratches on the platforms surface and this gradually causes the new resin layers to bond ever better with each print.
So the minute I find resin parts sticking to the platform more than i like, I resurface the platform with a palm sander.
The palm sander reveals very clearly where resin is stuck in the metal as the surface turns a dull gray while the clean areas show bright metallic sheen. I keen sanding and washing with ISP until the entire surface shows no trace of bonded resin and does not make the paper towel dark.
This will restore the ability of parts to pop off readily with gentle prying… and i can get away with not sanding the platform for another 4 or 5 builds. ( unless I am running Rigid parts back to back- in which case I do a light sanding after every build.
I am definitely going to try that. Is there any risk to eventually sanding down the platform too far?
I genuinely believe the best solution for this issue is to design your components with printing them directly on the platform in mind. We use our form2 for production so we run large quantities of almost every part we produce so I always put effort into designing features into the parts to aid their removal. For example, in the photo below the parts have angled cut-outs on the bottom surface to reduce their surface area in contact with the build plate but also to allow the part to be rocked in either direction to remove it without tools.
I do this for all of our parts in any material and especially in rigid. If you can design in a safe levering feature or an angled relief area that the part can be rocked towards, you can use the parts own strength to break the connection. Obviously this only applies to parts directly on the platform but the standard raft has lever angles built in but to me has too much surface area in contact to start with so will break before disconnecting from the platform cleanly.
I am definitely going to try that. Is there any risk to eventually sanding down the platform too far?
You’d have to sand it down very very far, and I you did sand it too far or sand it out-of-plane with the original surface, build platforms are less expensive than tanks (and should stilll last much longer than tanks, even with lots of use and abuse and sanding).
I have had similar issues removing prints in the rigid material. Using a scraper and similar tools only resulted in breaking/chipping away at the base platform and ultimately lead to damaging the prints.
I have found running boiling water, carefully over the base platofrm makes them peel off with ease.
I had tried freezing them with no luck in the past, I’ll try the boiling water idea, thank you.
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