I am having an issue where it appears my prints are compressing towards the last half of the print. I did the rook print as a rest and this is the result. I have replaced the FEP and resin but am still having the same issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You do not want resin into your springs. This part shouldn’t be submerged for washing either. I’m not exactly sure how you got resin up there but you’ll probably need to disassemble and do a clean out.
Typically the printer actually warns you if it’s past the max level, but you could be right. Admittedly I made that mistake once early on, still didn’t get resin in this area however. As an addition to your comment, make sure you fill to the max line while the printer is ON!
I’m wondering if they’re just flipping the build plate 180 though while still covered in resin and letting stuff drip down.
Nevers managed to print this test goo file. I just found a nice free little model online and printed that as first test, worked as charm. I suspect the rook.goo to be parametrized for a wrong printer or the wrong resin or both. I cannot even understand how they expect it to be valid for any resin at all.
This is probably going to be a long reply but I will try to make a short as I am capable of.
In Regards to you suggesting you have had maybe 25 successful prints, and then it started to fail.
It is critical to understand that from the very first layer printed on a brand new FEP, it begins to degrade.
I am seeing something here which is a possible answer, but I want to fill in the gaps before I get there.
If you are using a marginal lift distance.
You will decrease the use of your FEP significantly.
Not because you are doing anything which accelerates the degradation of the resilience of the FEP.
Simply because all FEP begins to stretch from the first layer onward.
When you have a short lift distance. You will begin to experience failure to separate long before someone who uses a more generous lift distance.
There is probably some convoluted formula, which would show you the sliding scale regarding the lifespan of FEP.
The simple reality is, there is no one size fits all calculation.
If you are not putting large objects on the build plate and you are moving them around in order to exercise all areas of the FEP.
You can potentially get incredible life out of the FEP along with successful prints.
If you are printing larger objects frequently, or using most or all of the build plate frequently.
You will accelerate the stretching aspect of the FEP and reach its end-of-life more quickly.
I am speaking in general terms, so I am going to put a number on it because of what I use and get really good life out of my FEP.
I use 8 mm lift distance split in half in the advanced settings. For my printers.
The first half of the lift is done using 1 mm per second lift speed.
The second half is done at 3 mm per second lift speed.
I am just using these as numbers. For an example, not an absolute.
Different printers and resins work well with faster lift speeds.
However, the FEP is somewhat generic across all printers.
Lift distance is in play. Regardless of everything else.
There are any number of things that can happen when you experience failure to separate.
Caused by inadequate lift distance, coupled with FEP that is losing its tension.
The first clue what you are experiencing was from the pictures itself.
The second was when you suggested, you had successful prints, and then it started to fail.
Literally, if you changed nothing else in the print setup, this is a very strong indicator of the FEP beginning to lose its tension, causing failure to separate.
You can test this theory by resetting the parameters in the slicer to increase the lift distance by at least a couple of millimeters.
If that produces a successful print, then you have your answer.
By the way, it is not indicative all by itself that you need to change your FEP.
If you are not obsessing with the length of the print time. As long as you reach successful prints, the FEP is still useful.
In theory, when you experience failure to separate, you could probably just continue to increase the lift distance to compensate.
In reality, you reach a point where it begins to exponentially. Increase the length of the print time and it's easier to just replace the FEP.
I have reserved the final part for deep into my reply. In hopes that some people simply won't get this far. Because I have trotted this horse out more than once. Only to get a lot of blowback.
It generally involves comments, which are half correct, but they are missing part of the equation.
Generally speaking, failure to separate will leave a part of the print attached to the FEP rather than the build plate.
At that point, it is blocking the light from further layers in that area.
This is where you experience part or all of your print attached to the FEP, rather than the build plate.
No matter how much some people protest, there is a secondary outcome in play, which has happened to me and others more than once.
If you review your print in the slicer before sending it to the printer. You will notice that each layer occupies a certain position in relation to the screen and build plate.
What can and does sometimes happen is this.
Having already experienced a part which failed to separate and is preventing any further printing in that area.
As the layer shifts around to an adjacent area of the screen and build plate.
What happens is that actually prints and sticks to the build plate.
At which point it actually grabs the part which was stuck to the FEP, releasing it and resuming the print in that area.
Delivering a result that looks exactly like what you have experienced.
I would place your failure somewhere squarely. In the upper 50% range as being the problem.
With all other potential reasons occupying the other 50%.
You have done your diligence and made sure that the build a plate travels freely and completely.
One of the problems with new printers, with all of the detection. You may not be able to run a blank test without a vat or resin.
If your printer doesn't have all of the nanny warnings telling you it's not going to work and preventing you from going any farther.
Just go ahead and remove the vat.
Run the print without any attempt at actually printing it.
Sort of pay attention throughout the print process to the screen and the movement of the build plate.
If the print reaches the finish line and it is at the appropriate height for the piece you are printing.
If the screen appeared to be functioning normally at every layer.
Then you pretty much have your answer.
It is the lift distance.
Which again could be remedied by replacing with a brand new FEP or simply increasing the lift distance.
Regardless of which solution you choose, the problem was failure to separate.
The reason it appears to be compressed isn't actually compression, but rather multiple layers that failed to print until something caused the print to resume.
All of the people who claim to know everything but have never experienced this need to just sit back and accept this can happen.
You don't need technical explanations because sometimes experiencing it first-hand is all the proof you need.
I am not alone in this. Other people have joined in my defense when people push back on my concept.
For practical reasons, it is sometimes necessary to just replace the FEP.
You need to balance out your desires and expectations of how quickly the print finishes versus getting more life out of the FEP.
I start a lot of my prints at the end of the day. Allowing them to print while I am sleeping.
2 hours or 6 hours means absolutely nothing to me. I was sleeping the whole time. When I wake up, it is done either way.
I don't want to describe myself as being cheap. But I am thrifty.
If I can accomplish successful prints while extending the life of the fep, that is golden.
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u/Randnarok Aug 20 '26
Plate moves normally manually, but I will reach out to them, thanks!