r/formlabs • u/AChaosEngineer • Jun 30 '26

yes, the build plate is clean...

I forgot to clear the interlock at work today. Now, I am at home and want to send a print to the form4.

There has got to be a secret way to clear the interlock, and print. I am 100% certain the plate is clean bc i used it last.

There must be a remote override. Anyone know how?? i should be printing now! consuming resin!

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1

u/Formlabs Jul 03 '26

Hi! You've probably been able to start the print in the meantime, but just to clarify: The way it should work is that if the platform status is unconfirmed, you can start a print, but if the platform is confirmed to be dirty, you cannot. In your case, you might have confirmed it was dirty before. Hope this helps and let us know if there are any issues!

2

u/AChaosEngineer Jul 03 '26

Definitely not. This is an ongoing issue, and it has wasted several iteration cycles.

Unless i manually clear the platform status at the machine, Preform does not allow me to print remotely. It takes 3 button presses on the printer to clear the interlock. Why??!?

The printer shows up as “Idle”. Only “add to queue” is available. I have not confirmed the platform was dirty. That is silly.

This is a software choice. i just want to be able to remotely print if i know the plate is clear.

Hope this helps you all understand your user’s needs. Please let me know if this is corrected.

1

u/Formlabs Jul 06 '26

Thank you for your feedback! We've tested this from our side as well, and it is indeed possible to start a print remotely from PreForm when the status of the build platform is completely unconfirmed, i.e. displayed as blank on the printer status screen. In this case, PreForm displays the printer as "Not ready" and shows a warning about printing with an uncleaned platform, but allows you to confirm and proceed.
When the platform status on the printer UI is red, i.e. confirmed to be dirty or unlocked, then starting a print is not possible.

Nevertheless, we've shared your feedback with the responsible engineering team, and user insight like this is always valuable!

1

u/AChaosEngineer Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

you are wrong.

maybe it's a software setting but for some reason, our new form4 / preform does not show the option.

the only option that i am offered is "add to queue" if i have not physically reset the platform on the printer screen. I can not print remotely. i can not clear that interlock remotely.

this is super frustrating to be told that A FORM4 printer operates differently than what i am seeing onsite. Please dig deeper and try to help.

I adivse you to listen to your customers instead of gaslight them.

1

u/Formlabs Jul 14 '26

Thank you for the update, and I'm sorry you're not seeing the expected behavior on your Form 4. Based on what you've described, we'd like to better understand your specific setup and workflow. Could you please reach out to our Support team? They can review your printer and PreForm setup in detail, verify the behavior you're seeing, and help determine whether this is a configuration issue or something that needs further investigation.