Cimquest 3d printing

The screen for controlling the printer itself has a small diagonal and is made a little smaller than on the first generation. It is sufficient to manage all the functions, when entering the print menu, each file carries an icon from the slicer, how the printouts will look, but the print icons are very small, smaller than on the first generation, and as a result, it is difficult to see them, what exactly will be printed there, basically you still have to focus on the file name. nine0004

As you can see, in the file selection menu, the legibility of icons leaves much to be desired. When you select the desired file, the preview will open in full screen, but believe me, it will not get much better.

The lifting mechanism is powered by a NEMA 17 stepper motor, as in a large percentage of 3D printers, on a trapezoidal screw and the two roller guides already mentioned above. Engine noise during operation is very low. In general, the printer can be described as quiet.

The printer has only one optical limit switch at the bottom, so keep this in mind when working: in the first generation there was not even a software upper limit, so it was easy to mechanically rest against the upper limit by pressing the platform lift. On the second generation, I personally did not check for this limitation. But in any case, when you turn on the printer, it may not know how high the platform is, so be careful. nine0004

3. Operation

3.1. Starting the Printer Starting up the printer is quite simple: 1. We check the tension of the fluoroplastic (hereinafter referred to as Teflon, since this is already an established term) film2. We remove dust from the screen and from the film on the back of the bath and put the bath in place, fixing it with the screws3 intended for this. We install the printing platform in the right place with a loosened screw that fixes the platform in the hinge4. We connect the printer to the network, turn it on and perform a zero and horizontal calibration of the platform, followed by fixing the hinge fixing screw - the calibration video is easy to find on YouTube5. Shake to mix and pour in the photopolymer. That's it, you can print the test "enicubic" that comes on the flash drive. nine0004

This turns on the cooling system of the LED (the LED block in the case of Photon S), the platform lowers until the optical zero limit switch is triggered, after which it drops to logical zero (when calibrating the printer, this same logical zero can easily be a millimeter below the limit switch), after which already turns on the illumination of the first layer.

The general rule for printing photopolymer printers is reduced to a long (30-120 seconds) first few layers to compensate for the unevenness of the platform and to ensure that these very first layers “hook” well on it, the subsequent layers are printed with a regular exposure time (about 3 -12 seconds on average depending on printer, resin and selected layer thickness). After the layer is illuminated, the platform is raised to a certain selected height (usually around 4 mm) to tear off the Teflon film from the illuminated layer, after which the platform is lowered back by the same value minus the layer thickness, then a pause is made in the region of one second to “calm down” the photopolymer , after which the illumination of the next layer is turned on. After printing is completed, the platform rises to a height close to the maximum, after which the printer remains in standby mode with an inscription on the screen about the end of printing, and the backlight cooling fan turns off. nine0004

3.2. Programs for slicing

“So how to slice on a computer?”. Download the branded Photon Slicer, which already generates printable files in the proprietary Enikubika format. But from my point of view, it is better to use ChiTuBox, which, in fact, Photon Slicer is based on. ChiToo is updated more often than the Enikubik branded slicer, so the possibilities in it will be higher. In general, I can universally recommend this slicer to a novice owner of any photopolymer. nine0004

This is how the ChiTuBox interface looks like

And this is a preview of the already cut model, on which it is good to monitor the adequacy of the spaced calipers

3.3. Photopolymer printing in general

1. This has been said by everyone and everywhere, but I cannot but repeat it. The most accurate description is the English word "messy", i.e. dirty and tedious. This is the transfusion of the photopolymer that easily blurs the surroundings, the washing of hands, which are almost impossible to protect even with gloves due to some work features, the transfusion of the photopolymer again, draining the bath, cleaning it, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, conservatory, court, Siberia . .. um ... sorry, carried away . But the general meaning, I think, is clear. Unfortunately, this is not FDM printing, in which everything is much simpler in terms of work. nine0004

2. Low predictability of printing results, if you have everything in openwork or even not very calipers. Black box effect: you sent it to print, after which it’s hard to say what happens or not until you take the platform out of the printer and look at it point-blank. Yes, you can look into the windows, yes, you can see if nothing at all has appeared above the surface except for the platform itself, when you can unambiguously cancel printing, yes, you can pause with the simultaneous lifting of the platform, but the essence still remains: you are looking on the platform in the printer, and everything seems fine, but when you remove it and look at point-blank range, critical flaws are often visible there that could not be seen during printing. nine0004

3. In the same way, the required shamanism with the calibration of the exposure time and the thickness of supports for various cases, as well as the selection of scales, gaps and supports in FDM printing. This requires experience when you understand that here and here the calipers automatically set by the same ChiTu are superfluous, which will require subsequent excessive cleaning of the surface, but here and here they must be put, otherwise the output will be a marriage.

