Last edited: Haley (9/19/22)

• Safety: personal protective equipment, avoid eye contact with laser, avoid contaminating areas with resin
• Job Setup
  • On the computer: PreForm software, file orientation, adjusting supports, record in FBS, selected material and version match the resin type loaded in the desired printer
  • Printer: confirm print, avoid any spills
• Using the Form Wash: transport part and build platform, wash and allow time for IPA to evaporate
• Using the Form Cure: release part from build platform, adjust curing settings depending on resin
• Post Processing: break support material, abrasives to remove marks left by touchprints
• Replacing an empty resin cartridge with a full one of the same type
  • Remove and replace cartridges
  • Avoid spills
  • Mark off new build tanks when new resin cartridge is put into rotation
• Switching a printer from one type of resin to another
  • Remove build platform, resin cartridge, and resin tank
  • Cover resin tank
  • Insert resin tank, lock wiper blade, insert resin cartridge, replace build platform
  • Mark off new build tanks when new resin cartridge is put into rotation
• Maintenance: clean resin tank interior, filter resin, cleaning tank window

• This training provides an introduction to using and operating the FormLabs SLA 3D printers including:
  • File Types
  • Software
    • PreForm 3D
  • Safety
    • PPE for working with resin
    • Understanding transportation of uncured resin
  • Printer Use
  • Post Processing
    • Form Wash
    • Form Cure
  • Printer Maintenance
    • Switching Resin
    • Cleaning Build Tanks
    • Troubleshooting
• The Form 2/3 is a 3D printer that uses SLA (stereolithography) to make a part. In SLA, a laser beam is directed into a tank of photoreactive resin, which hardens to form a layer of the part. The first layer adheres to the build platform, and each following layer adheres to the previous one. The finished part will be suspended upside-down above the resin tank. It has a build volume of 145 × 145 × 175 mm (5.7 × 5.7 × 6.9 in).
• The Form Wash is an automated washer that bathes the printed part in IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to wash off residual resin.
• The Form Cure is a chamber that exposes a printed part to UV light to finish the curing process. This is referred to as ‘post-curing.’
• Remember to enter job information into FBS!

• Nitrile or neoprene gloves (not latex), safety glasses, and a lab coat must be worn when working with liquid resin printers. Safety glasses and a lab coat are required for working around IPA (isopropyl alcohol) when the Form Wash is open.
• Avoid eye contact with laser. Do not remove the front or back panels of the printer.
• Care must be taken to prevent contaminating other areas with liquid resin - use containers to transport build platforms or parts that still have liquid resin on them.
• Dispose of resin contaminated gloves and other objects in the yellow hazardous waste bin in 2442.

On The Computer:

• On the desktop computer near the Form 2/3 printers, open the PreForm software from the start menu.

• To start a new print, click File > New
• File > Open, select the .STL or .OBJ file you want to print.
• Set the scale, orientation, supports, and layout.
  • Formlabs recommends orienting flat surfaces at an incline of at least 20°.