how to get cured resin off lcd screen factory

An animated explanation to “Why did this happen?” When you move up to larger resin 3d prints, you also start seeing failures. There’s no blanket answer for all print failures. But in this video, he explores a few reasons why resin 3d prints sometimes fail. And hopefully, show you how you can get better results.

In that case, the Pendrive failed and the top pressed the failed print into the FEP perforating it. At the beginning, I wanted to cry, but I got my spatula and scrapped the shit out of the screen. I was able to remove most of it.

But I couldn’t scrap all. Do you see the top corner? I was not able to remove that little bastard. I poured alcohol and rubbed and rubbed and i was only removing the glue from the sealant. So I checked internet.

I promise that I will make a video with how I scrapped everything because I recorded it. But I wanted to let you know the solution right now before I forget to post.

The solution is a 10 dollar plastic shitty tool from Amazon. It is used for vinyl in cars and it is plainly a godsend tool. It does not damage the screen but it is enough sharp that it gets under the resin. It is plainly amazing. Best 10$ invested of my life.

【Safe and No irriation】ELEGOO Plant-based resin is made mainly from soybean yet still delivers amazing prints, which is BPA-free, has an ultra-low odor, and barely any pungent fumes, offering you a great and refreshing resin 3D printing experience.

【Great Toughness and High Precision】 ELEGOO Plant-based 3d printer resin has low brittleness and strong tenacity in model performance. With shrinkage as low as 3.72%, it could provide great modeling details and high accuracy for your 3D printed models.

【Wide Compatibility and Application】ELEGOO Plant-based photopolymer resin reacts to UV lights at 405nm wavelength and works well with most resin 3d printers or LCD MSLA 3D printers. It could be used for 3D printing from board game miniatures to industrial components.

【Leak-proof and Secure Packaging】 All ELEGOO 3d printer resin are stored in a plastic bottle fully wrapped with a PE bag inside the anti-collision bubble bag, which ensures no resin will run out even if the bottle is cracked.

【Storage and Precaution】 Keep your resin away from direct sunlight, dust, and out of children"s reach. Although it"s much safer compared with other 3D printer resin, we suggest you wear a mask and gloves each time when dealing with resin and if you get skin contact please wash with lots of soap water ASAP.

Light-curing 3D printing technology is becoming more and more popular, but the light-curing materials used in 3D printing are still in the stage of industrialized products. In the market, there is an urgent need for photocuring materials with lower public safety risks. In order to reduce the impact of chemicals on the environment and the human health 3D printing materials are expected to be green and safe. ELEGOO launched a natural green LCD-3D photocuring material that uses soybean oil as raw material, non-irritating and meets EN 71-3:2013.

Using soybean oil as raw material, BPA-free, natural green LCD photocuring material that complies with EN 71-3:2013, with ultra-low irritant chemical composition.

The fantastic detail performance of the models printed with resin is just like artwork. With low volume shrinkage and linear shrinkage, ensures the print accuracy and make sure all the parts printed to fit in the right place.

It has a wide range of application from board game miniatures to industrial parts and components, such as professional prototyping, science fair projects, early-exposure engineering, secondary school classrooms and so on.

Compatible for ELEGOO Mars / ELEGOO Mars Pro / ANYCUBIC Photon / Creality LD002R / ANYCUBIC Photon S / PHROZEN Sonic Mini / LONGER Orange 10 / LONGER Orange 30 / EPAX X1-N

The light source design, exposure time and other printing parameters of different brands of LCD 3D printers are different.The resin composition ratio of SUNLU designed for the photon is special , it is the most consistent with resin photon print parameter.

1. Environmental requirements: 20-30°C ambient temperature, do not print near windows or in other environments exposed to UV light, and try to isolate children and pregnant women.

4. The residue on the surface of the printed resin parts can be washed with alcohol at a concentration of 95% or more, and it is recommended that the cleaning process does not take more than 1 minute.

5. pores and other details of the alcohol is not easy to clean to the place can be used ultrasonic or filled with alcohol syringes and other auxiliary tools to clean, and alcohol should not be cleaned too many times to ensure the purity of alcohol, the concentration of impure alcohol cleaning model will lead to whitening and wash the phenomenon of unclean. Specific cleaning time, until the surface of the resin parts no sticky feeling, no residual resin in the pores of the effect shall prevail.

6. Drain or blow dry the residual alcohol after cleaning and place under UV light or sunlight, and irradiate all parts of the model evenly until the surface of the resin parts feels dry and hard enough.

7. Use hand sanitizer or dishwashing liquid to wash away any resin residue on the skin, but try not to touch the alcohol-washed resin residue with your hands.

Thickened aluminum bottle completely protected from light. Leak-proof bottle fully wrapped with a plastic bubble bag to make sure the resin stays in place where they belong.

Phrozen LCD screen protector, made of durable and high-transparency material to protect your LCD screen from the risk of resin spillage damage without affecting your prints.

Complete Installation:Comes with a full installation kit including wet wipes, squeeze card, microfiber cloth, guide sticker set, dust absorber, and detailed instructions to help you complete the installation with ease.

Products can be returned within 14 calendar days from the date received. Product(s) can be exchanged within 30 calendar days from the date you received it if there is a manufacturing defect. To be eligible for an exchange, your item(s) must be unused and in the same condition as received with the original packaging. For more details, please refer to our.

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The SL1 features a built-in resin level sensor, so in case there’s too little or too much resin, the printer will pause and display an on-screen info message. Because of that, the resin cannot spill during a print due to overfilling the tank.

A protective tray accompanies the Original Prusa SL1. Use it during object removal to prevent any spilled resin on the printer. Around the LCD there is also a small channel designed to prevent smaller amounts of resin to get into the machine.

The resin being spilled is usually the result of an accident. In case any resin is spilled on or into the printer, turn off the printer immediately and disconnect the power cord. Pour any resin still left in the tank into a bottle through the filter before you start the cleanup. The resin needs to be poured in a bottle that offers complete protection from UV lights, like the one provided with the new resin, always poured through the filter.

Wipe all resin you can see with paper towels. Make sure that there are no drops left. A paper towel with IPA can be used to clean the resin, except in delicate surfaces, like the display and the acrylic lid.

