FOR ORIGINAL PRUSA SL1
When you print on SLA printers, you may encounter several print quality issues. The following section will help you recognize them and solve them.
We have assembled a list of the most common issues related to 3D printing and we’re offering properly tested solutions. Each issue has a clear high-resolution photograph, a detailed explanation of the subject and a checklist of tips & tricks on how to improve 3D print quality.
This includes instructions for software settings and even best practices for specific prints and materials, where applicable. Hopefully, this guide will save you hours of frustration - if you feel it's useful to you please share it & tell others!
If you notice during the printing process that no object appeared on the printing platform, it usually means that the first layer didn’t adhere properly, or the object detached mid-print. To rule out slicing-related issues, try printing a sample (pre-sliced) object first.
In case the first layer did not stick to the printing platform, it remained stuck at the bottom of the tank.
If the print does not appear on the printing platform, nor at the bottom of the resin tank, there are a couple of possible causes: insufficient exposure times, faulty UV panel, faulty LCD screen, or there’s too much isopropyl alcohol in the resin.
The Original Prusa SL1 3D printer can produce objects with an incredible amount of details - tiny wrinkles on clothes of a figure, structure of a skin, thin railings on buildings… however, in case the printed object is missing incredibly tiny details (not entire parts of the model), it can be due to incorrect exposure times.
If the printed object detaches from supports mid-print, it usually falls into the resin tank, while the supports are still attached to the printing platform.
Broken supports (or missing parts of supports) are usually caused by incorrect settings in PrusaSlicer - the supports are either too thin or the exposure time is set to too low value.
A skewed/deformed print is usually caused by loose screws - either the large black knob at the top of the cantilever, or the resin tank screws are not properly tightened.
In some cases, a print can finish even if some parts of the object weren’t fully printed, but a missing part of an object will more often cause the whole print job to fail.
Even though SLA printers can achieve much better resolution than standard FFF/FDM 3D printers, layers on objects can be still visible if you look very closely.
If you encounter delamination, separated layers or missing layers, the cause is usually in a broken SL1 / STL file - it’s a different case than a lack of supports.
Resins have a tendency to expand by several micrometers after they are cured. These expansions and resulting forces can lead to layer warping and layer separation. However, these errors are usually limited to large solid layers.
Large holes in printed objects are almost exclusively caused by dirt on the FEP foil. Tiny pieces of debris on the bottom of the tank will block the light from reaching the resin correctly.
Those bubbles or small scratches appearing like cracks appearing on the object are caused by small dirt in the tray or in the resin you are using.
When your printer emits loud noises that sound like hammering into a sheet metal, it can be caused by a clogged (flooded) sensor of the tilt mechanism.
The printing platform must be perfectly flat and degreased to ensure that the first prints are properly attached.
