How To Succeed with LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Construct Surfaces

Like FDM 3D printing, making certain a printed half sticks to an SLA machine’s construct plate is crucial to profitable resin 3D printing. Robust mattress adhesion is particularly essential when printing with resin attributable to a big majority of SLA machines favoring the stereolithography methodology of producing a print that’s hanging the wrong way up. Add on the truth that SLA printing entails some suction between the print and a further floor–an FEP movie–and now there’s one other issue that may have an effect on the print’s attachment to the construct plate.

With gravity pulling in your hanging print and the additional pulling pressure occurring from an FEP movie (if it isn’t connected good), it is no marvel that customers strongly counsel printing on a construct floor with a texture that the resin can maintain onto. Most, if not all, resin 3D printers include a textured construct platform proper out of the field. Nevertheless, over time, the crevices in that texture naturally get crammed up by resin after a few Liters. It is then advisable to sand the construct platform to breed a few of that texture.

Understandably, the intestine response to listening to you have to take sandpaper to your machine that prices a whole bunch of {dollars} is not nice. So what’s another choice to protect the integrity of your construct platform whereas nonetheless ensuring these prints follow it? Enter LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Construct Floor–a improbable resolution to reaching robust mattress adhesion for Laser, DLP, and LCD/MSLA resins. This construct floor is fabricated from phenolic-like materials that gives the mandatory texture that resins can maintain onto. As an alternative of scratching up the construct platform, you’ll be able to take the sunshine 220g sandpaper supplied with each LayerLock SLA sheet to this LayerLock floor as a substitute, preserving your construct platform pristine of any sanding. Efficiently produce the gorgeous intricate components made out of many in style supplies equivalent to Peopoly Phenom Deft, AnyCubic UV Resin, Siraya Tech, MatterHackers’ MH Construct Epoxy-Free Photopolymer Resins, and lots of extra with LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Construct Floor.

Set up for Varied Printers/Strategies

Set up of LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Construct Surfaces is pretty straightforward, but additionally crucial for profitable digital fabrication. Take a look at the steps beneath on how one can correctly set up this sheet onto printers just like the AnyCubic Photon, Elegoo Mars Professional 2, Peopoly Phenom L, Creality LD-002H, and extra.

Don’t personal one in all our LayerLock SLA construct surfaces? Take a look at the sizes we’ve got in inventory for varied resin 3D printers right here.

Step 1 – Verify Placement on LCD Display screen

• Clear off any mud, resin, and particles that will nonetheless be in your LCD display screen.
• Earlier than making an attempt to connect the LayerLock SLA sheet onto the construct platform, we advocate you place it in your printer’s LCD display screen.
  • This ensures you’ve got the right dimension on your SLA printer and that the sheet attaches to the right spot in your construct platform.

Observe: After attaching the sheet onto the construct plate in Step 4, you’ll discover that the sheet doesn’t cowl the whole construct platform. That is intentional as some resin 3D printers use thick tape to carry the LCD display screen and a bit of bit of 1 fringe of the construct platform lays over it. This will incessantly trigger uneven mattress leveling–a contributor to poor mattress adhesion. Some printers might have extra exaggerated points than others.

By sizing the LayerLock sheet to the LCD display screen relatively than the construct platform, not solely does this resolve the problem detailed above, it additionally ensures that you’re nonetheless maximizing the whole print space so no print quantity is misplaced.

Step 2 – Sand Construct Sheet Floor

• When you’re glad with placement and compatibility, seize your LayerLock SLA sheet and flippantly and evenly sand the floor that will likely be printed on. It’s the aspect that doesn’t have the tan adhesive liner.
  • Use the 220g 3″ x 3″ piece of sandpaper offered along with your construct sheet.
  • Observe that it is essential to sand the floor earlier than first-time use. For those who print with out sanding it beforehand, it should have an effect on the effectiveness of the adhesion between the sheet and printing materials.
• When you end sanding, use isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel or microfiber material to wipe away the mud amassed on the sheet till clear.

Step 3 – Pull Off the Adhesive Liner

• When you’re glad with placement and compatibility, seize your LayerLock SLA sheet and take away the adhesive liner on the again of it.
  • Keep away from having your fingers contact the now revealed adhesive.
• With the adhesive aspect dealing with up in direction of the construct platform and away from the LCD display screen, place the LayerLock construct sheet again on the LCD display screen.
  • Be certain to line up the sting of the SLA sheet in opposition to the perimeters of the tape/LCD display screen.
• As soon as aligned, proceed to step 3.

