Tank tensioner failed?

I am seeing an error message similar to the one in the picture, and only half of the print is generated. The TANK was replaced less than a month ago, and I have also checked the bottom of the tank. What could be the reason?



Hey @synopex!

Thanks for taking the time to post! Sorry to hear you’re experiencing this issue with your printer/tank!

With the understanding that this is a pretty new tank, do you happen to have a spare tank around that you can test, and does a different tank throw the same error?

No, we are only using one type of clear resin, and we currently do not have any spare tanks.

Hi @synopex,

These errors may be caused by a software issue and are usually resolved by restarting the printer and ensuring the firmware is up to date. If you see an error message repeatedly, it might be something wrong with the tank or the printer, you can submit a support ticket here and our support team can take a look at how to diagnose and solve the issue.

I had the exact same problem with my Form 3. I was given the response that “henryqiu” gave below, turn it off and back on. This worked for a while but then I was still getting failures even after rebooting several times. I SOLVED this problem by backdating the Preform Software AND the printer software. I had to go back to versions that were issued over a year ago before I was happy with the results. I am running Preform version 3.30.0 and Printer Firmware version 2.1.0 and having no issues now. I turned off the automatic updating in Preform and have to constantly tell the printer not to update, but I have no more failures.

Thank you for your reply.
However, the first action I took to resolve this issue was a firmware update. Unfortunately, the problem was not resolved.

Thank you for your reply.
I will also try a firmware downgrade.
If this is indeed the case, it seems that Formlabs needs to revise their firmware.

Please let me know how you make out. I really hope that this solves your issues like it did mine. Don’t forget to downgrade the Preform software too. I am running Preform version 3.30.0 and Firmware version 2.1.0, both released around June 2023.

Our Form 3 machines are older and probably can’t handle all of these improvements in the name of speed.

Kathy

It seems that the issue was not with the software but with the hardware. After replacing the tensioner through a paid repair service, the issue disappeared.