Warning:
Resin and solvent may cause skin irritation or an allergic skin reaction. Wear gloves when handling liquid resin, resin-coated surfaces, or solvent. Wash skin with plenty of soap and water.
WHITE PAPER
Cleaning the Form 3/Form 3L garage fiducial board
Cleaning the Form 3/Form 3L garage fiducial board
Form 3 and Form 3L generation printers run a test before and during the printing process to ensure the accuracy and strength of the laser beam. The printer fires the laser at an internal target called the garage fiducial board and measures the reflected light to calibrate laser power and galvanometer drift for the printing process. If the garage fiducial board is contaminated with resin or other debris, the printer may be unable to properly calibrate the laser’s accuracy, leading to failed prints.
Inspect and clean the garage fiducial board if an extensive resin spill leads to continued print failures or if directed to by Formlabs Support.
Required supplies
- Nitrile gloves
- Flashlight, LED, or cell phone light
- Mirror or cell phone camera
- Clean microfiber cloth
- Form 3 printers only: 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol (IPA), non-recycled
- Form 3L printers only: Water
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Removing the consumables
Always remove the build platform, resin cartridge, and resin tank before performing maintenance on the printer to avoid dripping resin into the printer cavity.
- Lift the platform lock and remove the build platform.
- Close the resin cartridge vent cap and remove the resin cartridge.
- Remove the resin tank from the printer and place it in its case.
- Cover the resin tank case and set it aside with the build platform and resin cartridge on a clean, flat surface.
Inspecting the garage fiducial board
Inspect the garage fiducial board for dust, debris, or resin contamination.
- Form 3 generation printers
On the touchscreen, tap the gear icon to enter the Settings menu, then tap Maintenance > Motor Moves. The Motor Moves screen appears. Tap and hold Left (<) to move the LPU housing to the middle of the printer cavity
On the touchscreen, tap the wrench icon to access the Maintenance screen, then tap Motor Moves. The Motor Moves screen appears. Tap and hold Left (<) to move the LPU housing to the middle of the printer cavity.
- Form 3L generation printers
- Disconnect the power cable before continuing with maintenance.
- The garage fiducial board is located in the LPU garage, the space on the right side of the printer where the LPU housing sits when the printer is idle. Use a small mirror, cell phone camera, or other similar device to look up at the ceiling of the LPU garage. Shine a secondary light source (for example, a flashlight, LED or cell phone light) onto the garage fiducial board to reveal any hidden contamination on the surface.
Viewing the Form 3 garage fiducial board
Removing dust and other contaminants
Remove dust and other contaminants, which can interfere with the laser.
- Clean the garage fiducial board.
- Form 3 generation printers: Use a small amount of IPA with a clean microfiber cloth to clean the Form 3 garage fiducial board.
- Form 3L generation printers: Use a small amount of water with a clean microfiber cloth to clean the Form 3L garage fiducial board.
Warning:
Do not use IPA to clean the Form 3L garage fiducial board. The Form 3L garage fiducial board markings are printed on metal and can be wiped away if cleaned with IPA.
- Allow the garage fiducial board to air dry.
Completing maintenance
After cleaning the garage fiducial board, power on the printer to complete the maintenance process and perform final checks.
- Reinsert the consumables.
- Close the printer cover and connect the power cable to the printer and the power supply. The printer initializes and the LPU moves back to its home position to perform a calibration.
- Run a test print, checking for dimensional inaccuracy or any other print defects or failures.
If you continue to experience issues after cleaning the Form 3 or Form 3L garage fiducial board, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.