I just finished a bottle of Tough V2 and the new bottle is Tough V5. The tray is still OK so I cleaned it and reassigned it to the V5. I notice different printer behavior for V5 - motors going at different speeds and etc. but what concerns me is how the print bed lowers so much into the tray that it pushes the whole tray down about 2mm into its spring-loaded mount. Admittedly, it now also retreats much more slowly than before, but my fear of suction pulling off the PDMS layer is still heightened. Is this behavior (the printer’s; forget about mine!) normal? Or does Tough V5 require some Z-height adjustment that previous versions didn’t, all other things being the same? Thanks!
Hey @Volguus,
Thanks so much for taking the time to post here! Sorry to hear you’re having some odd motor behavior on these recent prints!
That definitely doesn’t sound like expected behavior, but there could be a couple different things going on, so just a few quick questions for some background.
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Are the prints themselves coming out reasonably well? That is to say, bases look normal and the part itself looks good overall?
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Do you see this alarming 2mm squish on the very first layer? By very first layer I mean the very first time the build platform drops onto the tank when you start a print?
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Is this a particularly large print? Would you mind posting a quick screenshot of the file so we can see what you’re working with?
Thanks so much! It’s likely that you’ll still need to get in touch with our support team at the link below, but I’m still happy to take a look at a couple things here to get started. 
Wow, thanks for the quick reply! You can see from the screenshot that the print has a large “suction-risk” footprint but it doesn’t have a lot of height, so I won’t be able to see under the printbed to tell how it’s doing until it’s done or close to it. It’s my very first print with Tough V5.
I honestly wasn’t watching the printer on the very first layer, but I did indeed see the squish on the second and third. I’m guessing it’s been getting less each layer because it’s in the 40s and I don’t see it happening anymore. Neither do I see the PDMS layer coming up with the print bed, and sadly I DO know what THAT looks like.
I’ll just keep an eye on everything and if the print comes out OK, I’ll inspect the tray for signs of imminent PDMS detachment. If the answer from Formlabs isn’t “Oh yes, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work”, then all I can do is watch for problems and report if any. Thanks again!
I have always seen the tank move down a bit during the first layers, especially the very first one. I always associated this with the fact that in the first layer the PB has to push a lot of resin out of the way to get close to the tank, and the fact that the first layers are usually squished against the tank to favorise adhesion with the PB. I was not worry about it especially since the tank holder seems to be designed to act this way (being spring mounted)
If Formlabs thinks this is not normal behaviour please feel free to report it here 
In that case I’ll investigate as well.
Hey @Volguus,
Thanks so much for the information! Given the fact that this behavior seems to go away throughout the print I’m much less concerned. This is perfectly normal behavior and is just a symptom of the Form 2 self-correcting its movement after what was probably a difficult first layer to peel.
If the problem is dissipating throughout the print and your parts are coming out normally, there’s likely nothing to worry about. That being said, if it continues to push down on the resin tank that much and you’re feeling a little nervous about it, please give a shout at the link above and we’d be happy to take a look!
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Well, the print came out quite well - in fact the supports came off the cleanest I’ve ever seen in any resin, virtually no pits or bumps! The tray and PDMS still seem intact but I have yet to empty the resin and examine it closely. There was already one thin air pocket between the PDMS and one edge of the clear acrylic window so I know I’m already on borrowed time, and seeing how much worse it got, if any, will guide my judgement. Thanks for setting me straight!
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