Upcoming Resin Re-formulations

@Frew I just received my form 2 yesterday and the clear that was included was clear v2. Before I open it is there any reason I should not use it?

I would just look at the bottom of the cartridge for a white sticker which will indicate the date of manufacture. IIRC the format is something like 20170927. The resin is good for one year after that date.

1 Like

Thanks, the date is ~July 2017. I was more wondering if there was a reason for 2 newer versions. Like is there something wrong with v2 or v3? It was a minor concern to see something I just purchased was from 2 generations prior.

According to @Frew’s post the diff between v3 and v4 is no difference.

IIRC (and based on this post) the difference between v2 and v3 are great (i.e. there are different profiles for a specific reason, different settings, etc.) and the two are not mixable. Hopefully someone at FL can address why u got v2 .

EDIT: nvm I found the answer here

In short v3 was recalled, so v2 is the current version of clear!

1 Like

Thanks for the question! You are correct that the only change is in the supplier for one of the components and material properties should remain identical across formulations. We’ve still found it valuable to update the version number so that we can track changes between the formulations. Material properties should be identical between the suppliers, but the change in version number will allow us to track and verify that this is the case. There may be better workflows for this similar to how minor software updates get revision numbers (ex. White V3.1) and we’ll continue to explore methods of doing this going forwards.

The change in PreForm profile also has to do with tracking and creating a simple workflow. It might be confusing for users to use the White V3 settings with a White V4 cartridge which is much of our motivation for adding new PreForm profiles. To answer @Randy_Cohen discretely, no, profiles aren’t currently interchangeable. This isn’t a physical limitation as the profiles are nearly the same, it’s moreso a matter of workflow and tracking.

Nope, no reason not to use your Clear v2 cartridge as the results will be identical to Clear v4 and the materials will be mixable. Clear was a bit of a tricky case. As @kevinduhe mentioned, Clear V3 was discontinued but it did require different material settings and some users may still have cartridges. That’s the reason for the jump from Clear V2 to Clear V4.

1 Like

Looking forward to the Dental LT Clear, but can’t pre-order in the store, yet? I am worried that there will be a long waiting list.
Any help getting the native language on my version of the Formlabs.com switched from French to English? I am doing OK with it, but there is the potential for me to misunderstand something. I don’t know if it was because I was teaching in Europe, and somehow that short location change got propagated across all my mac stuff. Will there be any explanations about the durable future trays?: any decreased initial resolution due to material properties, but long term resolution stability, etc? I am just ordering one or two trays at a time, being in the dark, and would prefer to save the environment by combining more in each order. Thank you.

Also, will the Dental LT not only need its own tray, etc., but tend to chew through trays faster? Based on your resolution testing, will you eventually post a graph of typical tray durability/accuracy for each resin type. I realize that the Gv3 ages the tray faster than Clrv2, but there are times I prefer the trade-off, so it will be nice to have access to testing results as a guide. Thank you.

DentalLT Clear won’t be available for pre-order, but you can sign up for updates through this page. We’ll do our best to ensure that all of those looking to purchase DentalLT Clear are able to do so.

If you navigate to the main page and scroll towards the bottom, you’ll see a dropdown to change your language. You might give that a go and let me know if it works for you.

More information about Resin Tank LT will be coming out shortly :slight_smile:

Curious why the Print Time is so much higher for Clear V4 as opposed to Clear V3 if the change was negligible. See below for example. That is a major step backwards to me, even if there are improvements to quality since I have never had quality complaints about this resin with previous formulations/print settings.

Clear Resin is a bit of a confusing case. The current version is Clear v2 rather than Clear v3. Clear v3 was available for a short while before it was discontinued.

The current jump is from Clear v2 to Clear v4. If you compare the settings for those two, you’ll notice that they’re the same.

Still a major difference. I just switched over from V2 to V4 which is why I noticed this. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated, like maybe this is just a Preform estimation error and not actual build time. If it is really this different, I would prefer the older formulation/settings.

1 Like

Wow, definitely not the same settings. I was just getting ready to order more Clear, since, from my experience, the vats last the full 2 cartridges (vs. less for the Grey), and it tended to print a little faster than the grey V3 (which really is a nice resin, otherwise). Any help would be appreciated before I place my order… We do have a local distributor that might have a few more clear 2 in stock.

Since the official word is that the settings are the same, I am glad I saved my Clear V2 cartridges. With a funnel and some paper towels I have a never ending supply of Clear V2. Still, I am hoping there is a more concrete response and solution to this.

Thanks for pointing this out - helped to highlight a bug on our end. It does look like the settings for Clear v2 and Clear v4 are different but this was a mistake. The current Clear v4 material profile is using overly conservative print settings and this will be corrected in the next PreForm release at which point you should see that these are much more similar :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Sorry to butt in, but I think you need to be more clear about this.

What exactly do you mean by “overly conservative”.

I though the print settings are always “fixed”, optimized for speed and quality. If there is such a thing as “variable” settings, why not make it an option, like a slider (speed vs. quality). I’m sure that would be something a lot of users would appreciate, as sometimes, being able to print something faster at the expense of quality (or vice-versa) might be desirable.

Agreed, that was a bit ambiguous.

This isn’t a difference in print quality but rather a change in the behavior for the base layers of a print. Increases in the wait time between base layers and increases to base layer exposure account for the difference in print time. These were testing parameters and admittedly weren’t intended to be shipped. They won’t negatively impact print quality but will slow those base layers down a bit. A fix for this is scheduled to go out this week.

1 Like

Thanks Frew, looking forward to it. Now you can boast a 30 minute reduction in print time as part of the release notes :wink:

1 Like

Hello, We are currently using last bits of Grey V2 and are awaiting Grey V4. Are these two resins mixable or do we have to use new tank for V4 resin?

I would like to ask the same question. using last bits of Grey V2 and are awaiting Grey V4. Are these two resins mixable or do we have to use new tank for V4 resin?