Stripes, deformations and thin layers of resin

Support & Troubleshooting
1

Hi All

The printer has 2 months, and print more or less 2 liters of resin. I
I updated the printer to the new software and firmware version of Preform V1.8_13

After my first production, I’ve done a roll of 20 (were perfect) ( with version 1.7 of preform)

a detail of the quality of first impressions on 025

even 050

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…
…

so I wanted to do other 14

…but the last 4 started getting these problems (Preform version 1.7))

thin layers between the supports and some objects

Many stripes and deformations of objects


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…
…

Then I looked and saw the tank began to have some clouds

( i dont have photo )

Complete production and started a new design.

First thing to start new production was discard old tank and old resin and put a new tank with new resin ( unused ). and look at the mirror and clean some little dust with compressed air.( its perfect )

But the results were the same.

This is the new production ( 1/6 scale futaba radio control system) (tested with Preform 1.7.1 and 1.8_13)

Prints at 025 ( i made 4 prints and dont want to do more to waste resine )

A lot of stripes

Errors and holes

Deformations:

And thin layers

Curiously supports are perfect, but supports do not sell

Please I need Help

I dont know what is happening and why this happens. It may be that the laser is failing?
Ask I this problem directly with technical support with a ticket?

Thanks a lot and sorry for my english :blush:

Jose Ignacio

2

Raise a ticket. The support guys and girls are good at getting back to you asap. It would also be useful to post whatever solves the problem to help others.

3

you said you used compressed air! Is your small mirror possibly oily?

4

Thanks, but i wait a little to try if there is anyone who knows anything about it.

Yes, but its from a bottle for airbrushing and a clean airbrush… the mirror its perfect and without stains. I´ll try to make a photo.

Thanks for the tip

5

It kind of looks like one of everything. I think it just needs some general maintenance. I would mix the resin, strain the resin, tighten the platform, print fewer at a time, and blow off the mirrors with a squeeze duster.

6

Hi JoshK

The mirrors are clean, the tank and resin are new ( i´ll try to straint it some more),

But i dont know that i need to adjuts the platform. I just check it and the head moves a little, not in place ( when its atached to printer), its the head respect to platform base. I saw the hole and there is a large screw.

How can I adjust this platform head?

Thanks for tips

7

I imagine you just release the lever, twist the screw a little, then push the lever back down. If the lever is snug, good. If it’s loose then adjust again.

8

Yes, I adjust the screw and now the platform adjust better to the printer and when you adjust this screw, the base platform dont move respect the head, Only moves a little when it is outside printer ( because it not has pression ).

I review all things, strain and remove resing again, verify all mirrors and tank base, and print a known object that prints well.

how can i know if laser its OK? there is any test to do?

9

I just made a new test.

  • I verify the tank and resin ( its OK), ( the tank is new)
  • I remove and strain with new from bottle ( Its OK )
  • I Adjust the built platform (is OK)
  • I Veryfi and clean with air the mirror (Its OK)

I get a funnel .form from formlabs and create new supports by default and send to printer. ( at 0.100 on V1.8_13)

1 hour and a half later, i cancel the job because i see that its deformed:

This is the result:

Photos from mirror

and the laser ( with a paper )

PLEASE HELP

Add: The log

laserTime=385439
tiltMotorTime=354155
zMotorTime=299560
printingTime=1022348
pausedCoverOpenTime=366
pausedCoverClosedTime=14
idleCoverOpenTime=13943
idleCoverClosedTime=5509924
initializeCount=28
printStartCount=158
layerFinishedCount=51957
printFinishedCount=57
printAbortCount=101
userPauseCount=2
coverOpenPauseCount=7
buttonPressCount=0
SDErrorCount=0
FATErrorCount=0
photodiodeOverrangeCount=0
galvoXSteps=227618128
galvoYSteps=234505713
zMotorSteps=94552
tiltMotorSteps=255614

10

@Jose_Ignacio_Vicente, have you opened a ticket with support?

11

Hi Aaron

No because i wanted to know if the problem was mine, or the printer. and perhaps could solve it with some advice from a forum fellow…

Can I open it and put a link to this thread on the forum, to not have to explain everything again?

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Edited:
I directly open a new ticket with support.

Thanks

12

@Jose_Ignacio_Vicente,

Glad you opened a ticket with support. When in doubt, support is here to help, please do not hesitate to open a ticket with them to start the process of getting our assistance. The forum is a great resource, but ultimately, we have a great support team here for a reason :slight_smile: .

Hope they get you sorted quickly!

Aaron

13

If you are not in a rush and your problem is a dirty mirror support is great.

14

Thank you very much Aaron

… but the mirror is perfectly clean (look at the images above)

I´m think that i am in a rush…

15

The light streaks look like there might be streaks on the mirror, try shining a light from the bottom of the mirror and see if that is it. The odd shape of the laser dot looks like something is refracting it. Might just be a more common flair that most have but might look worse because of the mirror.

I looked at my mirror and have a real fine dust on it that you can’t see directly on but only at an extreme angle. Though it hasn’t affected my prints I think it’s about due to be cleaned.

The long dash like pattern to me doesn’t indicate a bad laser but something that is fouling the beams path. From what I have seen on the few pics of bad lasers they seem to bloom around the beam and lose focus.

16

Thank you KenCitron

This morning i just made the test and send the results to formalbs support.
Wait and see what they say.

17

The long dash like pattern is from an overly long exposure on the camera :wink:

1 Like
18

I never thought of that.

19

Finally Formlabs support tell me that this problem could be a dust in mirror as says KenCitron.

Tomorrow i will to boy some Pec-Pad wipes to clean it.

You know if only must clean the big mirror? and also i need to clean the little ones ( there are 4 mirrors on From1+ )
This little ones could have dust also. but i dont find information about that.

Thanks

20

I would clean the first Big Mirror. You might only need a light dry wipe on it if an air blaster doesn’t do the trick. I picked up one of the rocket blaster dusters used for cameras as everyone else suggested and it works pretty nice.
You should be able to see if cleaning the big mirror did the trick with the laser test. You should see minimal background around the laser dot.