Step 4 – Prep Construct Plate

• Be certain your construct platform/construct plate has texture on it. For those who do not see or cannot really feel any texture on it, you will want to scuff it up a bit of with sandpaper. If the floor is totally easy, then adhesive won’t follow it.
• As soon as you’ve got confirmed there’s texture in your construct platform/plate, seize a paper towel and pour some isopropyl alcohol (ideally with an IPA of 90%+) on it.
• Use that paper towel to wipe down the floor of the construct plate you’ll be attaching your sheet to.
  • LayerLock SLA Construct Surfaces could be connected to construct platforms and versatile spring metal plates.
• Clear the floor till there is no such thing as a mud, particles, or resin on it.

• Observe: If you’re attaching a magnetic base in tandem with a LayerLock sheet, comply with the entire magnetic base’s tips for putting in their system on a machine earlier than making an attempt to calibrate your resin 3D printer with a brand new construct floor.
  • Some machines require a brand new Z cease spacer to be put in earlier than calibrating. Please set up these new spacers as they may enable sufficient play to securely modify your printer’s construct platform.
  • The next printers want a brand new Z cease spacer if putting in a magnetic base system:
    • Photon
    • Photon S
    • Photon Mono X
    • Elegoo Mars 2 / Professional 2
    • Elegoo Saturn
      *Observe that this listing contains machines that LayerLock SLA has suitable sizes for accessible magnetic base techniques. For those who determine so as to add a magnetic base system and LayerLock SLA sheet to an incompatible printer or unlisted suitable printer, you will want to find out if a brand new spacer will likely be wanted to account for the extra Z peak.
• Reattach the construct platform again onto the resin printer.
• Loosen all leveling screws till the construct platform can freely modify up and down.
• Be certain the LayerLock SLA sheet didn’t transfer from its place throughout this step. If it did, realign the perimeters of the LayerLock sheet in step with the perimeters of the tape/fringe of the LCD display screen.

Step 5 – Connect LayerLock SLA Construct Floor

• Once more, in case you are putting in the magnetic base system on the similar time you are putting in a LayerLock construct floor, please be sure to adopted the magnetic base’s directions for set up earlier than continuing additional.
• Together with your LayerLock SLA sheet completely positioned on the LCD Display screen inside the tape, transfer your Z to the house place.
  • To maneuver your Z to the house place, comply with your particular resin printer’s directions.
  • As your Z strikes to the house place, don’t modify something till it finishes the homing course of.

• As soon as the printer finishes homing, apply mild stress on the construct platform down towards the LCD display screen. The quantity of stress try to be utilizing ought to be the equal stress you utilize to maintain the construct platform leveled in opposition to the LCD display screen as you tighten the leveling screws.

Step 6 – Verify the Edges Caught to the Plate

• Elevate the Z peak in your construct platform excessive sufficient to the place you’ll be able to safely detach it from the printer with out it hitting the LCD display screen.
• Detach it from the printer.
• To ensure your LayerLock SLA sheet maximizes its adhesion to the construct platform, verify the entire LayerLock SLA sheet’s edges are flat in opposition to the construct platform/construct plate.
• Use your hand to firmly press the whole construct floor in opposition to the construct platform to additional guarantee the whole lot is touching in opposition to the construct platform.

Step 7 – Calibrate Z Top / Construct Platform Leveling

• Connect the construct platform again onto your machine.
• Be certain the leveling screws on the construct plate are nonetheless loosened.
• Observe your SLA machine’s regular advisable calibration directions.
  • Not all resin 3D printers have the identical adjustable Z peak or comply with the identical steps so we advocate following the producer’s particular required/advisable tips.
• As soon as you’ve got adopted your printer producer’s directions on leveling and have tightened the leveling screws, proceed to Step 8.

Step 8 – Load Your Take a look at Mannequin

• Select any mannequin you need to take a look at the mattress adhesion for the primary layer of your take a look at print. We advocate one thing that’s small and fast like this skinny sq. so you’ll be able to fine-tune your settings and modify your Z peak correctly if wanted earlier than leaping to testing a bigger print.

Step 9 – Print and Alter If Obligatory

• Print the skinny sq. take a look at print from Step 8. For those who’re printing a unique mannequin, be sure that is both 0.05mm tall or cease your print after it completes its first layer.
  • Once more, earlier than printing, be certain the LayerLock sheet has been sanded. If not, comply with Step 2 earlier than printing.
• As soon as the print is accomplished, enable extra resin to drip again into the vat or rigorously wipe any extra resin from the construct platform again into the vat with a silicone spatula or plastic putty knife.
• With a nitrile glove nonetheless on, gently rub your finger throughout the print.
  • If it requires a scraper and light-moderate pressure to take away it from the platform, you are good to go!
  • If the next points come up equivalent to…
    • The half simply slides off the platform with simply your finger
    • Lifted corners
    • Air pockets beneath the print
  • …then contemplate these doable resolutions:
  • Verify you adopted Step 5–sanding the construct sheet and cleansing off the mud ensuing from sanding
  • Guarantee sufficient resin was within the vat to print your take a look at print
    • Not sufficient resin within the vat may cause usually trigger air pockets/bubbles
  • If none of those resolutions resolve the problem, resetting the Z=0 peak and re-leveling the construct platform could also be wanted. Repeat steps 6 – 8 till the primary layer requires a scraper and light-moderate pressure to take away it from the platform.

Observe: Please be sure to usually are not additionally printing with new resin if that is your first time printing with the newly put in LayerLock SLA Resin 3D Printing Construct Floor. New resin means a brand new variable that could be affecting mattress adhesion. We advocate first confirming mattress adhesion could be achieved with a resin you might be accustomed to printing. As soon as that’s confirmed, then print with the brand new resin utilizing suggestions from this How To Succeed information on how one can usually fine-tune most photopolymer resins to your SLA printer.

That’s it for set up! Your new construct floor is connected, the whole lot is correctly calibrated and also you’re now prepared to begin efficiently printing.

Closing Printing & Upkeep Ideas

• Re-leveling your construct platform is advisable when fine-tuning printing with a brand new resin.
• The next components exterior of LayerLock SLA’s management are nonetheless crucial for mattress adhesion success:
  • Utilizing the right resin profile settings
  • Ensuring the pigments/dye of the resin haven’t settled to the underside earlier than printing
    • Instance: It is best apply to usually stir/shake reasonably priced resins earlier than printing so all of the dyes/pigments are distributed evenly. If left settled on the backside, the sunshine won’t shine by which means no profitable curing will happen. You might must stir the vat of resin once more after a specific amount of hours, relying on the model you’ve got chosen.
  • Having correct drainage holes on prints
  • Guaranteeing your FEP movie is not too loosely or tightly connected to the vat
  • Having a calibrated Z peak / leveled construct platform
    • A leveled construct platform could be tough to realize if the resin 3D printer has thick tape across the LCD show. With the LCD display screen beneath the very best level of the thick tape, this will trigger an excessive amount of of a spot between the LCD display screen and FEP sheet.
  • Printing in an atmosphere that’s room temperature (ideally inside 68°F – 77°F)
    • Something decrease than 50°F or increased than 100°F extremely will increase the probabilities for mattress adhesion and curing points.
• Calmly sanding your LayerLock SLA Construct Floor is advisable for first-time use and both after each 5L of resin printed or every time mattress adhesion is noticeably misplaced.
  • Bear in mind to put on a masks whereas sanding to keep away from inhaling any particles.
• As with different construct surfaces, watch out when utilizing sharp objects to take away prints from the construct floor to keep away from unintentional knicks, scratches, and grooves on the floor.
• Clear the floor with 90%+ IPA isopropyl alcohol after each sanding.
• Wipe the floor and construct platform clear of any resin if switching between materials/colours.
• Keep away from soaking the construct platform with LayerLock SLA connected in any solvent for lengthy durations of time.
  • There is a chance that solvents might erode the adhesive on the again of the LayerLock SLA construct sheet, thus decreasing the adhesive’s lifespan.
  • Wiping the floor with a light-weight quantity of IPA won’t be an issue.

As all the time, MatterHackers has your again.

With this information underneath your belt, we do not count on you to run into any issues; however in case you do, please don’t hesitate to contact a MatterHackers Technician at assist@matterhackers.com or by cellphone at (949) 613-5838. We’re right here to assist!