In case there is a larger resin spill or the resin tank floods, soak all the excess resin with a paper towel before cleaning the surface with a paper towel and IPA. Open the eight screws holding the bottom cover and check the inside of the printer for any resin that might have spilled. Check if the tilt mechanism and sensor do not have any resin. Use the SL1 assembly manual as a guide for accessing the inside of the printer.

If the spilled resin has been cured, it needs to be very carefully scraped off. In case there is cured resin on the inside of the printer, but it is not on any movable part like the tilt mechanism or electronics, there is no need to clean the resin, as more parts may be damaged in the process. Please note that any damage resulting from this process will not be covered under warranty.

We recommend curing the paper towels soaked with liquid resin in a curing chamber. Another option is to leave them in direct sunlight to cure the resin, then treat them as plastic waste.

Both DLP and LCD printers can print one full layer at a time, making them some of the fastest 3D printers available. An entry-level LCD printer costs $200 to $1,000. DLP printers start at $500 for entry-level printers and can go up to $100,000 for commercial use.

DLP is an older, more established technology than LCD printing. Though there are a lot of similarities between the two, the main difference is the light source used to cure the printing resin. DLP uses a high-intensity projector as a light source and directs it with thousands of tiny mirrors. LCD printers replace that setup with an LCD screen to mask the UV light which comes from an array of LED lights.

On the whole, LCD printers are constructed using cheaper components than DLP printers. However, LCD screens have shorter life spans than DLP mirror arrays. Plus, low-end screens tend to let light through in a less-than-uniform manner. This results in varying quality and precision from batch to batch and machine to machine.

DLP and LCD printers both employ liquid resin. DLP uses a high-power and higher-intensity light source that can operate on a wider range of resins. This gives DLP more options in terms of material quality. LCD printers, on the other hand, use low-intensity UV LEDs which require less viscous, fast-curing resins. This limits the types of material that can be used and impact the quality of the final product.

DLP is very accurate in narrow, small-scale prints. This makes it very useful for jewelry or dental implants, where precision is critical. LCD, on the other hand, is inexpensive and very accurate for the price point. This low price point makes it great for hobbyists. LCD is also ideal for when the price is more important than absolute precision. That can be valuable for industrial use, certain dental applications, and manufacturing.

DLP machines are available for hobbyists, professionals, and industrial applications that need large print volumes. LCD is a newer technology and has not caught on as much for industrial use. Therefore, large-volume LCD printers are not yet common, though this capability is gradually improving.

Less expensive versions of DLP and LCD systems can both have problems with surface finishes and print quality. DLP produces distortions on the edges of a print, especially in wide parts. LCD pieces can also come out imperfect due to inconsistencies in LEDs, especially with larger machines and larger prints. Both production methods must be followed by post-processing to finalize the parts’ surfaces. Generally, DLP parts come out with better surface finishes and print quality, especially with higher-end printers.

DLP and LCD are both available at affordable prices. An entry-level DLP printer can be purchased for as low as $500, while professional-grade types start at $2000. LCD printers, on the other hand, are available from $200 to $1,000.

There are a few technologies that are alternatives to both DLP and LCD printers. As an example:Stereolithography (SLA):SLA is a resin-based 3D printing technology known for its accuracy. It is similar to DLP and LCD in its use of photopolymer that is cured via UV light.

A 3D printing technology that is similar to DLP includes:DLP vs. FDM: FDM (Fusion Deposition Modeling) and DLP enable an on-demand manufacturing model for many products. They also have a similar pre-production workflow when preparing designs. For more information see our full article on FDM vs DLP 3D Printing.

A 3D printing technology that shares similarities with LCD includes:LCD vs. SLS: SLS uses a laser to fuse powder into a 3D printed object. This is an established industrial technology that compares to LCD in terms of accuracy and printing speed.

The basics of resin 3D-printing are based upon the exact curing of resin at a specific location in the XYZ space. Within regular 3D-printers, the Z resolution is better defined as its layer thickness. while the XY resolution is defined by the imaging technology that makes the resin cure. From the earlier days, these were always laser based printers. Where the laser ‘writes’ in the resin and everywhere it touches the resin the material will cure into a solid plastic. Since then there have been plenty of developments in new imaging techniques. After lasers, Envisiontec (now ETEC) developed a projector based imaging technique in the early 2000’s, still known as DLP 3D-printing. This technology has some benefits over laser based systems and made it possible to develop the first desktop sized resin 3D-printers. Although the DLP technology still has some disadvantages (like limited build size / pixel size ratio and its price at the time). In around 2017 Wanhao brought the first affordable LCD based printer. Although companies like Structo and Photocentric released the technology a few years earlier. This new imaging technology based on LCD screens rapidly took over the entry-level and now even the professional resin 3D-printing space. From here the history in imaging technologies for resin 3D-printing is well-known. From 2K RGB LCD / MSLA resin 3D-printers in the beginning, it evolved to 2K monochrome screens, 4K and even 8K mono LCD screens. In this article you will learn more about the technology differences behind monochrome LCD screens vs RGB LCD imaging technology.

We couldn’t write it better as Ackuretta:“LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display – you will be familiar with this technology, as you are reading this article either through a mobile device or a computer screen. That bright thing in front of you is the LCD screen.”

Next to the Z-axis, which provides the Z resolution, the most important component of a resin 3D-printer is its imaging system. For LCD printers it is obviously the LCD screen combined with its LED array. The technology of the LCD screens in a resin 3D-printer is quite similar as for instance a laptop LCD (except for the backlight, which we come to later). During the last decades there has been an incredible amount of work by imaging companies to create better, larger and sharper LCD screens.

An LCD screen is build-up with a lot of different layers and each layer has its own function for the LCD to work. As the name LCD tells us, it display is based on liquid crystals. These crystals are randomly present and behave like a liquid in normal state. In this state they are quite transparent to light. When locally (per pixel) a current is applied on these liquid crystals, they will change orientation and block light. By doing this for every pixel and placing a background LED behind it, a 2D image is created.

