We’re always looking for ways to improve and refine the Form 2 experience through updates to the printer's software.
This week’s firmware update adds a simple improvement with a huge impact on workflow. We’ve reduced pre-heating time so that Form 2 users can launch print jobs faster and rapidly start new builds one after the other.
After installing the update, three key actions will trigger the Form 2 to get a head start on pre-heating. By the time you’re ready to press print, the heater will already be well on its way to temperature, if not already there.
Download firmware 1.14.21 and read on to learn about how our team has designed pre-heating options to further streamline the pre-print experience.
Note: Printers upgraded to firmware 1.14.21 cannot be downgraded to previous firmware versions.
Saving Time with Automated Pre-Heating
Pre-heating is central to successful printing. The Form 2 heats the resin to maintain the optimal temperature before–and during–printing to ensure successful results, but the initial heating can take a while.
The Form 2’s resin tank sits at room temperature when it’s idle, approximately 20 °C. All of our resins perform best at a slightly higher temperature; this varies by resin, but generally above 31 °C. To achieve the best print results, the printer must warm the resin in its tank by about 11 °C before starting a print. This can take over 30 minutes, especially in colder environments.
The latest firmware update drastically reduces this lag time by predicting when you’re getting ready to print and automatically starting the pre-heating process.
Pre-Heating Based on Behavior
Our engineers explored a few options to reduce the waiting time for pre-heating: running the heater at a higher temperature, reducing the temperature that triggers printing, and running the heater continuously.
Ultimately, we decided that the best option was to start pre-heating sooner. Through research and testing, we identified three actions that indicate a user is starting a print:
- Interacting with the printer’s touch screen
- Opening the printer’s cover
- Uploading a print to the printer
Any of these behaviors trigger the Form 2’s heater to turn on and begin the pre-heating process. If a print isn’t started within 30 minutes, the heater automatically turns off.
Many Form 2 users print multiple builds in a row. To reduce downtime between prints, the tank also remains heated for 30 minutes after a print has completed.
What Else is New?
In addition to reducing wait time for pre-heating, this week’s firmware update also resolves a bug that caused the printer to display the error message “Resin Sensor Error” for some users. Read the release notes for more details.
Learn more about the inner workings of stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers in our Ultimate Guide to SLA.