Resin tank max fill line (ditch the sticker!)

So I got a new resin tank and, like many of the tanks I’ve received, the resin fill level sticker on the front is applied a little lopsided. It’s adhered roughly horizontal, but it more or less shows where the max fill should be. Yet the unevenness still bugs me…

Off it goes!!

Luckily, there’s another line etched into the acrylic behind it. It’s about the same height as the max fill level on the sticker, but it’s etched on all four sides of the tank. Cool! The tank looks even more ‘pro’ without the messy sticker… but the line is a little harder to see than the sticker was.

Out with the Sharpie!

Using a fine point permanent marker, you can fill in the line with ink. The etched line acts as a nice guide for the pen tip, keeping it centered inside the channel as you pull the pen across it. Wipe off the excess with an alcohol-moistened tissue or swab. 70% works well and, so far as I could tell, doesn’t leave any residue or damage the acrylic. You don’t want to drench the line, so just use a little to moisten the swab or tissue. If it’s too wet it could pull the ink out of the channel.

When completed, you should end up with a nice, clean fill line around the perimeter of your resin tank. It looks awesome, and it only takes a couple minutes! :smiley:

Nice TJ! I had this in my operator notes as something to address. I like the DIY approach here.

I’m sure Formlabs is thinking about how to do this best. The sticker is kind of problematic, and etching is probably best for the whole thing, text and line levels, IMO.

In addition to what you noted, it gets resin on it over time due to handling of the tank, etc … then it makes it harder to see in the tank during operation (i.e. resin solidifies on it), in my opinion.

Thanks for taking the time to post with visuals!

-sj

Nice! Thats going on my To-Do List!

Thanks TJ!