In other words, if there is an electric charge applied to these liquid crystal molecules, they untwist. When they straighten out, they change the angle of the light passing through them so that it no longer matches the angle of the top polarizing filter. Consequently, no light can pass through that area of the LCD, which makes that area darker than the surrounding areas.

LCD based resin 3D-printers started with RGB LCD type of display, which works perfect for most display work. But for resin 3D-printing it is only important that you have one wavelength (one color) of light to print. This is often 405nm light, which is purple/blue-ish. On this wavelength your standard resins will work fine. The funny thing here is that the “old-fashioned” monochrome (means one color) LCD screens work much better for this. Of course these screens are not really old-fashioned and there has been a lot of development in one-color LCD screens as well in the past decades.

The picture below shows a RGB and a monochrome LCD screen. The RGB screens contain color filters. As RGB is an abbreviation for Red, Green and Blue. The color filters are necessary for color TV, phone and computer screens, but in 3D printing you don’t need color. These color filters from the first generation LCD printers lead to a reduced transmittance rate. Meaning that there is less light output and thus slower curing of the resin.

If we dive deeper into the imaging technology of LCD’s, one important value is the aperture ratio. The Aperture ratio is the ratio of the area of ​​the light transmission part of the pixel to the total area of ​​the pixel. They made a comparison image below  with an LCD with aperture ratio of 50 ∼ 80%.

According to Chitusystems: “The increase in aperture ratio is mainly determined by the design scheme and process capability. In the manufacturing process, the alignment accuracy of the array substrate and the color filter substrate will also have a decisive influence on the aperture ratio”.

Going back to the difference with monochrome screens, these do not have a Red, Green or Blue color filters and operate in just one color. Think it as a black and white image (with grey-tones possible). In the pixels that are displayed as white, a lot of the 405nm light from the LED’s below can pass on the complete pixel.

Monochrome LCD’s are better for resin 3D-printing as they will increase printing speed and increase the life-time of the screen. To start with the last one, LCD screens in resin 3D-printing are considered as consumables. These screens need to be replaced when the performance drops. In contrast to DLP systems, which can be re-calibrated and should work for many years. With RGB type LCD screens the lifetime of a screen is approximately 500 hours with normal usage. You will notice dead pixels, flickering LCD screen or parts not working anymore when the life-time of the LCD is over. In our experience this lifetime of an RGB LCD can vary from 200 hours to 700 hours randomly over many different printers. If you replace it yourself it costs around $30-150 on spare parts and it is a fairly easy job, manuals can be found for most printer models online. For monochrome screens the lifetime is advertised at 2000 hours, which is a major improvement over the 500 hours of the RGB LCD screens. We have been working on monochrome printers since their launch (around end of 2020). Although we do not print full-time and only for R&D and quality purpose, we have not replaced any monochrome screen at the time of writing (January 2023). The print hours were not counted but we are sure this is much more compared to the RGB screens LCD’s which we have replaced many times in the past, before de-commissioning these printers.

The brightness and contrast ration of the screens are more dialed in for 405nm light and there are no color filters present, which increases the brightness of the LED’s. These improvements all help in getting a faster print speed. The following printers are both 2K LCD printers, the photon is an RGB type and the Mono is the monochrome version. You can see the difference in print speed there:

Especially for rigid resins the print speed is very much faster on monochrome LCD screens. For instance Liqcreate Premium Model would need 16,0 seconds exposure time for 0,1mm layer thickness on an RGB screen and only 2,0 seconds on the Monochrome LCD screen from the Anycubic Photon Mono. For some specialty resins like Tough-X the print speed will only double from 30 seconds to 14 seconds, as these specialty resins need more time and UV power to cure.

With printing on >20+ LCD type printers for many years we would advise to everyone that is looking for a new resin 3D-printing to choose a monochrome LCD printer. With every new model released we see some new benefits and better LCD screens. The benefits of Monochrome LCD screens are evident and we have not found any negative side of this yet.

Or remove the resin tank, clean the LCD panel and the bottom of the resin tank film; wipe them with alcohol and then with a dry paper towel. (Note: touch ONLY the glass part of the screen, the area covered with black tape should not be touched).

12. Oily liquid exuded from the seams area in front of the label at the printer bottom, and the level of the liquid in the coolant tank has significantly reduced

29. The coolant leaks from the seam on the bottom of the printer and in front of the lable,or from around the screen, and the liquid level in the cooling tank is significantly reduced

Replace the Resin Tank if there is any damage. Remove the Resin Tank and clean the surface of the LCD and the underside of the Resin Tank, wipe first with alcohol, then with a dry paper towel (note that you can only touch the glass portion of the screen and avoid pressing against the black tape).Increase cooling time appropriately

Masked Stereolithography (MSLA) is a modified form of SLA printing. SLA uses a laser to trace the layers, and it is often reserved for industrial use since it is expensive.

MSLA uses an ultraviolet (UV) LED array and a LCD screen to selectively cure an entire layer of resin in seconds. MSLA resin printers utilize widely available and affordable components, which makes the technology available to consumers.

MSLA printers use a UV LED array underneath a LCD screen. The screen selectively turns pixels on and off, allowing UV light to cure the photopolymer resin in the vat. Budget resins often have cure times under 2.5 seconds, whereas the layer times for engineering resins can be 3 to 10 seconds.

When the layer has cured, the build plate lifts up, separating the print from the FEP or PFA film in the vat. The plate continues rising to a user-specified level then retracts down to start the next layer.

The FEP or PFA film will need to be replaced every few months or when indentions are made. The monochrome screens are degraded by the UV light, and their estimated lifespan is up to 2,000 printing hours. These should be considered a consumable.

Respirator($20-40) - Required - A respirator with activated carbon should be worn when interacting with resin and cleaning prints. These can also be used for sanding and painting.

UV Lamp($20) - Required - Portable UV LED array that can be used to post-cure prints, cure spills, cure resin in dirty IPA, and cure resin on reusable gloves after they are cleaned with IPA.

Metal Funnel ($12) - Optional - A metal funnel reduces waste, and it is used for filtering debris out of the resin as it is poured back into the bottle.

