Resin/Tank Life Extension on Form 3 via software

I find the limited life of the Form 3 resin trays problematic in terms of maintaining a library of the more interesting resins that wear out the resin tray faster. So I have a suggestion that might allow that to change through some software rather than a hardware solution.

At the completion of a print, the resin tray should tilt so that the resin flows into a region that isn’t covering the membrane window. The wiper could also run a couple of times to remove additional resin.

This “long-term storage” mode could dramatically prolong the lifecycle of a build tray by limiting resin exposure.

You might have to coordinate this with resin dispensing so that only enough resin for a print would be dispensed on a particular build to allow the wiper to store the remainder off to the tilted side.

A reservoir built into the tray might be something you guys could consider on a V3 version of the tray too.

Possibly the ability to change out the membrane every year would be highly desirable as well. It seems to be a massive waste to dispose of a highly refined object like a resin tray as well - maybe some sort of recycling program would be worthwhile for that too.

-Vik

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I fully agree to your interesting point. As a Product Designer, I am committed to sustainable Design and sustainable goods. Therefore, I am concerned about product life cycles in general. Naturally, not everything can be managed in once in a solutionistic manner, but it must be a goal to do so and to strive to improving wonderful ideas. Your thought to elongate the life time of the resin tank is possibly enabled by software fixations.
I hope as well for this and will adress this point in a webinar.
Thank you again and stay healthy.
With best regards
Beat

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Good points! But I guess the problem is any contact at all between resin and membrane-foil - what I have heard is that the resin eats up the foil (or the welding of its layers) and that you cannot clean the tank enough to stop this process once it started when you first filled the tank. A better way might also be to make future versions of the resin to be really compatible to the tanks.

After working with the Form3 since Nov. 2019 we ordered the 3L and I am really concerned when it comes to 3L-tanks worth $300+ each.

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