Greetings!
I’m trying to print an injection mold but it keeps failing, it comes out warped every time, the top is not flat as it should be.
There were all made with the recommended settings of orientation and supports, also with the help of a Formlabs support.i
After a few failed iterations, I went overboard and created as much supports as I could with the maximum density:
Even with this “most secure” method, there is still some warping in the corner closest to the raft:
It isn’t warped a lot but it is there. The top surface never comes out perfectly flat, the part of the model close to the raft always bends a bit which renders it useless for the injection mold.
As a side-note, the raft also bends on the problematic places above the model:
Did anyone else had this problems? How would you go about this, so that it prints correctly and flat? I’m in contact with the Support Team, but neither them or me can figure out what is wrong or how to get the print right.
I’m using Form 3B+ and Clear resin.
Any tips and help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Lovel
Thanks for the details and for sharing the photos. From personal experience, a faster two-stage wash can help reduce warping since it minimizes how long the part has time to absorb IPA. The two-stage wash ensures a full clean without letting the part soak up too much solvent, which can impact the final structure. After washing, make sure the part is completely dry before curing. There’s a delicate balance here—if you try to cure it while there’s still IPA on the surface, it tends to warp. But I’ve found that if it dries for too long, that can also cause warping.
I usually use compressed air to dry the part completely, focusing on any small areas or support nooks where capillary action can hold onto IPA like a sponge. If you’re still noticing warping after drying, leaving the part out overnight might help fully dry it before you cure it. Another approach is to try curing the part on its supports, which sometimes mitigates warping by keeping the structure more rigid.
If these adjustments don’t fully solve the issue, using the Print Settings Editor (PSE) may be worth a try. With the PSE, you can adjust certain print settings for your specific printer, material, and use case. It’s an option that allows a high level of customization, though keep in mind that changing these settings does require a bit of experimentation.
Since warping like this can involve many factors, it’s often a case-by-case situation. SLA can be tricky, but when everything’s dialed in, the results are incredible. I’m happy to keep working with you to find a solution that works best for your mold.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for the info Henry.
The warping is visible right of the printer, even before the model gets to the wash and curing part, so I’m sure that is not the problem.
As for the Print Settings Editor, it seems as a functional powerful tool, but there are too many parameters and I’m not sure which one to change for this specific print. Do you have any suggestions?
I might have an idea of what is happening, but please critique me if I’m thinking wrong. The model is tilted in two axis which means that on the build platform, first the raft is printed, then some supports, and then the model itself begins to print. The first part of the model which is printed is always the corner which is getting warped, and the raft above it is also deformed, kind of like it got unstuck a little bit from the build platform. It seems as though the first corner of the model is getting printed, and then when the build platform lifts up, those layers in the first printed corner of the model are getting stuck too much to the resin tank, which is then deforming the raft and making it unstick from the build platform because of uneven pulling forces on it.
To solve this, I was thinking of manually adding some sideways supports on the problematic corner in the CAD model itself so the pull forces on the raft are a bit more evenly distributed. What do you think of this approach?
Thanks!
I had a similar issue when making molds for a vacuum former. My solution was basically what you had in mind. I designed a raft on the troublesome corner in my model which I cut off after the final cure.