Flexible Plate ($15+) - Optional - Flexible plates can make removing prints easier, but they can cause failures on large prints that are printed directly to the build surface. The magnet adhesive will degrade over time.

Baster ($5) - Optional - Basters are recommended to remove resin from the vat. Typically, people would remove the vat and pour the resin out but this can drip resin on the screen, under the FEP film, and on your work space.

Screen Replacement ($50+) - Optional - Screens will need to be replaced months to years later, so we wouldn"t necessarily recommend holding onto spares.

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Without any prior announcements, Anycubic quietly started to ship these machines to unsuspecting buyers. These new printers look exactly like the original Photons (with steel bodies and yellow windows) but are not. The motherboard has been changed, making them an entirely different printer that only looks like the original.

These look-alike Photons (commonly called Faux Photons or Fauxtons) share the same mainboards (PTB2BK) with the Photon-S and could then only print new *.pws files as they had Photon-S mainboards, making them incompatible with the original Photons.

Due to community outcry, in early November 2019 Anycubic were finally forced to admit that they were indeed shipping these Fauxtons. In an official announcement on their Facebook page, they apologised for the "confusion" their ambiguity caused and clarified that they were still shipping the original Photons side by side with the lookalike Fauxtons and that buyers would have to specify their preferred versions. Since then, the new Fauxtons (and the Photon-S) received firmware updates allowing them to print original Photon files.

As of mid-November 2019, all Photon printers shipping from China are the new Fauxtons. Last remaining stocks of the original Photon were still being shipped only from NA and European warehouses.

Unfortunately, since the Fauxton look physically the same as the original Photon, the only way to tell is to check the firmware version or check the motherboard inside. Look-alike Fauxtons ship with firmware version v3.x.x or v5.x.x).

All newer original Photons and new Fauxtons look-alikes come with Yellow windows. Older original Photons (prior to August, 2018) had Blue windows. Blue doesn"t block UV well and they were changed to yellow later, with newer firmware, slight revisions to uncap the top end of the Z lead screw and include a better PSU.

Originally, the file formats were incompatible. Since the November 2019 firmware update for the Fauxton (and the Photon-S), original Photon files can now be printed on the new Fauxton. This post on the Photon Owners Group provides details the confusing state of the various different file formats (before the Fauxton firmware update).

The Photon-S was released in February 2019, supposedly as an interim upgrade to the original Photon. However, it turned out to be a sidegrade, rather than a true upgrade. Due to the different motherboard, it"s actually a completely different printer altogether.

When first released, the fundamental difference was that the S model was not file compatible with the original Photon, and thus could not use any of the original print files sliced for the original Photon. With the November 2019 firmware update, it can now print original Photon files although initial user reports say compatibility is buggy.

Do note that many of the essential community software and tools that have been developed for the original Photon are not compatible and do not work with the S model (or new Fauxton).

Contrary to many misleading online reports, when first released, the S model did NOT have anti-aliasing (AA) while the original Photon had this important feature via an unofficial firmware and an official AA firmware update in May 2019.

In August 2019, Anycubic finally released a new firmware for the S model which included the AA feature, but with the update the file format was changed from *.photons to *.pws and made it incompatible. It also broke Chitubox slicer support for the previous file format. At that point, no other slicer (except for paid ones) supported the new *.pws format. Since the November 2019 firmware update, compatibility has been restored.

You will also need a known good branded USB stick (beware of fakes), formatted FAT32. The included usb stick is known to be problematic and prone to eventual failure. Transfer all the files from it to your known good USB stick and use that instead.

No, it"s not necessary, and not recommended at all. Set your printer up and do the test print first. Make sure that your Photon is functioning as it should before considering doing any firmware updates.

Do not update if your Photon is working well. If you"re running older firmware and need AA functionality, do not update to version v4.2.19 as that version is buggy, it is recommended to use v4.2.18 instead.

Incorrect build plate tramming (levelling) is the number one reason for print failures. It is a statistical fact, most of the issues posted on the Anycubic Photon Printer Owners Group invariably traces back to imperfect build plate leveling as the root cause.

Once your build plate is leveled correctly and locked down tight, you do not have to relevel it anymore unless you make other adjustments that affect the build plate.

Only try the Flint Read method if you"re having trouble getting your build plate level with the paper method, or you"re experimenting with thinner FEP film.

Press Home to bring the build plate down before starting to make build plate leveling adjustments. If you do not Home first, it will not set Z=0 correctly.

After setting Z=0 verify that it is set correctly by removing the vat and starting a print (aka dry run), put a piece of paper on the screen and check that the build plate starts the first layer at the correct Z=0 position that you have set.

If you are using the recommended paper method, the paper should be tight enough to pull out with even resistance but not able to push back in. Remember that the build plate must grip the paper evenly.

Remember that as you tighten the setting (grub) screw it will move the plate down a tiny fraction more. You will find that you cannot pull the paper anymore, so you should raise / backoff the build plate level by 0.1mm (100um) until the plate is gripping the paper with even resistance, and that you can pull but not push it back. Then only set Z=0.

Just regular photocopy paper, they"re generally around 80gsm, but any paper 70 ~ 120gsm (average thickness ranging from 0.05 to 0.10mm) should work too. Just ensure that the paper is clean and not creased or folded.

Using your fingers, push the opposite side of the plate when tightening the grub screw. Alternatively, if you"re using the paper method, you can slip another strip of paper to the side which is too tight and then tighten the screw. You may need to try this a few times to get perfect level.

If no matter how much you tightened the grub screw to lock the build plate down and the plate still moves, remove the grub screw and check if there"s another one already in the hole. Remove the extra screw and retighten.

Home is not Z=0! Home is fixed, it is the hardware Z endstop, unless you change it physically, it will always be the same position. Z=0 is the offset distance between Home and your screen, you define it when you level the build plate, that"s why you have to Home first then move the platfrom, then set Z=0.

When a new Z=0 is specified, pressing Home will NOT move the platform to the position you specified, it will be the start position when a real print actually starts. You can check it by removing the vat and starting a print. (Thanks to Philippe Maegerman for the original explanation.)

