Nylon 12 Tough Powder requires aging and bed temperature tuning before first use. After aging the powder, but prior to printing as normal, fine-tune your Fuse 1+ 30W printer to set up your prints for success. Fine-tuning the bed temperature prior to printing your first build results in fewer surface defects on your parts caused by variable printer temperatures. This process is run as a diagnostic print, uploaded through PreForm to the printer. The print contains several parts that need to be cleaned and inspected to determine the necessary temperature offset for your printer.
Formlabs offers two bed temperature tuning test prints: one for Default (v2.0) print settings and one for Legacy (v1.1) print settings. For the Default print settings test, run this process using the previously-aged powder, refreshed with the same percentage of fresh powder you intend to use in production. For the Legacy print settings test, run this process using the previously-aged powder, refreshed with 20% fresh powder.
Note:
Default (v2.0) Bed Temperature Tuning print in PreForm
Legacy (v1.1) Bed Temperature Tuning print in PreForm
Run the Bed Temperature Tuning Print
Notice:
If you have previously used the printer with an applied offset, reset the printer’s offset to 0 prior to beginning the fine-tuning process. This can be done by following the directions to Set the bed temperature offset, and setting the printer offset to 0.
Note:
If the print fails towards the start due to bed tearing, reduce the Bed Temperature Target by 2 °C and retry the print.
Clean the parts
Once the print completes, parts can be extracted from the build chamber by using the Fuse Sift or the Fuse Depowdering Kit. Excess powder can be sifted with fresh powder and re-used.
Parts should be fully cleaned of powder prior to inspection either by the Fuse Blast or other media blasting solutions. Extract the five plaques.
On the Default (v2.0) print setting test print, each plaque has nine clearance pieces. On the Legacy (v1.1) print setting test print, each plaque has cones on a grid. The additional flat plaques in the build are used to create equal cooling and separation between each cone plaque and can be discarded.
Example of a cleaned plaque from the Default (v2.0) print settings test print ready for inspection.
Example of a cleaned plaque from the Legacy (v1.1) print settings test print ready for inspection.
Each plaque is listed with the temperature offset it was printed with (-2 ºC, -1 ºC, 0 ºC, +1 ºC, +2 ºC). Line the plaques up from -2 ºC to +2 ºC to prepare for inspection.
Evaluating the Default (v2.0) print setting test
Inspect the plaques
Note:
If the test print fails and not all plaques are completed, complete the inspection using the plaques that printed successfully. The correct offset will be included in the parts that printed successfully.
To determine the appropriate temperature offset for your printer:
Plaque with clearance pieces punched out
After inspecting and testing all five plaques, determine the correct offset temperature that best matches the above criteria, by using the temperature offsets listed on the plaques. This offset can then be manually set on the machine.
If the 725 µm piece cannot be pressed out of the coldest (−2 °C) plaque, the bed temperature is still too hot. Decrease the bed temperature offset on the printer to −3 °C and run the tool again. This will test offsets ranging from −1 °C to −5 °C.
If the 600 µm circle pops out of the hottest (+2 °C) plaque, the bed temperature is still too cold. Increase the bed temperature offset on the printer to +3 °C and run the tool again. This will test offsets ranging from +5 °C to +1 °C.
After the second round, select the offset corresponding to the plaque that best meets the acceptance criteria. If none of the plaques meet the criteria, contact Formlabs Support for further assistance.
Note:
The correct offset temperature may lie between two plaques, and the correct offset may be a half degree between the printed plaques (ie. +1.5 ºC).
Example test results
Example 1:
This result corresponds to applying a 0 ºC bed temperature offset, since the 0 ºC plaque is the coldest one that retained the 600 µm piece. The plaques are arranged from -2 ºC to +2 ºC from left to right.
Example 2:
This result corresponds to applying a +1 ºC bed temperature offset, since the +1 ºC plaque is the coldest one that retained the 600 µm piece. The plaques are arranged from -2 ºC to +2 ºC from left to right.
Evaluating the Legacy (v1.1) print setting test
Inspect the plaques
Note:
If the test print fails and not all plaques are completed, complete the inspection using the plaques that printed successfully. The correct offset will be included in the parts that printed successfully.
To determine the appropriate temperature offset for your printer, look for the plaque at the coldest temperature setting that has the fewest instances or no instances of orange peel.
Rotate the plaques to inspect the cones from all angles. Orange peel appears as a slightly layered surface on the cones.
After inspecting all five plaques, determine the correct offset temperature that best matches the above criteria, by using the temperature offsets listed on the plaques. This offset can then be manually set on the machine.
If severe orange peel is present on the hottest plaque, +2 ºC is still too cold. Increase the bed temperature target on the printer to +2 ºC and run the print again. If the coldest plaque (-2 ºC) shows no orange peel, then it is still too hot. Reduce the bed temperature target on the printer to -2 ºC and run the print again.
Note:
The correct offset temperature may lie between two plaques, and the correct offset may be a half degree between the printed plaques (ie. +1.5 ºC).
Set the Bed Temperature Target
The Bed Temperature Target can be adjusted by up to ±5 °C in 0.25 °C increments. After completing the Bed Temperature Tuning Print, adjust the Bed Temperature Target on the printer to match the offset determined during the Bed Temperature Tuning inspection.
Note:
Two printers operating side by side may require different Bed Temperature Targets.
To adjust the Bed Temperature Target:
