1 (edited by fichito 2019-03-28 18:47:44)

Topic: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Finally my Anycubic Photon arrived. I've previously owned a Solidoodle 3, 4, an Anet and this is my first DLP/SLA printer.
I got few questions I can't really find answers to in the manual and anywhere online really.

1) I understand the resin is toxic but just how toxic is it? Technically both alcohol and cyanide are toxic but just how much is what really matters. To me the smell is mild and like UV curable epoxy glue, although fills up the air really fast.
What about skin contact?
I understand the manual tells you to use the face mask, safety glasses and and gloves, but I've dealt with the smell and physical contact of 99.6% grade acetone a lot of times, the heavy smell of melting ABS and this stuff doesn't feel nowhere as bad. This is why I wonder.

2) Anyone tried 0.01mm layer printing? The slicer and manual state that as option but can't find anyone using it online or what exposure time to use. I want to experiment with printing and polishing DIY lenses with this  ( as seen for example here: https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-t … ear-resin/ ) and this is why I ask. I understand for the rest of 99.9% use cases it will be a waste of time.

3) Is resin left in the tank after a sucessful print discarded or reused? I believe the former but since the manual mentions draining it with a funnel with a filter and storing the leftover resin from the tank in a container but not specifying what container and storing for what I wanted to make sure. Those funnels also seem single use and I'm going to run out of them really soon.

Thanks.

2

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

fichito wrote:

Finally my Anycubic Photon arrived. I've previously owned a Solidoodle 3, 4, an Anet and this is my first DLP/SLA printer.
I got few questions I can't really find answers to in the manual and anywhere online really.

1) I understand the resin is toxic but just how toxic is it? Technically both alcohol and cyanide are toxic but just how much is what really matters. To me the smell is mild and like UV curable epoxy glue, although fills up the air really fast.
What about skin contact?
I understand the manual tells you to use the face mask, safety glasses and and gloves, but I've dealt with the smell and physical contact of 99.6% grade acetone a lot of times, the heavy smell of melting ABS and this stuff doesn't feel nowhere as bad. This is why I wonder.

2) Anyone tried 0.01mm layer printing? The slicer and manual state that as option but can't find anyone using it online or what exposure time to use. I want to experiment with printing and polishing DIY lenses with this  ( as seen for example here: https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-t … ear-resin/ ) and this is why I ask. I understand for the rest of 99.9% use cases it will be a waste of time.

3) Is resin left in the tank after a sucessful print discarded or reused? I believe the former but since the manual mentions draining it with a funnel with a filter and storing the leftover resin from the tank in a container but not specifying what container and storing for what I wanted to make sure. Those funnels also seem single use and I'm going to run out of them really soon.

Thanks.


How toxic it is depends on the manufacturer. Some are mild some are stronger. I have gotten on my skin many times and can still live to tell about it.One thing you will learn is not to get it on your skin then go into sunlight. It get very hot when it cures and you will find out if any is on you fast. As for the polishing, to my knowledge on Formlabs makes a resin that is clear enough for lenses and it will not work and a DUV/LCD system.

I leave the resin in the vat all the time until it is used up then just add to it. It will keep fine as long as it is protected from dust and UV light. Just makes sure there are no chunks of cured resin in the vat before your next cycle which I check for with a bare finger as I can feel them better that way. Really thin pieces tend to stick to film so the scrapper or a rake may not get them.

As for the layers .05 is the lowest I have tried on my D7. So I cannot speak on that one. Never had any reason to go smaller since the point is mute due to the resin. The resin used in these machines cures as an acrylic and is very brittle. If you drop a finished print on the floor or even a few feet to a table parts will break off.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

3

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Thank you for all the info

carl_m1968 wrote:

to my knowledge on Formlabs makes a resin that is clear enough for lenses and it will not work and a DUV/LCD system.

That's the one I linked to I believe.
That specific resin won't work with DLP/LCD because of different LED/laser curing wavelengths, but I see no reason why another clear resin can't be polished or dip coated the same way.

carl_m1968 wrote:

I leave the resin in the vat all the time until it is used up then just add to it. It will keep fine as long as it is protected from dust and UV light.

Interesting. So you don't follow that "2 day" rule? What's the longest you've left a resin in the vat?


carl_m1968 wrote:

Never had any reason to go smaller since the point is mute due to the resin. The resin used in these machines cures as an acrylic and is very brittle.

I don't really understand the correlation between resin being brittle and not using shorter layer heights, if that is what you meant.

