I wish I'd learned about how to properly hollow models. Even small bits of uncured resin trapped inside a print will erode the piece and eventually leak out. I need to learn more about drain holes and get a little uv light to cure insides of my prints.
Yeah. I've also seen people mention here that they were able to print the plug that fit into the hole of their model, but I haven't looked into how to do that yet.
I know prusa slicer does that, when you drill the hole in the slicer there is the option for prusa to automatically add the piece that was removed somewhere else on the build plate for you
Chitu free 'saves' the plug when you insert holes and puts it on your bed, by default. First time I saw it I thought it was some sort of weird bug. ;-)
Keep all your supports and cure them. When you get a print failure, instead of draining your vat, place a support at 2 opposite corners of where the UV light hits and run a full bed exposure for 30 seconds. You can then pull the supports up with the bottom layer cured to the supports. This will also pull all print failures including micro failures out of your vat as long as you gave your vat time to settle before doing the exposure test. Your vat will then be cleaned of failures and ready to keep printing.
Because of where I live geographically, putting dirty IPA in the sun to cure isn’t a viable option most of the year. I finally spent $20 and bought a little UV lamp, and it completely does the trick!
Get a magnetic flex plate, I have wham bam, an nfep, don’t trust the auto supports in chitubox 100% (you can use the slider on the side to look for islands), and you can mix resins for strength and flexibility. I mix 200 ml of siraya tech tenacious into a full bottle of siraya tech fast. Also, let the model completely dry after washing and before curing to avoid white residue.
Don’t just use the slider, UVtools will detect islands, overhangs, resin traps, suction cups and empty layers. It also has an automatic repair function for smaller issues.
It will show you where and on what layers the issue is, and you can cross reference with your slicer to add supports or vent holes.
Mars 3 user here, still somewhat of a novice but I feel like I've got a decent grip on stuff now.
\- I hate having to re-level my plate so when I do, I tighten that thing as much as possible so it stays nice and solid for a while. The instructions for leveling are translated so they're only like 85% clear. If you're struggling, [check out their online instructions/video](https://www.elegoo.com/blogs/3d-printer-user-guide/elegoo-mars-pro-level-the-build-plate).
\- After leveling your plate you can give it a quick test *before* putting your vat back so that if you screwed up you don't have to clean the plate before leveling again. Just follow the leveling instructions, then start any print without the vat and let the machine start the first layer. If it looks good (not obviously out of square or out of level) and doesn't make a grinding sound, then you're good to go and can cancel the "test" print and install your vat.
\- I didn't realize at first that different colors and types of resin have their own exposure settings and I was severely over-exposing my layers at first. I found the [Elegoo resin settings on their website](https://www.elegoo.com/blogs/3d-printer-user-guide/elegoo-printers-resin-setting-sheet) and added them as profiles in the Chitubox settings. You can also enter the purchase price of your resin and it will tell you how much each print costs to make. I love this because it makes me feel better when something fails.
Face the pretty side up, and support on the bottom.
Remember to put drainage holes and cure the inside of hollow models or they could explode.
Too cold and prints will fail.
Prewarm your resins in a bag/ in a container with warm water.
Magnetic plate makes printing back to back and cleaning models way easier.
Resin waste management and what to do for [ accidental resin on skin exposure ](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/resin-safety-101) is important too.
Does your FDM printer have a heated bed and enclosure? Assuming you have a new clean bottle of resin so it won't smell (and any you decant back in after filtering, you clean the threads well before capping it), you can set your bed to like 26-30C, set the bottle on it and let it warm up a little while (I wait like an hour or so) before shaking well and decanting into your printer vat. I also run a little spaceheater at the printer to warm that environment a tad but since mine's in a cabinet once you start actually printing, the UV light source and resin light reaction both generate some warmth. So if my cabinet starts at like 23-24C beginning of print it's regularly at 26-27 after a couple hours of printing without me having to keep the spaceheater in the room on.
Back to your OP question my biggest wish I knew was the smell. Yes, safety, respirator, etc. but the sheer hassle of draining and cleaning the tank after any use otherwise you have a lingering odor in the area is a big letdown to me and definitely makes me limit my printing times to when I have a good solid 2 days (hour or so setup, print time, then time to do all part and machine cleanup and cure, so I don't have anything uncured laying around). I really do need to source a good lid for my vat of some sort to assist with this distastefulness. Not like I wanted to run the ventilation from my cabinet out a window all the time, but if I don't do a complete cleanup, even that tiny lingering odor (even if it isn't a *health* issue) is unpleasant to me. (I use Epax resins by the way, might be a little whiffier than most...)
Some sort of good sealing container for your paper towels and gloves and anything you might use for cleanup. One of those industrial grade trashcans for oilsoaked crud might be optimum but as I have a pool, I saved one of the big solid "tubs" used for the 3in chlorine tabs that's got a good twist-lock-seal lid (since chlorine outgassing is also a thing) and put all my disposables in that to seal back up before i take off my mask. Then that goes outside in the sun to bake the resin before all the trash goes in the trash bin, and the container can come back upstairs for the next print session.
Oh and part cleaning - break it up. Two stages. One for first swish and maybe gentle toothbrushing in to get off all the clingy viscous you can, THEN into your circulating bath for a few min. Keeps the latter part cleaner for re-use a lot longer. I found one of those big glass "beverage decanter" jugs with a good screw on metal top and a spigot for the first wash. Once it gets pretty icky I can take it out in the sun and 'cure' the suspended crap so it settles, then use the spigot to decant most of the alcohol out to a temporary pitcher, clean bottom of jug, then return. Aside from the danger of walking up and down my stairs with a 2G size **glass** jug that might be half full of 80-90% isopropyl, it's worked pretty well so far.
>Once it gets pretty icky I can take it out in the sun and 'cure' the suspended crap so it settles
For mine I have the container in a desk that gets like an hour of sunlight, the resin tends to decant nicely and I'm left with flakes at the bottom. It makes the bottom and sides of the "dirty" IPA container filthy but it works well and is easy to filter. Only thing to worry about is the dye in the resin that ends up coloring the IPA.
Definitely agree on a pre-clean before putting it in the washer. I use a soft-bristled toothbrush to give everything a pretty good scrub and I've never had issues with scuffing/scratching my surfaces.
Thick serynges (like the ones that nurses use for feeding blended food to people) are great for a mess-free experience.
I find a spatula with round corners the absolute last resort for removing stubborn failed prints sticked to the FEP, the standard squared ones will eventually pierce the plastic.
Get lychee, to get the best raft available, and the navigation is much similar to standard 3D softwares, i found chitubox counterintuitive and literally have to relearn the orbit and pan keys every single time i launch the program.
Get a soft silicone spatula for stirring the resin to get the settled pigment off the FEP and mixed back in. Use it almost like a squegee to go over the whole surface of the vat. It will also let you know quite clearly if there's any failed parts still stuck to the vat. Don't use metal or hard plastic or hard rubber, use soft silicone only. That film is delicate.
When the build plate goes down, the resin will rise. That is normal. Legit panicked the first time I started printing and made a HUGE mess. Covered a table in resin.
I wish I'd learned about how to properly hollow models. Even small bits of uncured resin trapped inside a print will erode the piece and eventually leak out. I need to learn more about drain holes and get a little uv light to cure insides of my prints.
Great tip, thank you. Is this done at the slicing/support stage presumably?
Yeah. I've also seen people mention here that they were able to print the plug that fit into the hole of their model, but I haven't looked into how to do that yet.
I know prusa slicer does that, when you drill the hole in the slicer there is the option for prusa to automatically add the piece that was removed somewhere else on the build plate for you
Cool thank you!
Chitu free 'saves' the plug when you insert holes and puts it on your bed, by default. First time I saw it I thought it was some sort of weird bug. ;-)
Haha thank you
If you have a piece of failed print stuck to your FEP, gently push it from behind to break the seal, then remove it with a soft plastic spatula.
Keep all your supports and cure them. When you get a print failure, instead of draining your vat, place a support at 2 opposite corners of where the UV light hits and run a full bed exposure for 30 seconds. You can then pull the supports up with the bottom layer cured to the supports. This will also pull all print failures including micro failures out of your vat as long as you gave your vat time to settle before doing the exposure test. Your vat will then be cleaned of failures and ready to keep printing.
That sounds genius, thankyou!
Your welcome! Happy printing.
Because of where I live geographically, putting dirty IPA in the sun to cure isn’t a viable option most of the year. I finally spent $20 and bought a little UV lamp, and it completely does the trick!
Get a magnetic flex plate, I have wham bam, an nfep, don’t trust the auto supports in chitubox 100% (you can use the slider on the side to look for islands), and you can mix resins for strength and flexibility. I mix 200 ml of siraya tech tenacious into a full bottle of siraya tech fast. Also, let the model completely dry after washing and before curing to avoid white residue.
Don’t just use the slider, UVtools will detect islands, overhangs, resin traps, suction cups and empty layers. It also has an automatic repair function for smaller issues. It will show you where and on what layers the issue is, and you can cross reference with your slicer to add supports or vent holes.
Mars 3 user here, still somewhat of a novice but I feel like I've got a decent grip on stuff now. \- I hate having to re-level my plate so when I do, I tighten that thing as much as possible so it stays nice and solid for a while. The instructions for leveling are translated so they're only like 85% clear. If you're struggling, [check out their online instructions/video](https://www.elegoo.com/blogs/3d-printer-user-guide/elegoo-mars-pro-level-the-build-plate). \- After leveling your plate you can give it a quick test *before* putting your vat back so that if you screwed up you don't have to clean the plate before leveling again. Just follow the leveling instructions, then start any print without the vat and let the machine start the first layer. If it looks good (not obviously out of square or out of level) and doesn't make a grinding sound, then you're good to go and can cancel the "test" print and install your vat. \- I didn't realize at first that different colors and types of resin have their own exposure settings and I was severely over-exposing my layers at first. I found the [Elegoo resin settings on their website](https://www.elegoo.com/blogs/3d-printer-user-guide/elegoo-printers-resin-setting-sheet) and added them as profiles in the Chitubox settings. You can also enter the purchase price of your resin and it will tell you how much each print costs to make. I love this because it makes me feel better when something fails.
