5 Big Mistakes Beginners Make with Resin 3D Printing

A quick vid listing a few things I wish i knew at the beginning of my printing "journey"

disclaimer: i use anycubic eco grey resin, if you use a different one the results may vary.

Resin left in the tank over a long time will build up a film over everything from the fumes curing which may cause issues over time. however I have not experienced this I will respect the wisdom of my viewers

#Edwardpeak #3dprinting #resinprinting

[cdude]

Tip #7 - use a leftover support structure and the "tank clean" feature on your vat. No need to empty it at all as the Fails stuck to the FEP will come off in one nice sheet.

[zarni-dude]

I'd recommend putting UV film on windows for the room you print in. Chose the clear version and you won't even notice after fitting, it's cheap enough to give that peace of mind when leaving resin about.

[TableFlipFoundry]

Hey there! Great video! I have a recommendation for cleaning the fep. Rather than a microfiber tower, a silicone spatula works very very well. It will not damage the fep at all, will not leave any scratches, and doesn't require you to come in contact with the resin with your hands, less glove usage if you use disposable. Also, resin is quite good at draining itself off, if you print a stand for the vat to drain and leave it for 10 minutes or so, most times you come back to a perfectly clean fep.

Another mistake is to not hollow out bigger pieces. It's easy to do in the slicer, saves a bunch of resin and actually improves reliability since having to peel off a big cross section repeatedly is a big strain on the supports.

[martina.]

When leveling, the paper should slide with mild resistance, not be firm. This is to take into account for the FEP film. If the paper is tight and doesn't move, you're likely struggling to remove prints from the build plate. You also risk damage to your screen/FEP if there are any fragments in the tank.

[EvilMP]

Another method I found works it's a modified Uncle Jesse quick clean. I empty the vat only leaving about 1/2 mm or less, just enough to cover the FEP film. Put a small waste part like a support in the corner for a handle. Fire up the screen clean feature if your printer has it, wait the 20 or so seconds, pull up lightly on the waste support and everything comes right out. No rubbing any FEP film been doing this for a few weeks and I have had no issues with left over resin at all.

I have so far never leveled my printer. It was good out of the box and worked since then.

Even if you do have a failed print many printers have a clean up function which just exposes the whole bottom and creates a film that should catch anything on the FEP. Just leave it to settle, stick a raft with supports from a previous print in the corner, run the clean up function and pull it up by the supports.

[omnito]

Really good advice. Additional tip: If you have a failed print with bits stuck to the FEP, then run it on a full screen detect for 30-45s (same as you would do for an initial layer). Drain most (no need to remove all and clear) and then peel it all off by one of the corners. It will make sure you don't leave any bits to potentially ruin the FEP on next run.

[alexberridge]

I'd definitely recommend the cleaning station - i've seen adhoc methods of some people setting up their own stations, but the Elagoo Yellow one that i've got is so simple and works. In one box you can cure models as it rotates and clean models in a vat of your chosen cleaning solution (i use alcohol).

[Rokmononov]

Some good tips here! But a few clarifications too:
1. IPA doesn't react with FEP. It's not going to damage anything or cause cloudiness unless it's terrible quality. Something else in your process probably did that, not the IPA.
2. Depending on the resin you use, you may not want to leave it there even if you technically can. Some (most) resins will settle over time and will not give you the stated isotropic properties if you then print with them without mixing.

[geoffok]

I followed the instructions that came with my Mars 3 Pro and haven't had any problems at all. Been printing nonstop for a few weeks now

[dieselhead]

Electric heater belt brilliant idea and I even have one in the cupboard!

[TheLoneLlama]

Really great video, I print all the time but try to watch videos like this from time to time just to review the basics. Had never thought about not needing IPA to clean the fep sheet! That is going to save me a lot of IPA!

[fepatton]

Thank you for making me feel better about leaving resin in the vat for long periods! 😂 hasn’t given me any trouble yet even though I use it infrequently.

[FAB]

Tip #8 - resin is gonna get everywhere. No no no, I know you're careful, and tidy, and all that. Cover your workbench in towels anyways, because it doesn't care how careful you are. It's gonna get everywhere

[herrbona]

Good stuff! Might have to try that fermentation belt trick once winter comes around, tends to get a bit chilly where I live.

[the_arcanum]

Holy cow! That fermentation belt idea to heat up the resin in the vat is awesome! I'm stealin it for my printers that have aluminium vats. I'll keep the PFC heater for those with plastic ones. Many thanks.

[ageary]

All these were super important and nobody mentioned it. I almost quit because so much cleaning and the printer being cold. I got a terranium pad for this but your solution looks much better

[jakobrandall]

Honestly I’ve found great success designating a “wet” and “dry” towel to use for fep cleaning. Using the wet with ipa to go in and clean everything off and gut the bulk of it down, then going back over everything to agitate and lift the layer of ipa that causes the cloudiness, and then essentially buffering it with the dry cloth till clear. Can be pretty time consuming at times, but it works

[ggfrt]

confirmed all of the things i was thinking or concerned about in advance; it's been very helpful