Formlabs Form 3 - Page 30

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7.4.2 Resolve Print Failures and Errors
Print failures can manifest in dierent ways and originate from dierent causes. Check the
model’s configuration in PreForm, the cleanliness of the optical surfaces, and the printer’s
operating condition according to 6 Maintenance and 7 Troubleshooting, including the
proposed solutions below.
If print failures persist after following these steps, contact Formlabs or a certified service
provider for additional guidance. In order to introduce a known good variable to isolate any
printing issues, run a Formlabs test print, for which the file is available on support.formlabs.
com. Provide clear, focused photographs of the test print to help diagnose the issue.
Error Cause Solution
Delamination
Peeling or separation
between printed layers
Pieces of cured parts
floating in the resin tank
Model orientation, layout, and/or
support issues
A print that has been paused for
a long time
An older resin tank
A loose build platform
Contaminated optical surfaces
Consider the following:
• Check the model in PreForm.
• Check for pauses in printing.
• Check the resin tank for debris
or damage.
• Check cleanliness of optical surfaces.
• Check the build platform’s stability.
Non-Adherence
Prints either partially
attached to or
completely non-existent
on the build platform
Printing without supports
The first layer of the part on the
build platform is too small to
withstand peel forces.
Debris/damage in resin tank
Contaminated optical surfaces
Build platform height requires
adjustment
Consider the following:
• Print with a base and supports.
• Check the print’s surface area.
• Check the resin tank for debris
or damage.
• Check cleanliness of optical surfaces.
• Check the build platform height.
• Decrease (“-”) the Z Oset value to
lower the build platform closer to the
resin tank bottom.
Overcompression
The base printed onto
the build platform is
thinner than expected
and/or very dicult
to remove.
The initial layers fail to cure
properly, due to insucient
space between the build platform
and the film in the resin tank.
Consider the following:
• Increase the base height in PreForm’s
advanced settings.
• Check the build platform height.
• Increase (“+”) the Z Oset value to
raise the build platform further away
from the resin tank bottom. Raising
the build platform provides more
space for the base to build.
Poor Surface Finish
Cured or partially cured
resin forms thin, shelf-
like structures that hang
horizontally from a print.
OR
A rough - uneven or
bumpy - surface texture
forms on one or both
sides of an otherwise
successful print.
Diused laser light spreads
the cure area beyond the
appropriate limits for each layer
outline, due to:
Expired resin;
Debris/damage in the resin tank;
Contaminated optical surfaces;
or, Restricted resin flow due to
improper model orientation or
overly dense supports
Consider the following:
• Check the resin’s shelf life.
• Check the resin tank for debris
or damage.
• Check cleanliness of optical surfaces.
• Check for restricted resin flow.