So as of TODAY on current FIrmware on a Form3:
I start a print.
Shortly after filling the tank, Form3 complains cart is obstructed or dry.
I click CONTINUE ANYWAY.
Print starts.
Some layers later, a new cartidge arrives. I replace it LIVE while printing (making sure it’s not trying to retrieve more resin when I remove the empty one).
Will the Form3 ignore this change and dry out the tank? Or will it request more resin when it’s required?
Thanks.
No, the printer will start using the new cartridge as soon as it’s loaded. However, if you live somewhere cold, the just-delivered cartridge can take a few hours to warm up to a working temperature, so your print will be much slower than normal and may have some defects.
Speaking of temperatures, last summer i noticed some drops of resin at around 38oC room temperature, with printer off. So if you print in a not air conditioned room during summer time/heat waves, have a look in the printer’s tray for drops.
You mean like if the bite valve was relaxing its tightness due to excessive heat?
Either this, or resin was getting too thin and could easily drip. I saw it couple of days after a print, so can’t really say why it dripped. However, I’ve never seen a drip during normal room temperatures (18-22oC)
More likely a combination of effects - thermal expansion and ambient air pressure. The first goes up with temperature, the second goes down with temperature. They combine to increase the pressure inside the resin cartridge relative to the external conditions and resin squirts past the valve.
Also, hotter resin is less viscous so it flows more easily.
The reason FL says to close the vent on the cartridge when not printing is because they’re relying on negative pressure to prevent a leaky valve from emptying the cartridge. As resin leaks out, the internal pressure goes down and at some point the weight of the resin in the cartridge isn’t enough to overcome the higher external air pressure and resin stops leaking out of the valve.