Formlabs Form Machines: Harvesting a Print

Wear gloves to prevent getting resin on your skin

Once the print is complete, lift up the orange hood and flip up the black clip holding down the build plate

Pull the build plate straight out and rotate to prevent dripping

Then flip the black clip down and bring down the orange hood

do this immediately so that the ambient light does not impact the resin sitting in the tank

Hold the build plate over a trash can

Spray any small crevices where resin has built up with an IPA wash bottle

Use the Form Wash to rinse the part of any excess resin

Press the black button to wake up the wash, then scroll to "open" and push the black button again to raise the arm

Place the build plate on the arm with the model facing down

Make sure the build plate slots into the corresponding tracks of the wash

Scroll down to the time and make sure it is set to the correct time

If you're unsure about how long to set it for you can check here

Scroll up to start and press the button.

The arm and part will rise out of the wash automatically when the time has finished

Remove the build plate and rotate it so that the part is upright

Set the tank to sleep

Do another quick rinse of the part with IPA over a trashcan

Place the upside down build plate on a towel

Use the lever tool to loosen the raft from the build plate

Be careful not to scratch the build plate! This tool is meant to be placed under the raft and then rotated so that the part pops off

Place the removed part on a paper towel to begin drying

Spray down a paper towel with IPA and thoroughly wipe off the build surface

Using a new side of the paper towel clean the edges of the build plate

Wipe off a final time to ensure that all resin is removed from the plate

Replace the build plate back in the machine

Let the part dry completely on the paper towel in front of the fans

The on button is on the top of the fans.

This step will take some time so note the time and return in 15 minutes to check the progress

If the part still is not visibly dry, continue waiting

The part must be dry because any left over resin will set unevenly in the Form Cure and tarnish the surface finish

Preheat the Form Cure for the correct resin time and temperature

If you're unsure what time and/or temperature is correct, you can find out here

Open the lid and place the completely dried parts on the circular plate

Wait for the curing cycle to complete

Multiple parts can have the same curing temperature but different times, so parts can go together, just set the time to the longest of the group

Bring the cured parts to the mechanical space to remove supports

Wear safety glasses

Use a side cutter to remove the raft

Snip the base of the support structure as close to the raft as possible

If the part has large flat surfaces where the surface finish isn't crucial, use the side cutters to clip off the support

Clip in the middle of support bridging (typically on overhangs)

If the part is fragile or has a lot of intricate parts with need to have a clean finish, the ultra sonic cutter is needed

Take the machine out and plug it in

Flip the side switch and press the white button on the handle to turn it on

The light will be green when it is on

Cut gently through the supports

the blade works by vibrating at ultrasonic frequencies so be patient and let the blade do the work don't try to force it through the support

Once you've cleaned all the support off you can turn off the ultrasonic cutter and return it to its place of origin

Be very careful not to make contact with the blade! The knife vibrates at such high frequencies you might not be able to tell if its on by looking at it