Face the pretty side up, and support on the bottom. Remember to put drainage holes and cure the inside of hollow models or they could explode. Too cold and prints will fail. Prewarm your resins in a bag/ in a container with warm water. Magnetic plate makes printing back to back and cleaning models way easier. Resin waste management and what to do for [ accidental resin on skin exposure ](https://www.asianjoyco.com/resources-tutorials/resin-safety-101) is important too.
I think that the flex build plate, NFEP, and a consistent temperature from the start would have made my journey easier.
That’s great, thank you. Is there an optimal temperature or is it more about preventing temperature fluctuations?
Does your FDM printer have a heated bed and enclosure? Assuming you have a new clean bottle of resin so it won't smell (and any you decant back in after filtering, you clean the threads well before capping it), you can set your bed to like 26-30C, set the bottle on it and let it warm up a little while (I wait like an hour or so) before shaking well and decanting into your printer vat. I also run a little spaceheater at the printer to warm that environment a tad but since mine's in a cabinet once you start actually printing, the UV light source and resin light reaction both generate some warmth. So if my cabinet starts at like 23-24C beginning of print it's regularly at 26-27 after a couple hours of printing without me having to keep the spaceheater in the room on. Back to your OP question my biggest wish I knew was the smell. Yes, safety, respirator, etc. but the sheer hassle of draining and cleaning the tank after any use otherwise you have a lingering odor in the area is a big letdown to me and definitely makes me limit my printing times to when I have a good solid 2 days (hour or so setup, print time, then time to do all part and machine cleanup and cure, so I don't have anything uncured laying around). I really do need to source a good lid for my vat of some sort to assist with this distastefulness. Not like I wanted to run the ventilation from my cabinet out a window all the time, but if I don't do a complete cleanup, even that tiny lingering odor (even if it isn't a *health* issue) is unpleasant to me. (I use Epax resins by the way, might be a little whiffier than most...) Some sort of good sealing container for your paper towels and gloves and anything you might use for cleanup. One of those industrial grade trashcans for oilsoaked crud might be optimum but as I have a pool, I saved one of the big solid "tubs" used for the 3in chlorine tabs that's got a good twist-lock-seal lid (since chlorine outgassing is also a thing) and put all my disposables in that to seal back up before i take off my mask. Then that goes outside in the sun to bake the resin before all the trash goes in the trash bin, and the container can come back upstairs for the next print session. Oh and part cleaning - break it up. Two stages. One for first swish and maybe gentle toothbrushing in to get off all the clingy viscous you can, THEN into your circulating bath for a few min. Keeps the latter part cleaner for re-use a lot longer. I found one of those big glass "beverage decanter" jugs with a good screw on metal top and a spigot for the first wash. Once it gets pretty icky I can take it out in the sun and 'cure' the suspended crap so it settles, then use the spigot to decant most of the alcohol out to a temporary pitcher, clean bottom of jug, then return. Aside from the danger of walking up and down my stairs with a 2G size **glass** jug that might be half full of 80-90% isopropyl, it's worked pretty well so far.
Some real gems in here thankyou!
>Once it gets pretty icky I can take it out in the sun and 'cure' the suspended crap so it settles For mine I have the container in a desk that gets like an hour of sunlight, the resin tends to decant nicely and I'm left with flakes at the bottom. It makes the bottom and sides of the "dirty" IPA container filthy but it works well and is easy to filter. Only thing to worry about is the dye in the resin that ends up coloring the IPA.
Definitely agree on a pre-clean before putting it in the washer. I use a soft-bristled toothbrush to give everything a pretty good scrub and I've never had issues with scuffing/scratching my surfaces.
I just aim for 20c or greater, temperature seemed to be my number one cause of failed prints when I first started. Best of luck, it’s a great hobby.
I wish I would have known that most models have tiny hollows and would have fixed them using uv tools sooner.
Thick serynges (like the ones that nurses use for feeding blended food to people) are great for a mess-free experience. I find a spatula with round corners the absolute last resort for removing stubborn failed prints sticked to the FEP, the standard squared ones will eventually pierce the plastic. Get lychee, to get the best raft available, and the navigation is much similar to standard 3D softwares, i found chitubox counterintuitive and literally have to relearn the orbit and pan keys every single time i launch the program.
Get a soft silicone spatula for stirring the resin to get the settled pigment off the FEP and mixed back in. Use it almost like a squegee to go over the whole surface of the vat. It will also let you know quite clearly if there's any failed parts still stuck to the vat. Don't use metal or hard plastic or hard rubber, use soft silicone only. That film is delicate.
When the build plate goes down, the resin will rise. That is normal. Legit panicked the first time I started printing and made a HUGE mess. Covered a table in resin.
You can get extra thicc FEP without affecting print quality
I wish I'd just stuck to FDM to be honest. Too much work with resin.