I’m printing block shaped objects in Tough 2000. Before now last time I printed was back in October.
I’ve printer >1000 of these objects over time and have a fairly good understanding of what problems usually occurs. From time to time I’ve had adhesion issues (printing directly on the build plate).
But now I’m facing something I haven’t see before. To remove my parts I always use a small hammer to gently tap them on the side and they come loose from the build plate. Now though, instead of coming loose they shatter, leaving pieces still attached to the plate.
I first printed one, that shattered when removing. Then tested to print eight, six broke while removing.
Never has this happened before.
Changes since last successful print:
Firmware updated in the Form 3B+
New version of PreForm
Tank has expired in days, not hours (~100h printed)
90% of the resin came from an unopened bottle that has not expired
What might be causing this? My first guess would be the resin tank, but it was stored empty with nearly not even a trace of resin in it. I also thoroughly inspected it before filling.
I’m yet to inspect one the printed models to see how they come out, but before washing they loos fine.
Could an old tank somehow make the resin stick more to the build plate or possible make the solid parts more fragile so it breaks before coming loose from the plate?
To test I printed another object but this time in Clear v4 and took old an advice from here too freeze the build plate, expectation was for the object to come loose of it own to very easily. I had it in the freezer for around 3h and let me tell you, it didn’t come loose very easily!
Thank you for that suggestion, I just clicked your link and came to some general support site.
I opened the chat dialog which just took me to a stupid chatbot.
Give this could very well be of general interest, could you perhaps give me some support in this thread?
What can I try, should I adjust the z-height?
*From the photo, it looks like you are using the Stainless Steel Build Platform. Although we try to get it to match the adhesion/release properties of the conventional build platform, it does have some differences. Are you getting the same results with the conventional build platform?
*Adjusting the z-height upwards could help. I’d try increasing it by 200um.
*I’m not aware of any software changes that would have affected adhesion performance.
*Build Platform 2 would also be very effective at removing parts like these from the build platform cleanly and easily.
This happened to me once with one of my printers. Running the Z calibration routine on the machine fixed this. You can also tune the z height offset like Max suggested above, but I found the Z calibration solved this problem for me.
The only change for me was I moved the printer to a different physical location. As to why that changed the Z starting height, who knows.
Also, if you’re having to hammer or throw the parts in the freezer, there’s something wrong. I suggest you fix your Z height issues first and then change your part removal technique.
Here’s a video of how I take parts off the build plate. Once you learn this technique you never need to do anything else. Build Plate 2 is definitely nice, and I have one, but I still like doing it this way as it’s simple and build surfaces are easier to clean in between resins.
I also had an issue with excessive print adhesion a few months ago,
In addition to re-cal’ing the Z axis, using a heat gun on the build plate (not the part itself) will also help with part removal, use caution when doing this as you only need to use the heat gun a small amount.
Late update but I did very carefully move the printer, boxed up in all its original packaging. I did try to calibrate the z-axis and what do you know, since then it’s been working as before