4

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

fichito wrote:

Thank you for all the info

carl_m1968 wrote:

to my knowledge on Formlabs makes a resin that is clear enough for lenses and it will not work and a DUV/LCD system.

That's the one I linked to I believe.
That specific resin won't work with DLP/LCD because of different LED/laser curing wavelengths, but I see no reason why another clear resin can't be polished or dip coated the same way.

carl_m1968 wrote:

I leave the resin in the vat all the time until it is used up then just add to it. It will keep fine as long as it is protected from dust and UV light.

Interesting. So you don't follow that "2 day" rule? What's the longest you've left a resin in the vat?


carl_m1968 wrote:

Never had any reason to go smaller since the point is mute due to the resin. The resin used in these machines cures as an acrylic and is very brittle.

I don't really understand the correlation between resin being brittle and not using shorter layer heights, if that is what you meant.


I have been using the same resin for about 3 months and only top it off when needed. I only print something on that machine about once a month if that much even. It is really only used if I need to make a light pipe or a very small non structural part.

As far as the clarity to my knowledge only Formlabs has an optical clear resin. The rest are all yellow and not really clear. The finished product will also tend to yellow more over time as it is exposed to more and more light. It never truly fully cures and as it cures further it becomes even more brittle.

The reason I mentioned the layers is for it to be used as a lens it would need to be printed on it's horizontal axis. As that those layers built their edges will slightly be exposed under each smaller layer. So no matter how thin the layer those edges will still need to be polished off. Because they will be wider than taller it will still take similar amount of time to polish them regardless of their thickness. But to be more precise I don't think the printers can print that small of a layer due to light bleed in to the next layer.

If you print with the lens on a vertical axis then the light will only pass along the optical axis of the layers which in effect will not only act as a lens but a polarizing filter as well. Could be handy for some uses but a lens that only allows light to pass along one axis would be a problem in most applications.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

5 (edited by n2ri 2019-03-29 03:15:24)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

fichito wrote:

Finally my Anycubic Photon arrived. I've previously owned a Solidoodle 3, 4, an Anet and this is my first DLP/SLA printer.
I got few questions I can't really find answers to in the manual and anywhere online really.

1) I understand the resin is toxic but just how toxic is it? Technically both alcohol and cyanide are toxic but just how much is what really matters. To me the smell is mild and like UV curable epoxy glue, although fills up the air really fast.
What about skin contact?
I understand the manual tells you to use the face mask, safety glasses and and gloves, but I've dealt with the smell and physical contact of 99.6% grade acetone a lot of times, the heavy smell of melting ABS and this stuff doesn't feel nowhere as bad. This is why I wonder.

2) Anyone tried 0.01mm layer printing? The slicer and manual state that as option but can't find anyone using it online or what exposure time to use. I want to experiment with printing and polishing DIY lenses with this  ( as seen for example here: https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-t … ear-resin/ ) and this is why I ask. I understand for the rest of 99.9% use cases it will be a waste of time.

3) Is resin left in the tank after a sucessful print discarded or reused? I believe the former but since the manual mentions draining it with a funnel with a filter and storing the leftover resin from the tank in a container but not specifying what container and storing for what I wanted to make sure. Those funnels also seem single use and I'm going to run out of them really soon.

Thanks.


many Resins have Formaldehyde so better get an MSDS PDF file on the Resin you use and google chemical names for safety issues as some can be very deadly in small doses even. smell etc are not the only hazards and some can be absorbed through skin. lots of building supplys have been in National news lately due to same contents. New Homes have been condemned over some and deaths even. remember your dealing with China do you still think they care about damaging our Health?

I too intend to get a printer like it soon but We must be very diligent of our own safety measures required when using Industrial materials in our family Home.

Solidoodle 2 with Deluxe kit cover & glass bed with heater. and 2nd board SD2 used not 3rd and alum platform not installed yet still wood. also need cooling fan installed to board. use Repetier Host couple vers. Slic3r also have all free ware STL programs

6

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

as for printing Lenses wouldnt the "Lens" refract light into the vat of liquid Resin and harden other areas during printing?