Make sure you have really tightened the setting (grub) screw to lock the build plate. You only need to relevel your build plate if it has slipped or been knocked or you made changes that affect the Z=0 position.

If not, then it is absolutely NOT NECESSARY at all. Contrary to all the claims and misinformation being repeated that sanding away the blue anodized colour solves adhesion problems, it does not.

When you have correctly leveled, the blue anodized aluminium surface of the stock build plate provides plenty of texture to ensure good adhesion. Adhesion is so good that some owners have difficulty removing prints.

Speciality castable resins such as Bluecast are monomer-free formulations. In this situation, the anodized surface of the build plate inhibits adhesion of the oligomers used.

Bluecast recommends the use of a primer coat as a solution. In the Bluecast Users Group on Facebook, a post by Bluecast recommends to sand the build plate as well. Do note that raw aluminium will self anodise in time, so periodic sanding may be necessary.

That"s not true at all. Once again, it is not about the texture (there"s already plenty on the stock blue build plate), it"s about build plate flatness and the resin formulation. If your build plate is leveled correctly and its surface is flat, and you"re not using speciality monomer-free resin such as Bluecast, you will have good print adhesion. Resin will adhere even to glass as you can see in this video by Photocentric.

Did you just switch resins? Did you use an unsuitable resin formulated for SLA Laser or DLP printers? Are you using speciality castable resins? Did you mix the resin properly before use? Is the resin expired? Is it too cold? There are many factors that may affect print adhesion. Keep testing to find the root causes for your plate adhesion issues.

Some resins such as Anycubic Maroon or Monocure Rapid are known to be notoriously difficult to obtain adhesion. This is due to their formulation. Try other resins, or increase bottom exposures by 10 second increments and keep testing.

Castable and other speciality resins such as Bluecast (monomer-free) generally need longer bottom exposures and the help of a primer coat. Primers are basically just uv glue and can be found online cheaply. You can also try LOCA (Liquid Optically Clear Adhesive),

For the vast majority of regular modelling resins, ensuring a leveled build plate and increasing bottom exposures should enable plate adhesion. Do not pay for uv glues marketed as miracle cure adhesion bonding concoctions.

If you"re positively sure it"s not the resin or other factors mentioned above, and you"ve got your build plate leveled perfectly, and it"s not warped or defective, and you still can"t get a print or some parts didn"t stick to the plate, try following these steps very, very carefully.

You may have a warped or defective build plate, the plate surface may not be true and flat. Check for flatness by placing a steel rule across the build plate, against a light source, check if there are any uneven gaps showing.

It would be more accurate to check by making an imprint. Lightly coat the build plate surface with engineer"s blue dye or evenly roll a thin layer of printmaking ink. Place a sheet of paper on a known flat surface such as plate glass or polished granite /marble, then press the build plate on the paper and check the imprint for blank spots.

If you"ve verified that the build plate surface is not flat, you can try to achieve a true flat surface by a process termed lapping. Unfortunately, most people will not have the tools or skills to achieve this. Try bringing your build plate to a machine shop nearby, they"ll know what to do.

If you want to try this at home, do not simply go rubbing the build plate with sandpaper, you"ll probably make things worse. Proceed only if you have the necessary tools and know-how to achieve a true flat surface.

When you receive your new Photon, it will come with an aluminium vat frame with a FEP film already installed. Check that the film is tight by lightly tapping with your finger. If it is tensioned correctly it should sound just like a snare drum.

Sometimes the screws may seem loose, but it may be tensioned correctly from the factory. Do not simply tighten the screws or you may then over tension the FEP.

If it sounds like a snare drum when you lightly tap with a finger, it should be good enough. But since hearing is subjective, to be precise, you should use an audio analyser to check, factory tensioned FEP film (about 127 to 150 microns thick) is around 350Hz, but anything between 250Hz to 375Hz is fine.

Some owners have obtained good prints with tensions as low as 150Hz, but there are also reports of leaking vats at those low tensions, For that reason, we advise 250Hz to 350Hz. Be careful when adjusting, over tensioning above 375Hz may tear your FEP film, or may cause bad prints. (FB post)

When your print peels from the FEP film, there are a lot of suction forces involved. Unlike more expensive machines, the Photon does not have a tilt peel mechanism, it therefore relies on the flexibility of the FEP film to provide a clean and successful peel.

If the film is too tightly tensioned, your prints won"t peel off properly and may stick to the build plate, too loosely tensioned and it"ll have layer lines or other unwanted artifacts.

No, FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene, invented by DuPont, sold under the brandname Teflon FEP), is already one of the most slippery materials known to science. Coating your FEP film with a hydrophobic substance like Rain-X may in fact cause bad quality prints.

When new, the film is clear. But it is easily scratched by handling or cleaning. Use soft tissue to soak resin when cleaning up the vat, do not aggressively wipe the film as even tissue will scratch it. These micro scratches cause the film to go cloudy. Buffing the film with microfibre cloth will restore some clarity. It is important that the film is kept clear to ensure sharp and detailed prints.

If you take care of it, it will not need to be replaced for months. FEP film needs to be replaced only when it becomes too scratched up or cloudy from use. If it is not replaced your print quality will deteriorate. Replace immediately if it is punctured or torn. If you notice cured resin on your LCD glass, it means the film may have a micro tear.

Watch the video by Anycubic for a detailed step by step. It is important to note one very important omission in that video: some replacement FEP film may come sandwiched between two layers of protective plastic. These have to be peeled off before the FEP film can be used.

It"s difficult to see if there"s protective plastic film on your FEP. An easy way to test is by dripping a few drops of resin on your FEP film, then hold the film vertical. If the resin slides downward easily without sticking and leaves the FEP clear, it"s good. If the resin sticks where you dripped it and moves slowly or smears, then you have protective plastic which needs to be removed.

Not advisable. There"s a reason why FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) is used. Besides low friction, non-reactivity, flexibility, high heat resistance, high transparency, uv resistance, etc., it is also one of the most slippery substance known to science.

The bottle cap, 30mm diameter x 13mm height, will allow some slack to the film, so that when you tighten the frame down you will get approximate tension. If you don"t do that, you will over tension the film and it may tear. If it didn"t tear, later on you"ll be wondering why all your prints fail.

