Tips, tricks, questions

[Ferronier]

I've read all threads here and on the Kickstarter comments page.
I've found a few things happening to all of us and hope everyone can provide updates on new tips as we go. Here's a few things I found with first bottle of resin:

Clean the print platform (including the black sides) with alcohol well before remounting. Just a wipe with towel looks clean but use alcohol.

As others have said, I also run a squeegee across the bottom and usually find some cured chunks in there. I make sure the tank bottom looks clean in the brief moment the squeegee leaves a clear path behind it.

Using these two procedures I was able to keep printing 6 or 7 runs in a row without failures. Which was great because I started with prints sticking to tank bottom and other problems.

Yes, the spout is terrible,,useless. I'm going to 3D print an additional piece to mount on there so it can poured out easily. Any thoughts on that one?

Why should one by a new tank when you could just replace the piece of clear plastic?
I see .1mm on eBay listed for this purpose, a whole pack,of them is cheap.
Any idea exactly what spec plastic used as tank liner?

What is the round "film" between tank and glass? Mine looks cloudy, has some obvious splotches of something too. Which is weird since it is protected in there. I need more pieces of "film" for sure, what is it?

Can't wait a month for more resin,,must try more! I've got Snow White and deep black on the way, and an abs like formula that looks promising. Please chime in those who have tried 3rd party resins!

Having said all that I'm getting beautiful prints using the lowest resolution. Amazing detail, nice surface, it's very encouraging to see what I'm getting right out of the box.
Medium resolution looks about the same to me. Haven't had the patience to go full rez as the print times are 16-20 hours for what I print. Some software changes for the support placement would be the biggest issue for me at this point.

[Chestercheetoh]

I would like to see someone from Rayware answer some of these issues, please.

[SandWyrm]

Yes, particularly on what the extra plastic film is supposed to do.

[Srnoob]

iv been contemlating building my own tank assembly.100$
for a drum and 200 for an assembly.
looking at the quality of the material im sure we have all questioned the cost for it.
to be expected given the total lack of competition.
im sure some decent skill and background on tech. desing can make this a reality, as the diagram shows, its not a complex device. most importatnt bit of knowledge is in understanding the opacity or transparancy needed for asuccesfull build, as any refraction can cause failed prints.
of course the solution to this is waiting it out for the prices to drop....

[SandWyrm]

The Sprintray drum can be disassembled easily with an alan wrench.

The plastic film lining the drum assembly is some variety of FEP (a type of Teflon film). 12in x 10ft (5 mil) rolls of which can be bought off of Amazon for $150. That works out to just $15 per re-lining.

Since re-lining one of my drums with 3rd-party FEP, I've had MUCH better results than with the stock drum liners. One of which tore in a week, and the other was nearly there after 3 weeks (support claimed theirs last for 6 months). The prints are sharper, don't stick as often, and I'm getting one failed print in 12, instead of eleven in 12. My MoonRay is actually fun to use now, apart from the 20 micron scaling bug.

[Liftmode]

You can find FEP cheaper than that. 6 feet for $40. Not sure i can link the site here, but just google it, it should come up.

[borhaaa]

Hey guys,

Curious if any of you who attempted this procedure reused the circular plastic film that is installed between the tank liner and the glass? Is this the same material as the liner? Is it needed?

thanks in advance.

[Curt]

Hi SandWyrm,

I like your 'open source' approach to replacing your tank with film and I'd like to try the same. Could you be so kind to provide some step-by-step instructions on how this is done?

Thanks very much!

Curt

[SandWyrm]

1) Take tank apart with a hex wrench.
2) Remove old film and clean the hard plastic bits thoroughly.
3) Cut a piece of film to the approximate size of the tank. 12" x 12" is fine.
4) Place the film between the two halves of the tank.
5) Evenly push down on the tank halves. May take some tugging here and there to make sure the film is even.
6) When the tank halves are together and aligned, poke a hole in the film over one of the screw holes. Screw in a hex nut there.
7) Then do the same to the opposite hole.
8) Keep working on opposing sets of holes until all of the hex nuts are in place and the film is tight.
9) Trim away any excess film, or film that prevents you from closing the tank-halves together.
10) Done!

[SandWyrm]

I re-used the circle, but I don't think that it's any different than the rest of the film in the tank. Its true purpose seems to be to take any small bit of slack out of the glass-film interface. Without it I would get more "snapping" when the tank pulled away from the print bed after each exposure.

[Curt]

This is terrific! Thanks so much for the tips SandWyrm. I've been trying to visualize how it would all work, but it's great to get a step-by-step. Now, I just have to find a FEP supplier in Canada (your Amazon tip does not ship to above the 49th...).

I assume the circley thing goes between the freshly FEP's drum and the aluminum tray?

I've only had the machine for a week, but my vat has become 'cloudy' within the first litre of orange. I've just started getting failed prints (adhering to the vat's bottom) after a good run of successes. I'm not sure if this is related to the cloudy vat or not - it's a bit of a mystery to me.

[Curt]

Sorry, another question: How long have your re-lined vats lasted before having to replace the FEP (how many litres of resin)?

[SandWyrm]

I've only replaced the FEP on one vat so far, and it's still going fine after 2 months.

[SandWyrm]

"I've only had the machine for a week, but my vat has become 'cloudy' within the first litre of orange. I've just started getting failed prints (adhering to the vat's bottom) after a good run of successes. I'm not sure if this is related to the cloudy vat or not - it's a bit of a mystery to me."

Sounds very familiar to me. My first tank failed a week after I started printing with the MoonRay. The second lasted about a month before I re-FEP-ed the first one. That and avoiding the 20um "best" setting took my print failure rate from about 11 in 12 to about 1 in 12.

[Curt]

Hmm. From what I've read and experienced the 'revolutionary' vat seems a little wanting... It's a pity as it was one of the primary reasons I chose the MoonRay.

Anyway, I found a source for rolled FEP that fits the description and is not too expensive: https://flexvat.com/products/fep-film. I'm going to give it a whirl using your instructions.

Do you still experience the vat clouding with the re-lined FEP, or does this eventually happen no matter after a time of use?

[SandWyrm]

Hmm. From what I've read and experienced the 'revolutionary' vat seems a little wanting... It's a pity as it was one of the primary reasons I chose the MoonRay.

Same here. I was expecting a 100% glass/metal tank, and waited double the time SprintRay had quoted on their website for it to arrive. Only to be sorely disappointed.

All the while having a perfect demo-print from another manufacturer sitting on my desk taunting me.

[borhaaa]

thanks. I'll try it and see how it goes.

[JediSkills]

You should post a tutorial of how to do the relining. I think it would be very useful.

[JediSkills]

I had the same problem with my first tank. It developed a little hole along the edge of the black plastic and leaked resin everywhere. I will definitely be getting some of that FEP and redoing my own tank.