Solidoodle 2 with Deluxe kit cover & glass bed with heater. and 2nd board SD2 used not 3rd and alum platform not installed yet still wood. also need cooling fan installed to board. use Repetier Host couple vers. Slic3r also have all free ware STL programs

7

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

All resins, including clear ones include a photo inhibitor, which prevents the UV light from penetrating any deeper than necessary.  For example the photo inhibitors in the FormLabs Clear v2 will let effective UV light to penetrate 1mm

To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

8 (edited by fichito 2019-03-29 13:12:24)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

I think even without the inhibitors the light is only in almost perfect focus on the LCD plane, beyond that it is already refracted, diffracted and scattered too much from the liquid and hardened particles to focus again any meaningful amount to cure anything else.
And don't forget the prints don't have perfectly smooth finish inside and coming out of the vat to act as lenses. They can be turned into lenses after polishing or additive means like dipping.

If it were an issue almost every clear print would be problematic due to its parts unintentionally acting as lenses or prisms.

9

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Thanks all.

My first print which is a test model provided by Anycubic themselves in the usb stick turned out pretty well. It's interesting how much less calibration, preparation and prior knowledge is needed with resin printers.

One thing i did notice was some parts being slightly warped.
I think I'm to blame as I had left the print upside down for 6 hours before taking it out, washing with ethanol and curing in a UV box. Has anyone experienced this?

That, or the sliced model provied lacks supports where it needs them and the issue is the provided sliced file.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RE5sxKSpvsU/W_TTyJ_foaI/AAAAAAAADnc/M6GW-tYDPCAnJdXK4-lQHGb9PDS6N8J6ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/20181010_175603.jpg

10

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

fichito wrote:

I think even without the inhibitors the light is only in almost perfect focus on the LCD plane, beyond that it is already refracted, diffracted and scattered too much from the liquid and hardened particles to focus again any meaningful amount to cure anything else.
And don't forget the prints don't have perfectly smooth finish inside and coming out of the vat to act as lenses. They can be turned into lenses after polishing or additive means like dipping.

If it were an issue almost every clear print would be problematic due to its parts unintentionally acting as lenses or prisms.


On my D7 there is no focus of any kind. There is an LED array mounted to a heatsink and fan in the base. That shines on an LCD that is about 6 inches above it. But there are no lenses and the LED array is just standard SMD UV LED's mounted to a metal substrate. They do not have lenses on them either. There is an enclosure around that which is cone shaped but all that does is reflect light that is reflected off the LCD back onto the LCD.

Mine is a very basic design so the only thing limiting the penetration of the light in to the resin is the inhibitors and the exposure time which is typically 12 seconds on mine.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

11 (edited by fichito 2019-03-29 16:17:28)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

There doesn't have to be any lenses. In fact there being no lenses is why the image is in most focus on the LCD layer than anywhere else. Put a piece of paper on a LCD, you  will see the image on the paper, now move it farther away, the image will keep getting blurrier. If the beam illuminating the LCD was collimated instead you would still see the image on the paper moving it farther away from the LCD, like with a video projector with very wide focal length. Same thing will happen if you put a piece of paper on the focal length of a video projector in its current focus and move the paper closer and farther.
Basically what I was saying was the layer closest to the LCD is going to get the most UV light and no amount of refraction is going to change that due to the light getting diffracted and scattered so much as it moves from the closest layer towards the end.

12

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

fichito wrote:

There doesn't have to be any lenses. In fact there being no lenses is why the light is in most focus on the LCD layer than anywhere else. Put a piece of paper on a LCD, you  will see the image on the paper, now move it farther away, the image will keep getting blurrier. If the beam illuminating the LCD was collimated instead you would still see the image on the paper moving it farther away from the LCD, like with a video projector with very wide focal length. Same thing will happen if you put a piece of paper on the focal length of a video projector in its current focus and move the paper closer and farther.
Basically what I was saying was the layer closest to the LCD is going to get the most UV light and no amount of refraction is going to change that due to the light getting diffracted and scattered so much as it moves from the closest layer towards the end.


The light is the issue, not the image. If I remove my vat and just turn on my light and put a blank test pattern on the LCD that light will shine on my ceiling 6 feet away with near the same intensity it does on the LCD. Like I and Privan said the only thing that limits how far the light penetrates in to the resin is the concentration of the photo inhibitor in the resin. That's why some places sell the resin and inhibitor seperatly so you can tune it to your specific machine. I have used my D7 since it was released and I have used a Formlabs Form 1. I am pretty sure I know how resin behaves and how the printers function.