None. The test file that came on the included USB stick has been pre-sliced and settings configured for the 250ml bottle of translucent green sample resin. All you need to do is select the file and print. If you didn"t receive this sample resin with your printer, or received a different colour sample, only then will you need to change the exposure settings. You will then need to either do an exposure test for your resin, or consult the quick settings chart (see below).

You first need to convert those 3D models by generating sliced layers into a format that your Photon understands and can print. This is done in what"s known as a slicer program. A free slicer program comes included in the usb stick provided with your printer.

If you"re new to resin printing, the included slicer is best to start with. Once you"ve familiarised yourself with the basics, there are other slicers with more features you can try. Here is a list of slicers that work with the Photon.

Every resin behaves differently, there are no best settings that will work for every resin and every machine. For a quick start, you can refer to the community resin exposure settings. Those settings should enable you to quickly get a print going but you will need to test and adjust from there to find the best settings applicable for your machine.

It used to be only possible via a messy and time consuming trial and error method involving multiple bracketed prints. But thankfully we now have the Photon Resin Calibration Test aka the Photon XP Finder. This test enables you to find the optimum settings for your resin, matched to your machine, all in one simple and quick print.

For Anycubic branded resin, first check if the date is printed in black ink. If it is, then that is the production date. For other resin brands, unless it is clearly stated, double check with the manufacturer first whether the date codes are production or best-by dates.

Generally, most resin manufacturers advice that resin be used within one year. The dates are basically "use by" dates, not expiry per se. In practice, when kept properly in a cool dry location and unexposed to light, resin can be stored and used without issues.

This is assuming you"re using the Anycubic Photon slicer program (rebadged Chitu slicer v.1.3.6) that is included on the USB stick. Other slicers may use different terminology but they"re functionally the same. If you"re just starting out, it"s highly recommended you use the Anycubic slicer. It"s basic, won"t overwhelm you with bells and whistles, and just works.

This is how long the UV light will turn on to set the layer of resin that is on your build plate for the first few layers (it"s extra long to give the resin the best chance to stick to your plate and form a super hard base to help keep your part from wobbling and rocking about.) For the sample green resin at 0.05mm layers, the exposure for bottom layers is 60 seconds.

After your base layers have finished this is the time the UV will be on to cure all the rest of the layers of your print and will always be lower than your base/bottom layers setting, For the sample green resin at 0.05mm layers, the exposure for normal layers is 10 seconds.

Light off delay. This is the amount of time that the UV light is turned off between the end of one exposure cycle and the beginning of the next. After an exposure, the UV light turns off, the build plate lifts and peels, then descends ready for the next cycle and will wait at the bottom (resting at the set layer height over the FEP sheet, at the bottom of your vat) before the UV light comes on again for the next exposure cycle.

Longer offtimes leave more time for the resin to settle out and form a new layer with fresh resin. This is especially useful for more viscous resins to mitigate issues of poor definition of surfaces facing the build plate

If unsure, leave the value at 1, your printer will then default to the firmware settings, usually 6.5 secs for older printers or firmware, 4.5 secs for newer printers or firmware. Any value below your printer"s defaults will be ignored. The fastest prints are at default settings.

Vent holes are often improperly called "drain" holes, they are not for draining resin. Imagine a glass full of water upside down in a bucket of water. When you pull the glass up out of the bucket, it stays full until the lip of the glass breaks the surface of the water in the bucket.

In the vat, the lowest point of the print, the new layer does not (generally) rise above the level of the liquid resin in the vat. Therefore, the liquid resin inside the "bowl" or "cup" cannot evacuate, unless you add a vent hole. This is a significant cause of failures. You have to reduce the work that the stepper motor has to do to lift the platform.

Initially, In the printer vat, the inside volume of resin will be pulled up. Eventually, depending on the volume of the inside space and the volume of resin in the vat, the new layer will rise above the fluid level because the surface of the fluid will be moving down at ever increasing rates with each layer. That is, the level of the fluid inside the space and in the vat are actually moving in opposite directions. When that happens, all of the fluid inside will be released, but now you have a trapped volume of air, so you will alternate between struggling with lifting up and struggling with pushing down.

Without vent holes, it"s really a recipe for bad prints. The result is that you can get multiple failures at various heights, depending on where these extremes occur. Formlabs has a good article on model orientation,v enting and suction cups.

It depends on the software. Two popular free programs that make it easy to hollow your models are Chitubox and Meshmixer. Here is a link on how to hollow with Meshmixer.

This is due to your offtime (or light off) settings in the slicer. The program will calculate the print time based on the offtime value that you set, it is an estimate, it does not reflect the actual print time. To get an accurate estimate that matches your actual print time, time your actual offtime and use that value in your slicer program.

No. For simple models, auto supports should generally work but as with anything automatic it will never be perfect. For a start, you can use auto supports and supplement with manual supports on parts that the software missed. But it will be best to learn to place your supports manually and precisely, you will find that you will need less supports and produce better prints in the long run.

There isn"t one best angle for printing everything. It really depends on your layer height, and the type of model you"re printing. Don"t forget that model orientation also plays a big part to determine the best angles. You could actually be losing details printing at the wrong angle for the layer height.

This image by Michael Van Kesteren from the post on the Facebook group shows the approximate best angle for each layer height to maximize details and minimize layer stepping (pixelation / aliasing) lines.

It is highly recommended that you print it. The test file has been presliced for the included sample green resin, all you have to do is select the file and print.

A successful test print will confirm that your Photon works as it should, and that you have properly leveled your build plate and your FEP tension is correct. It will also confirm that your machine will reliably work as the test takes over five hours.

If it did not print successfully, then troubleshooting will be easier as you can rule out various other problems such as with resin, settings or slicing.

Do not exceed the line, if there is too much resin, it will rise from displacement and cause a spill. Or get into the screws and ball joint of your build plate. There have been reports that resin in the ball joint may cause the build plate to slip and shift during a print, making it out of level. Besides, once resin cures in there, it"s also difficult to clean.

Yes , no problem. You do not have to pause the print, just slowly and gently pour resin into the vat. Make sure to not bump or touch the build plate while pouring. Be mindful of displacement when adding resin.

