Hi, I have a form 2 printer and I am printing some engineering parts. I am using a grey resin for this at the moment. My prints are coming out reasonably accurate for the X & Y axis but not for the Z height. does anyone know why this is and how to improve on this? Thanks
Are you printing direct-on-base? If so be aware the first several layers get compressed.
There’s a menu option on the display for Z Fine Tuning which might help. Print something of a known height (I use these calibration cubes) then measure them. You can adjust the tuning to compensate for the compression or other inaccuracies.
Just keep in mind if you raise the platform too high your prints might not adhere. Also your build plate probably isn’t perfectly level, so there may be some variance across it.
The best dimensional accuracy typically comes from printing on rafts and at an angle. If you’re doing that and still running into poor Z tolerance, you might check and (if necessary) lubricate your Z lead screw. Also make sure your platform and tank are firmly secured and there’s no wobble or play. I’ve seen feet break off the bottom of the tank.
If none of that works… reach out to Support.
Hi @rward1,
As @rkagerer mentioned, parts that are printed directly on the build platform will always be compressed for the first few layers of the print. This is intentional to ensure that the part adequately sticks to the build platform throughout the duration of the print.
For best dimensional accuracy results (particularly in the Z direction), try printing with a raft. This will raise your part off of the build platform so that all of the compression occurs in the raft (rather than on your part).
For more information, check out this article on fine-tuning the Form 2. You can also reach out to our support team—they’ll be happy to walk you through the fine-tuning process and help resolve this issue!