While they may be easier to set up the fun starts when you begin to calibrate first layer and later layer exposure times which again are impacted by the resin to inhibitor ratio. Which if it is a premixed you have no real control on the resin side so you have to make all the control on the machine side and adjust exposure times. With the Formlab machines you actually adjust the laser power but rarely have to. But on a DUV machine there is no power adjustment so it all has to be by exposure time.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

13 (edited by fichito 2019-03-29 16:57:43)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Okay are we having a debate now, how did we even get here?
The image being out of focus and severely less intensive due to scatter and etendue is what I'm talking about. I'm sure your LCD projects some light on your ceiling because that's what any display with reasonable amount of nits does in a dim ambient light condition, I just don't think it's  bright enough to be a serious issue. But then again I'm sure if it was a non issue people wouldn't waste time and money on putting those inhibitors you mentioned in the resin mix. My original comment was just a small point and only one of the points about potential issues of printing lenses and them supposedly refracting the light during printing. I don't really want to argue over this because I don't believe I diagree with you.

Can we please discuss the warping issue instead?

14

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Leaving the model in the printer should not effect it if it was cured sufficiently in the first place. So the warping is caused by the process as in curing not sufficient and the model is being deformed during the peel process. Could also be caused by the removal process again though the model would still need to be soft for that to happen.

Ideally the exposure time should be so that when the model is removed it is just ever so slightly pliable. This keeps it from breaking but not flexing to the point of deforming.

If it is not being cured enough it could also get stretched during the peel if it sticks to well on the under exposed area.

I am not sure if ethanol is good for the model either. Most of use IPA or Isopropyl Alcohol. I know there is some difference between it and Ethanol but since I have never used it on a model I can't say for sure. If the model is soaked too long in IPA it can make it swell some as well.

It could be a support issue as well. The rule of thumb for SLA is similar to FDM however the difference is that in SLA there must be support for any part in a layer that is not part of the previous layer. Pretty much the same rule as FDM , you can't print in free space.

That looks like most of the layer are continuous in that they are in contact with the previous layer due to the diagonal alignment.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

15 (edited by fichito 2019-03-29 18:58:59)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Thanks for the ideas.

What do you clean your PET film of the vat with? Tutorials suggest to use ordinary tissues, optionally with alcohol, but those appear to scratch it quite a bit. Luckily I've ordered an extra replacment film but at this phase I don't know how long they all can last.

I use the default layer height and exposure time now (10s, 50s for first layer). Maybe I should experiment with higher values.

16

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

When I clean my film I just drain the vat then use a Spray bottle with Alcohol in it and spray the film and vat till no more resin remains. You can tell by the way the alcohol wets when the film is clean. I do this over a waste tub. Once done I put the tub on my patio in the sun light which causes the resin to cure and separate from the alcohol. This allows me to strain the alcohol and use it for a parts soak bath e few times before getting rid of it.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

17 (edited by pirvan 2019-03-29 20:14:02)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

I come from a slightly different implementation of SLA (laser based) than you guys, but the principles are the same.  The one thing that FormLabs states, and most of us that print highly detailed models can attest to, is that unsupported thin parts will warp for a variety of reasons, and if this is the case, you should not remove the support until the model/part  has cured properly.

For example let's assume a small figure of a knight  holding a sword and pointing it forward.  You can remove most of the supports from the model, but don't remove the supports holding arm and sword until you've had a chance to cure the model.

Inhibitors (again):
Unlike a direct/masked LCD or a DLP projector, the light from a laser can and will travel unimpeded and fully focused through any transparent clear material.  If it weren't for the inhibitors, it would be impossible to use some of the resins. 

Granted, a lot of resins contain pigments, and the darker the pigment the more they act as a blocker, but even in a black resin there is a certain amount of inhibitors to control the depth of the cure.   

When you buy resins from the manufacturer of the printer, you get a resin that has already been tweaked with the right amount of pigments and inhibitors to match the printer.  On the other hand, as Carl has already said, a lot of aftermarket vendors sell a basic/generic resins, and a separate bottle containing an inhibitor mix which you can use to tweak the resin to your particular printer.

So if you buy resins from a third party, that hadn't been properly formulated for your particular printer, then you can end up with soft, under-cured models (too much inhibitor mix), brittle over-cured ones (not enough inhibitor mix), and everything in between.  For us/me in the Laser SLA world, we can tweak the laser power.  For DLP/LCD printer, you can tweak the exposure time. 

So don't be so quick to discount the practical knowledge we bring here.  It's not that we're trying to debate a  subject, rather we're trying to answer some of the question you have and maybe provide a knowledge base you can draw from.

To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

18 (edited by knowack 2019-03-29 21:49:49)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Increase your layer exposure time in the slicer to strengthen the print.  You still have to be careful removing, processing, and handling the object until you cure it.  Don't over-expose the bottom layers while printing though, it will make the prints harder to remove from the build plate.

