HI,
This will probably be a few simple questions, and I’m being over cautious, however…
I take it if I am printing back to back, as long as the print worked, I can just remove the print from the build platform and set off a new print using the existing resin in the tray? The Form 2 wont attempt to add more resin for the next print and overfill the tank?
Do I pour away any remaining resin left in the resin tray if I have finished printing? Or can it be left in there for a few days before I start printing again?
As an observation, I found the higher detail print at 0.025 was actually worse compared to 0.05. Is this common?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the novice questions
you can leave the resin in the tank and just start a new print. A capacitive sensor in the machine prevents the tank from overfilling. So no need to pour the resin from the tank into the cartridge again.
Concerning accuracy there is a very interesting article on the internet under the following link which clarifies many wront stuff about the “resolution” or “print accuracy” of SLA printers: http://theorthocosmos.com/dimensional-accuracy-3d-printers/
Many thanks Merlin. Much appreciated.
After my first print, I wrongfully assumed I needed to throw the remaining resin away and clean inside the tank with IPA… I wont do that again.
Sounds like maintenance is simpler. I only intend to use one kind of resin for now.
So as long as its away from direct sunlight, I can leave the resin in for a few days? And maybe just agitate the resin with a scraper every day?
Yeah right, no need to make such an effort
I myself just take out tank and cartridge, close the vent of the cartridge and put it in a dark place. The tanks I always leave with the resin inside (be carerful with castable and third party resins. I read about trouble with tanks in combinations with those resins here!), put the black cover on and back into the box. In this box I store them in a shelf. So less dust and light can affect the tanks. When I didn’t use a tank for a longer period, lets say 2-3-weeks I mix it manually a little bit with the wiper before I insert it into the F2. Especially with pigmented resins (black, grey,…) you can see that already after a few days the pigments lay down on the ground of the tank. Thats why I mix it already before a little bit to help the machine.
The only resin I don’t leave in the tray is white. With white the pigment settles onto the PDMS after a day or two and you have to mix it well before printing. This is easier in a bottle.
Also, don’t pour your resin back into the cartridge. Store it in a seperate container so that you don’t have issues with the cartridge thinking it’s out of resin before it’s actually out of resin. I got my containers from Freund container (250mL is big enough for the tray).
This is great. Many thanks for the advice.
I’ve only had the printer for a week, but with the right mindset and planning, I can see I will really enjoy the process.
I want to echo what @MerlinDepta mentioned regarding the resin in tanks being totally re-usable. I might warn against continuing to use the tank that you cleaned out. IPA can damage the PDMS and weaken the polycarbonate used for tanks. If IPA was used to clean the tank, it might be safest to replace it to avoid any potential damage. We typically clean tanks by scraping out the resin and absorbing any excess with a paper towel or cloth.
Thanks Frew.
yes thats exactly what it did. It weakened the PDMS and when I was scraping the resin out it become torn.
I live and learn!
I have a new tank on order
If you’re going to be printing every few days then just leave the tray in the printer, otherwise it’s probably best to remove it and put the cover on the tank and store it somewhere. If you aren’t printing for a day or so then it will be necessary to stir the resin before printing, you can do this using the scraper that comes with the printer, just make sure not to spill the resin out of the tank when doing this. Also remove the cartridge and shake it to mix the resin there. When it starts a new print it will check the resin levels and fill it to the proper level.