Make sure to mix the fresh resin well before adding. Try to ensure the resin temperature is the same, if the difference is more than 5~10 degrees Celsius, it may cause a layer line.

Yes, you can pause at anytime during your print. Resume as quickly as you can to ensure that your print will continue safely. However it is generally not recommended as it will most likely leave a line at the layer where you paused.

It"s completely normal. It"s a good sign that your print is sticking to the build plate and that the layers are releasing from the FEP film. It will be more audible during the first few bottomlayers of the print, don"t worry if you can"t hear it later on as it depends on the layer section being printed.

One easy way to tell is by listening for the sound that"s made as the layer peels off the FEP. You can hear it clearly especially for the first few bottom layers. Don"t worry if you can"t hear it anymore later, it varies depending on the size of the layer being printed.

This is normal for the test print. The test cube is supported only by three prongs on the base, as the plate rises the print is releasing from the FEP film in a side to side flex action, hence the wobble. If your build plate is leveled correctly, the test cube will finish printing successfully.

First, ensure that your exposure settings are optimal for the resin used. Underexposure causes thinner parts, while overexposure will swell. Many of the basic resins swell when printed. There could also be slight shrinkage. It all depends on your settings and the brand of resin and formulations that manufacturers use. It usually isn"t noticeable on organic prints.

After testing your resin performance, you can make the adjustments for the model itself in software. This method is not advisable as it will differ if you share the model, or use a different resin as the compensation will then be off.

There are many resins available and are formulated for various usage. Most are general printing resins suitable for models, figures, decorative and non functional prints. When deciding on resins that need to be strong, the resin must be formulated with a high degree of hardness, which also makes it brittle. Therefore, to be both strong and functional, a certain degree of flexibility needs to be blended in. For a start, check the Shore D (Shore Durometer) rating of the resin, then check the flexibility or tensile rating. A high Shore D rating over 80 combined with a high flexibility rating indicates a strong resin.

Build plate is too high or low, this is caused by incorrectly seated ball joint screws. Disassemble, clean and retighten the build assembly. See disassembly guide below.

The FEP film may be too tight or too loose. New vats sometimes comes with loosened screws, but they could be correctly tensioned. Adjust to the correct tension, or replace. (FB post) (how to tighten) and (how to replace)

You may be using resin formulated for SLA laser or DLP printers. Try using a known resin like the sample green. Note that some resins like maroon or yellow are very difficult to work with.

If your prints have good bottom adhesion but fail at the supports, this is generally due to incorrect exposure setting for your normal layers. As a first step, try increasing exposure.

The best layer slices for a good balance of speed and quality is 50um (0.05mm) thickness, but (depending on resin) some owners have sucessfully printed at 100um (0.1mm} layer thickness. Use the Resin Exposure Finder from the community projects to test if your resin can print at that layer height.

During the printing process, resin components form covalent bonds, but layer to layer, the part remains in a semi-reacted or semi-cured state. While in this semi-reacted state, the resin retains polymerizable groups that can still form bonds across layers. Polymerization only stops when resin is fully cured via post-processing in a UV station or sunlight.

Simply put, during printing, the layers of the model facing the FEP film are always sharply defined as the layer is exposed perfectly against it. Whereas the layers facing the build plate, previously exposed, still receive uv light from diffusion/defraction/scattering from the current exposed layer and thus will still cure slightly. This is akin to overexposure and thus details will be lost. Coupled with this, some resin always remains around the bottom parts (facing the build plate), and will also bond and cure to the details as well.

When you switch on your printer, you may have noticed that the little fan in the print compartment automatically turns on, and stays on. That is the number one cause of resin smells from your printer. What this fan claims to do is to draw smells into a charcoal filter below it, but in reality all it does is to circulate and distribute smells out of the print compartment and into your room.

The simplest solution to reduce smells, without requiring complicated and time consuming additions such as in-line fans, ducting and drilling, is to simply disconnect that little fan. Here are several ways to do this:

Unscrew the two screws that hold the fan onto the red base plate, lift the fan, cut the red and black wires, tape and insulate the wires, and remount the now deactivated fan.

Finally, there"s also a gcode to switch the fan off, but it will be reset when firmware is updated. Search the Facebook group for fan_off.gcode if you"d like to try this.

Check the LCD settings in your slicer program. There should be a tab where you can select between LCD_mirror, DLP_normal or Normal. The correct setting should be LCD_mirror. Here is a screenshot of the selection tab for the Chitubox slicer, it should be similar in the Anycubic slicer and others.

The recommended method is the two tub system. Fill both containers with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or other solvents such as 95% Ethanol. Although not necessary, heating the first tub to around 45°C helps dissolve the resin faster.

Drop the print into the first tub and swirl for several seconds. Use a soft brush on hard to reach parts, crevices, etc. Then dunk the part in the second tub of solvent and rinse clean. Do not leave your prints soaking too long in the tubs. Remove then dry thoroughly (blow drying with compressed air works best) before uv curing.

Resin manufacturers universally recommend 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) or 95% Ethanol. Other solvents may be used but generally not recommended. Do not pay for overpriced cleaning solutions marketed for 3D resin printers. Here is a solvents compatibility chart published by Formlabs for their resins which can be used as a general guide for most resins.

For as little time as possible to get your prints cleaned of uncured resin. Do not leave your prints to soak. Some manufacturers advise no longer than 30 seconds. In a post, Formlabs mentioned that prolonged exposure to solvents may make some resins swell from absorbtion. In a related article, Ameralabs tested prolonged soaking of parts in IPA and found consequent shrinkage and cracking.

Use soft tissues and a small spray of IPA to remove any dust and stains. If there is dried resin on the glass, you can carefully scrape it off with a razor. Finally, buff the glass with microfibre cloth.

Damp a piece of cloth or tissue with IPA then lay it on the cured resin. Wait a few minutes, then with a fingernail gently try to prise the layer of cured resin off the LCD glass. If you can"t easily prise it off, use a razor or glass scraper, but be careful with that.