I highly recommend downloading ChiTuBox and using it.  I found my best results are using Photon slicer's print settings, and ChiTubox's dimensions (as included in the default Anycubic Photon profile).

I've also had excellent results using Elegoo resin; print quality is outstanding, and it has less odor than the Anycubic resin.

-Kevin

19

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

So thanks for all of the information.

pirvan wrote:

So don't be so quick to discount the practical knowledge we bring here.  It's not that we're trying to debate a  subject, rather we're trying to answer some of the question you have and maybe provide a knowledge base you can draw from.

I never discounted anything, I'm merely saying you (guys) are assuming I disagree with you when I just don't.
As I explained my initial response was towards the idea of a printed lens refracting light during printing not being an issue at all for the two reasons I mentioned.

I've not used any SLA/DLP/LCD/LCoS or whatever other resin printers exist before and I've admitted that already but my optics knowledge is pretty extensive, so I was just commenting on the idea of refraction inside the print during printing.
I also know a great deal about lasers and I of course wasn't talking about them. I understand laser light is collimated. I've built many laser galvo projectors before with the Mitsubishi, Oclaro and Nichia multimode diodes and used the scanners by PT (Phenix Tech), DT (DragonTiger), Pangolin 506 and no brand (Goldenstar@Alibaba).

So can we please just move on? I already clearly explained I don't disagree with you and have no idea how else to phrase it.

Thank you.

20 (edited by fichito 2019-03-30 10:02:58)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

I now believe the sliced file that comes with the printer just lacks proper support. I printed something new and similar with support and nothing was warped. I guess Anycubic doesn't include support with the stock test print file as the warping is not very noticeable and without supports the printer appears to require far less post processing work.

knowack wrote:

I highly recommend downloading ChiTuBox and using it.  I found my best results are using Photon slicer's print settings, and ChiTubox's dimensions (as included in the default Anycubic Photon profile).

Thanks for letting me know about this program. It supports many more options.

I've also had excellent results using Elegoo resin; print quality is outstanding, and it has less odor than the Anycubic resin.

I will check them out, thanks. Any chance they sell 1kg bottles instead? Wasn't lucky finding above 500mg.


What I noticed this time were two issues:

1) the print had a flat vertical side and it appears to have some horizontal lines on it which I could also feel ever so slightly when sliding my finger on the surface. I think it could either be z-wobble or the slicer program not aligning it perfectly vertically.
https://i.imgur.com/Zeq6L2r.jpg

2) Some parts of the print got this white stuff on the surfce after curing. Any ideas what it is? https://i.imgur.com/b5ALzHo.jpg

21

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

From what I've read, the banding is most likely caused by the print sticking to the film as it's being printed.  I started experiencing this problem a while back with some larger prints.  I tightened the film on the tray, and it solved my problem.

I've also read to make certain your film is clean (no blobs, etc), and for prints with large surface areas, set them at an angle.  Your results may vary.  A friend of mine also bought an Anycubic Photon; we're both getting amazing results.

-Kevin

22

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Thanks. I don't think I can tighten the film any more.
I clean the film with tissue and 96% alcohol. But after just cleaning it few times it seems pretty scratched and a bit hazy. I don't know if this is normal after 3-4 times fo cleaning only.

https://i.imgur.com/RXgdfbz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zgiTb87.jpg

23 (edited by carl_m1968 2019-03-30 19:34:25)

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

The white is caused by left over alcohol on the print that dried. You need to blow dry the print with canned/compressed air or rinse it with water before final cure. I actually cure mine in water as it reduces the tacky feel and it gets rid of any remaining alcohol.

The banding looks like Z wobble. You need to move you Platform from top to bottom in one step and watch as it moves. Make sure it is not shifting left to right or front to back. If it is then a new z rod/screw may be in order.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

24

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

If you think your Photon has Z wobble, there are videos online on how to adjust the bearings etc.

-Kevin

25

Re: questions from a new DLP printer owner

Thank you. It was pretty straightforward to calibrate the bearings.
The issue with my printer was this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7gYTpBT3uk

At 2:01 , you can see two set screws that fix a simple rotating mechanism which adjusts the offset of the middle bearing.
Mine is probably a newer or older version because there is only one set screw.
And the issue was that set screw on mine was completely loose, so while I haven't printed anything to test if the issue is resolved, I think it was likely this.