4. Corresponding to point 1. The processing cycle of the finished printout includes removal of the printout, washing in dirty isopropyl, washing in pure isopropyl, backlight-drying, preferably in an ultraviolet chamber, and washing in acetone. The latter removes that part of the photopolymer that remains even after washes with isopropyl and backlight. Some people use acetone directly instead of isopropyl, but personally I look at this approach with doubt: acetone destroys underexposed fragments more, which can lead to cracks in the model. But this is a debatable issue. In other words, post-processing of the model after printing is a separate procedure that requires time and effort. nine0004

5. Cheap photopolymers often smell. .. to be honest, especially during operation, when heating occurs as a result of the exothermic reaction during polymerization. For example, some Chinese, though not all. Our manufacturers (such as HarzLabs, but not only) initially tried to make the photopolymer not have a pronounced unpleasant odor, but now the Chinese have begun to pay attention to this, so it’s already possible to buy a photopolymer that will not carry some mixture of chemistry and fish, even Ali. nine0004

6. Most photopolymers are brittle. There are those that have some elasticity and do not prick when trying, for example, drilling, but they usually cost significantly more, at least at the moment. That is, despite the fact that these are essentially cast parts, they can often be inferior in strength to printed parts made using FDM technology.

7. Most prints require rubbing alcohol except for water washable photopolymers. Isopropyl alcohol is usually used because it evaporates faster. First, washing is done with already dirty isopropyl, after which a second washing is done in pure alcohol. Further, the printouts should be illuminated, for this you can use a special illumination camera, the sun, or even the printer's camera itself in the case of printers that have this function. After that, I would recommend doing another wash in acetone to remove the remnants of the photopolymer left after backlighting. Acetone is more aggressive to the photopolymer, but it is not dangerous for an already fully polymerized printout. nine0004

8. Can photopolymer printing already provide unconditional quality, when the printout is almost indistinguishable from the cast part? Unfortunately, not always. Just like with FDM printing, there are problems with the bottom surface of the printouts, the photopolymer has the same problems. Yes, it allows you to print with large overhang angles, does not create frank porridge in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bcalipers, but still, the printout needs to be finalized in these areas. And even after that, it is not always possible to get a level surface "like a real one. " Also, photopolymers, like ABS plastic, have shrinkage, which must be taken into account both during printing and during subsequent exposure - in the absence of calipers, a thin part can simply be bent. But if there are no extreme angles and a large number of calipers, then it is realistic to achieve the quality “almost like casting”. nine0003

3.4. Features of operation of photopolymer printer

Here I will give the features of operation of photopolymer printers themselves, i. what applies to printers in general and which are relevant not only for Photon C, but also for any photopolymer built on a similar technology:

without additional manipulations. The duration of problem-free storage of the photopolymer without refilling depends on the specific brand of photopolymer. nine0004

2. Once every 10-30 hours of printing, although it is difficult to give an exact figure here, this is individual, and it also depends on the photopolymer used, it must be drained through the filter back into its original storage container. This is not related to the photopolymer itself, but is required to clean the Teflon film, which is the bottom of the bath. It could be said that during operation the Teflon film becomes contaminated, etc., but what exactly happens there, whether the film is contaminated, the photopolymer residue, or some other factors are to blame, but, simply put, the printer stops printing. Yes, something that a couple of seals ago was perfectly printed with this photopolymer and this very file is already out with a marriage. And yes, you just need to wipe the bottom of the bath with isopropyl alcohol, pour the photopolymer back in, and everything works great further. which part of the frame came off during printing, and on the second one there was enough of everything, but the tray that was not cleaned in time ruined the print in the bud, when not only the frame, but even the radiator was not printed. At the same time, after cleaning the bath, the printing was already without problems. nine0004

3. If it is suspected that part of the light remains at the bottom of the bath, during a failed print, it is also necessary to drain the photopolymer and clean the bottom. Best of all, the “blots” of the polymer smeared along the bottom are removed by simply pressing a finger on the film from the back. This "blot" is easily peeled off from the film, and the film itself is not damaged. It is necessary to do this cleaning so that when you start the next print you do not damage the film, or even the printer screen by pressing this “jellyfish” with the platform from above, especially since most likely printing in the presence of such an illuminated piece of photopolymer on the film you most likely still won't work. nine0004

4. Film needs to be changed periodically. This procedure is simple, but rather painstaking, plus you must have a supply of film. The film does not have a direct "timer" of life, its wear depends on the duration of exposure of the layers, the shape of the printouts and mechanical damage during cleaning. It can work for a very long time, and require replacement if mishandled and after 2-3 prints.