I work at Formlabs and I’m making a new underground channel to show behind the scenes. Here is an SLA part removal tip. Looking for video suggestions:
Jory
15 Likes
This video is a bit deceiving to newbies; I would never print some of those parts without being in at least a 30’ angle. What gives with the straight 90’ print? I understand for some its necessary, but for 99%, I wouldn’t. It’s a great way to quickly kill your tank and PDMS layer. Just curious why you decided to display it in this particular way.
2 Likes
When I print with the form 1+, I always have an angel on my objects. So, I always print with support.
What is the reason why those objects are printed without support?
Left
4
@JoryFormlabs
Al the prints i tried without support failed.
Maybe you can create a video how to get this result 
1 Like
Hi all,
great tip!
I’ll try it out today!
I always use a tool like that to cut the supports off… But never thought of using it like Jory shows,
cheers,
Luke
1 Like
Hi Jory,
I see you print a lot without support. Are there any guidelines on wether or not you could/should use supports. I always use supports but it uses up a lot of resin.
Kind regards
Willem
1 Like
Mmmmm Jory… There’s a better way of removing Parts from the Build Platform. Place the build platform in cool water.
Works every time for me…
That is awesome, thank you for this video, I will be using this technique.
Kelly_1
9
Wow, I wonder if the software/hardware/resin is that much different on the Form 2 that allows the no support builds. Certainly would cut down on a lot finishing problems that I have. Going to try a print today with new tray/resin on a Form 1+ with no supports!
cyprien
10
Interesting, but releasing uncured resin into water isn’t very environment friendly.
1 Like
Willem, generally we recommend always printing with supports to help promote resin flow, but these specific parts were made on a Form 2.
Printing without supports on the Form 1+ is possible, but sometimes requires some experimentation. Our sample rook, for example, is specifically designed to be printed without supports. There is a channel built into the base to allow resin to escape. I will try and make a video to demonstrate this asap.
Jory
Thanks for the comments, and yes…generally we would recommend printing at an angle with supports like you said. We wanted to print something that was intentionally difficult to remove to show how this method could be effective in the extreme. These were also printed on the Form 2 where angles can be more forgiving. The new wiper system also helps extend the life of the resin tank in these instances.
Jory
1 Like
These specific parts were printed on the Form 2, which allows for a little more flexibility with supports. I’ll get a post together that talks about our sample rook that was specifically designed to be printed without supports on the Form 1+.
Jory
Supports are still required for most parts, but we wanted to demonstrate how this method works against hard to remove pieces. Definitely let me know how your print goes. I’m going to try and get something together to talk about supports in more depth soon!
Jory
1 Like
Very interesting as long as the water is disposed of properly. Thanks for the tip…I’ll experiment with this!
Jory
These were printed on the Form 2, which is a little more forgiving with supports and orientation. This is also a demonstration of how this method works against very difficult to remove parts. We do still recommend printing at an angle and with supports.
Jory
ohin
17
Maybe I will be little off-topic, sorry for that. Anyway, could you, please, elaborate on the reason, why/how the new wiper system helps extending the life of the resin tank?
No worries! The wiper system ensures that the silicone in the bottom of the tank is always clear of debris. If there is cured resin stuck to the bottom…it can degrade the the tank faster. Additionally…it mixes the resin and oxygenates the silicone after each layer. The Form 1+ resin tank must be replaced every 1.5 - 2 liters of resin. During testing, we’ve seen the Form 2 resin tanks last around 3 liters of resin before replacement is required.
Jory
Great tip, thanks!
How about some tips on when it is safe to not use auto orientation prior to support creation. I had some small airplane props, 1.5" tip to tip the other day. Auto orientation with auto supports and manually edited supports kept giving me red areas on one blade tim. By just keeping the flat and generating supports, no red.
Boom, added to the list. Thanks for the suggestion!