Once you have drained the vat of resin, spray down with IPA and gently wipe off with paper towel or soft tissue. Spray again and use soft tissue to soak off the remaining residue from the FEP. You may need to repeat this several times. Finally buff the FEP with microfiber lens cloth. Be careful of dried resin on the cloth that could scratch or puncture the FEP.

Anything containing uncured resin if no curing is possible should be disposed in a hazards facility near you. Uncured resin is considered extremely hazardous to the envoirenment and must be cured before disposal.

Resin saturated water (for the water washable resins) and Saturated solvents should be cured in the sun and evaporated, resulting solids can be disposed in the solids trash.

Yes, if you regularly cure the washing solvents along with your printed parts and filter out the solids your solvents will last longer. For methods to filter, see this FB post. about it

It depends on environmental factors and type/brand of resin, typically if the resin is kept out of light and moisture/dirt it may sit in the vat for a few weeks. Clear resins tend to sit better, opaque resins will need more stirring before use to mix the pigments back.

Do not leave the build plate hanging with uncured resin, take it out and clean with IPA, leave it out until you are ready to print, this will lessen the weight on the single lead screw thus prevent deformation and potential Z wobble.

Water washable resin works because it uses water soluble monomers. Water isn"t an acrylate. Water can not cure. When you dilute resin into anything that"s not capable of curing, it won"t be inert again.

Even after you expose the mixture to UV, the photoinitiators in the diluted resin water will still cleave and generate free radicals. If some acrylate molecules are nearby there will be a tiny bit of chain growth taking place. The spent photoinitiators, pigments, and the portion of the resin that actually cures will settle out, but the rest will still remain diluted in the water.

What this means is that resin cannot cure to completion in solution (water). It cannot cure due to change in concentration of reactants and there will be contaminates in the wash that are not safe down the drain.

The only proper way to dispose of the wash is to reduce solution by evaporation, and then collect and UV cure the resin residuals and dispose of them properly.

Congratulations on having a well leveled plate. Sometimes prints adhere so well that removal is difficult. Try the following methods to remove recalcitrant prints, in order of recommendation:

The best way to find out if your print has cured enough with sunlight or a UV light set up is to find an area where you don"t mind a mark and try to dent it with your fingernail, If you can then it"s not ready yet, and as soon as you can"t dent it it"s ready. Do not overcure as resin may become overly brittle, and white or clear resin will turn yellow.

It depends. While it is easier to remove before uv curing (it"s softer and you can just pull or rub them off), you may want to remove them after, especially thin parts that may warp during the curing process.

It depends on the resin used. Unlike PLA or ABS, regular hobby grade resin prints are quite brittle and can easily break when dropped. There are specially formulated resins for prototyping or even functional usage which have different properties such as flexibility, hardness and uv resistance. Once you have familiarised yourself with your printer using the sample green resin, you might want to experiment further with different resins.

The white residue appears if there"s moisture or water on your prints when you UV cure. One way to avoid this is not to wash your prints in water after cleaning in solvents. Always make sure your prints are completely dry before final UV curing.

Make absolutely sure that you have tightened the grub screw that secures the build plate fully. This can also happen if there"s another grub screw already in the hole preventing tightening fully. Also check that the screws in the carriage arm of your build plate (there are three of them in there) are not loose. Or, if you had overfilled the vat and resin has gotten inside, it makes the grip of the ball joint slip. You"ll need to disassemble the build plate assembly and clean thoroughly with IPA then.

First remove the 4 bolts you can see just either side of the carriage arm (with the red platen knob on it) put them some place safe then take the build plate off, you will see three more screws, unscrew these and then you can take the mechanism of the ball joint apart, be sure to note where it all goes so you can easily put it back together again.

Now you have it all apart, clean everything with IPA and remove any cured or uncured resin you find, Then just put it all back together nice and tight and relevel the build plate.

My Photon doesn"t work anymore, the touchscreen is fine but the Z motor stopped working, the fans are off, and the LCD doesn"t show anything. Is my printer dead?

If you had accidently switched the printer off in the middle of an operation, or if there was a power disruption, it may cause a corruption to the EEPROM. The printer can be easily revived by resetting the EEPROM by reflashing the.gcode file. Download the factory defaults, extract the .gcode file, put it on your usb stick and "print" the file.

Nothing much really. Keep everything clean by wiping down with a microfibre cloth slightly dampened with IPA. Wipe resin drops and spills off immediately with IPA and tissue. Keep your vat and FEP clean. Keep the LCD screen perfectly clean. Dust off and keep the printing compartment clean. And every three months or earlier, depending on usage frequency, clean and replace the grease for the lead screw. If it squeaks, do this immediately.

Wipe all the old dirty grey grease off with a cloth rag, or kitchen towels. Then really get it clean by wiping again with solvent and use a toothbrush to get between the threads. IPA works great. Make sure solvent doesn"t drip down into the stepper motor beneath. When it"s clean and dry, regrease with good quality grease, apply by dabbing onto the entire length of the screw, then switch on the printer and run the slide block up and down.

Although not strictly necessary, most owners apply tape as an added safety measure in case of resin leaks or the LCD being pulled off together with the vat.

According to the warranty terms stated on Anycubic"s website, the standard warranty period is three months for the LCD mask panel and UV LED unit. All other components (except tools and FEP film) are warranted for twelve months.

Most of the information, insights, tips and tricks were gleaned from posts by the helpful members of the Anycubic Photon Printer Owners Group, tested, verified and curated by the Photonsters team. Special thanks goes out to Flint Read for his invaluable "Photon Guide & Tips" from which formed the initial core of this FAQ.

When we talk about resin 3D printing—or vat photopolymerization—we are referring to any 3D printing process that uses a liquid resin as its build material and a light source to solidify the liquid resin. As we’ll see, there are different variations on resin 3D printing (i.e. SLA, DLP, LCD), but generally speaking resin printing technologies are incredibly versatile and are used for many types of applications that require a high resolution and fine details. Hobbyists and gamers use resin printing technology to create highly detailed miniatures; jewelry designers use it to create prototypes and patterns for casting; dental labs use it to create patient-specific models and molds; and more.

In this article we’ll look at the different methods of resin 3D printing,