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Cleaning the roller holder (Formlabs LFS printers)

Cleaning the roller holder

The roller holder is mounted on top of the Light Processing Unit (LPU) housing and allows for smooth movement of the LPU housing across the flexible film interior. The roller holder also houses the glass optical window. A clean roller holder protects the flexible film and preserves print quality.

Notice:

Clean the roller holder after every 30,000 layers printed. Replace the roller holder when it is damaged and does not move smoothly or after 300,000 layers. To find this information, tap Settings > System > Printer Details > Usage Statistics. Inspect the roller holder if you experience print quality issues.

Required supplies:

Isopropyl alcohol
Non-reactive nitrile gloves
PEC*PADs or low-fiber paper towels

Form 3 generation roller holder

To clean the roller holder:

Put on a new, clean pair of nitrile gloves.
Bring the LPU housing out of its garage on the right side of the printer.
- Form 3 generation: Tap Settings > Maintenance > 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: Tap Maintenance > Clean Optics + Roller Holder. Follow the on-screen instructions to move the LPU housing to the middle of the printer cavity.
Add a small amount of clean isopropyl alcohol to a PEC*PAD or low-fiber paper towel.
Wipe the PEC*PAD or paper towel across the roller holder to remove any dust or debris that has accumulated. Do not wipe the dust or debris into the printer cavity containing the glass optical window.
If any streaks remain, remove the roller holder to access both sides of the glass optical window.
- Form 3 generation: Follow all the steps in the guide Cleaning the Form 3 roller holder [EN] [DE] [ES] [FR] [IT] [JA] [ZH].
- Form 3L generation: Follow all the steps in the guide Cleaning the Form 3L roller holder [EN] [DE] [ES] [FR] [IT] [JA] [ZH].