Troubleshooting the Form Cure L V2
Troubleshooting the Form Cure L V2
Follow the troubleshooting steps below to resolve common issues with the Form Cure L V2. As a start, or if you encounter an issue not covered below, follow these general troubleshooting steps.
General troubleshooting steps
The following steps are recommended for most issues seen on the Form Cure L:
- Common steps for bugs, software issues, and electrical issues:
- Ensure that your unit’s firmware is up to date.
- Power cycle the unit using the switch on the rear of the machine. Leave the unit powered off for at least 30 seconds before powering back on.
- If an issue persists and the unit’s firmware is already up to date, manually reinstall the latest firmware package.
- If an issue began immediately after updating the unit’s firmware, roll back the firmware package to the previous version.
- Best practices for opening a support case with Formlabs Support:
- Provide photos of any on-screen messages and any other symptoms you are seeing, including videos of the following:
- Entire unit
- The display
- All three LED modules
- Note the context of the issue (e.g., did the issue occur immediately after installation, after a software update, etc.).
- Note the frequency of this issue and whether it is persistent or intermittent.
- Note all troubleshooting steps already attempted.
- Provide photos of any on-screen messages and any other symptoms you are seeing, including videos of the following:
Error 1, Error 2, and Error 3
Error 1 , Error 2, and Error 3 indicate that an unexpected error occurred. This may be caused by a one-off firmware error. To resolve this error, follow the general troubleshooting steps.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Error 100, Error 101, and Error 102
Error 100, Error 101, and Error 102 indicate a software malfunction. To resolve this error, follow the general troubleshooting steps.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Error 200 and Error 201
Error 200 and Error 201 indicate a temperature sensor error. To resolve this error, follow the general troubleshooting steps.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Error 202
Error 202 indicates that a LED temperature sensor in the curing chamber reported excess temperatures and has subsequently shut down to prevent permanent damage or premature failure.
To resolve this issue:
- Reseat the LED modules cables following the steps in the support article Replacing the Form Cure L V2 LED modules.
- Ensure the cooling fan is working.
- Inspect the air intakes, fan, and LED heatsinks for excessive dust buildup. Clean if necessary.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Error 203
Error 203 indicates that a temperature sensor in the curing chamber reported excess temperatures and has subsequently shut down to prevent permanent damage or premature failure.
To resolve this issue:
- Unplug the unit. Wait for the unit to cool completely before plugging back in.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Error 204 and Error 205
Error 204 and Error 205 indicate that a temperature sensor in the curing chamber reported temperatures below the minimum setpoint. If any of the heaters fail to reach their setpoints during the preprint process or cannot maintain their setpoints during a post-curing cycle, the cycle is aborted.
To resolve this issue:
- Unplug the unit. Wait for the unit to cool completely before plugging back in.
- Replace the heaters following the troubleshooting steps in the support article Replacing the Form Cure L V2 heaters.
If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.
Form Cure L fails to heat properly
If the Form Cure L takes too long to reach temperature or fails to heat properly, there may be an issue with the heaters. To resolve this issue:
- Reseat the heater cables.
- Replace the heaters.
Contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller for more information about these procedures.
LED modules do not light up
If one or more LED modules do not light up, there may be an issue with the LED module cables, or the LED modules may need to be replaced. To resolve this issue:
- Reseat the LED module cables.
- If one or more of the LED modules still does not light up, replace the affected LED module.
Contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller for more information about these procedures.
Display unresponsive or glitchy
Display malfunctions can include any of the following symptoms:
- Unresponsive display
- Glitches
- Inverted display
- Inverted colors
To resolve this issue:
- Power cycle the unit using the switch on the rear of the machine. Leave the unit powered off for at least 30 seconds before powering back on.
- Contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller if the issue persists. The unit may need to be replaced.
Turntable not spinning
If the Form Cure L’s turntable is not spinning during post-curing cycles, there could be an issue with the turntable motor. To resolve this issue:
- Inspect the curing chamber. Ensure there is no debris blocking the turntable.
- Do not overload the turntable.
- Ensure that turntable rotation is enabled. Tap the gear icon on the home screen. The Settings screen appears. Toggle Turntable rotation to ON. The toggle turns blue.
- Replace the turntable motor.
Contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller for more information about these procedures.
Tacky or weak post-cured parts
If parts are tacky or weaker than expected after post-curing, check your solvent and Form Cure L:
- Make sure your printed parts are fully dry before post-curing.
- For solvents that evaporate readily, such as IPA, make sure to allow adequate time and ventilation for all solvent to evaporate.
- For solvents that do not evaporate readily, such as TPM or Formlabs Resin Washing Solution, remember to wash the solvent off with water, as recommended.
- Consider using compressed air to aid in drying your parts.
- Check your wash solvent’s resin saturation level and replace the solvent if needed.
- The Form Cure L V2 uses three banks of LEDs to post-cure printed parts. If parts are still tacky or weak despite being fully clean and dry before post-curing, these LEDs may need to be replaced.
- On the touchscreen, tap the gear icon, then tap Usage statistics. The Usage statistics screen appears, displaying a variety of machine statistics, including LED usage. The LED modules are rated to 660 hours of use, but any degradation in performance after that point is usually gradual. You can continue to use the LED modules well past this rating, until you see adverse effects on curing performance. Production users who want to avoid downtime may want to replace the LED modules more proactively.
- Form Cure L V2 LED modules are available for purchase on the Formlabs Store. Follow the instructions in the guide for replacing the Form Cure V2 LED modules to replace the component.