$ 50 USD Voucher as compensation?
I heard from Prusa today that SL1s upgrade customers received a $ 50 USD voucher as compensation.
Can you guys confirm this?
Unfortunately, I am only a second class customer, since I "only" ordered a new SL1s and CW1s bundle. And so of course I did not receive any compensation for this excessive delivery delay.
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Confirmed.
All the extra parts...
Here are all of the old parts left from the SL1-SL1S upgrade. Planning to build a big UV flashlight for scorpion hunting and a Prusa clock with the LCD (the vat will hold electronics and the build plate will be the base). Just need to find a way to connect the board to a Raspberry Pi. I don't know if I can find the connector for the LCD or the pinout. Does anyone know?
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The main boards have the little "open source hardware" gear icon, so the schematics should be available for download somewhere.
I performed the upgrade over the weekend - full marks to Prusa for their superb instructions, the process was fiddly but very well documented and the machine went back together with no real issues at all.
The only slight issue I had was that my printer was already on 1.6.0, so it recognised the SL1S components and went through the self test and setup process - but the latest firmware is 1.6.2 which includes some important and relevant fixes. The machine didn't find 1.6.2 as an online update, but it upgraded OK using USB.
This evening I re-ran the setup process with 1.6.2 and am now running my first test print job. It didn't seem any different to the SL1 for the first few layers, but soon switched into a super fast (2 sec/layer) mode that should have it blitz through the job compared to the earlier model. Fingers crossed that it prints OK.
I have absolutely no idea what to do with the box of removed components. The plastic tank feels like a downgrade from the nice solid aluminium one, and it's not at all obvious why the earlier tank shouldn't be usable (maybe just a little too small?). As for the other parts, I really don't have space to just keep them kicking about while they mature and become even more obsolete.
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So, good news and bad news...
It's undeniably fast, no problem at all curing each layer in just 2 seconds.
Unfortunately my print job - the 'drum' example project - failed about half way through by detaching from the platform. The base was oddly curved instead of flat, suggesting it had started to detach very early on, and the little contact patch that was just clinging on eventually let go.
Not quite sure what to do about that. I've restarted the job with the profile (same page in the UI as the exposure times) set to 'slower'.
Maybe the FEP needs a wash with detergent to leave it slightly soapy? Or my (admittedly old) resin is past its best and just won't work for this job?
FEP release...
With the FEP, I tried something a long time ago that seems to work really well. I figured it was not good to have the FEP stick to anything, it's just there as a barrier to keep the resin from leaking. So I avoided cleaning the FEP with alcohol and instead used plastic cleaner / polish. I think the cleaner may have some wax type of substance too because after I use it the FEP is really slick. If you're in the states, a similar product is "Pledge". It's a furniture cleaner / wax. I also thoroughly clean the build plate with alcohol. I figured this way the prints stick to the plate, but not to the FEP. And I have had very few failures since using this technique (more likely due to my poorly-placed supports).
I do know that I have more failures when the FEP is fresh as opposed to older FEP that is more broken-in.
Yup
I mean, they say right in the manual never to hit the FEP with alcohol, and only wash it with soap and water. I had a few failures early on, but since I started making sure my build platform was scrupulously cleaned with alcohol before each print and re-calibrating the printer, I have had no more problems with detached prints at all, thankfully!
Shipment notice today
Got my shipment notice today for SL1 -> SL1S Speed upgrade (order date 18.06.2021).
Included in the order was some Clear Tough Resin witch was out of stock - The order was changed to the new Prusament Resin Tough Anthracite Grey. Excited to try out that new resin...
Have a look at my models on Printables.com 😉
Received the upgrade today
Just received the upgrade kit today (that was fast...).
The extra ordered Prusament resin and the spare vat is apparently in another package and that did not arrive today.
Have a look at my models on Printables.com 😉
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I tried to do my first 'real' print today, with some mixed results and an interesting outcome. The job itself was a simple enough model about the size and shape of a matchbox, and it should print OK directly on the build plate without supports.
The first print failed in much the same way as my original test prints - the base came out somewhat curved, suggesting it had partially detached from the build plate early on.
I cleaned everything and performed a recalibration, and then the next attempt didn't stick to the plate at all. Nor did the third.
I found the problem, and it's something unique to the SL1S with its plastic tank. The FEP is held on to the tank with some self tapping, dome head screws, and these are very tight indeed. Even though I did them up as tight as I could when I first assembled the printer, I noticed today that some of them had their heads sitting slightly proud of the base of the tank. This meant the tank didn't sit flat on the display, so no wonder the calibration was off and it didn't work.
I went round with a Torx driver and found that all the tank screws would take another half turn or so. Maybe today is warmer, and the plastic is softer, than when I first installed the FEP? Or maybe they've worked loose over time? Either way, they're now all tightened so the heads are fully below the bottom lip of the tank, and I recalibrated the printer again.
The next print worked fine - problem solved, I think.
As an aside, does anyone know why the new tank is needed? Changing from aluminium to plastic seems like a downgrade.
Huh...
That's definitely odd, I had to replace my FEP after the third print due to a super-heavy stick to the FEP that resulted in pulling a big wrinkle when trying to print the observation tower. But after that, I've been printing since I got it on the one FEP with no trouble at all. The Torx screws are *in there*, and no joke! I bought a new screw driver with a better handle for getting them out that made it a ton easier, the stock driver supplied with the printer is utterly useless.
I had to re-calibrate several times early on, but eventually it seems to have "settled down", and I haven't had a failed print in probably ~25-30 cycles. The new plastic tank does not have the resin leak problems that some folks reported earlier, and certainly seems robust enough to do the job! I like the *idea* of the aluminum tank, but the plastic one seems superior in function from what I've been seeing.
SL1S bundle shipped
Ordered on Jul 17, 2021.
Shipped on Oct 12, 2021
They shipped it via DHL when I asked for FedEx, but at this point, beggars can't be choosers, I guess. DHL has trouble finding my house while FedEx and UPS don't. So here's hoping it goes OK.
Good News / Bad News
The Good News is that DHL found my house. The Bad News is that they only delivered two of the three boxes.
So I have some resin and a faceguard in one box. And I have the CW1S in another box. But the printer itself is still somewhere inside the DHL system. Last update was that it left Cincinnati.
SL1S Delivered
Ordered on Jul 17, 2021
Shipped on Oct 12, 2021
Delivered on Oct 18, 2021
First impressions are good. It's impressive to see a resin with 8 second exposure time listed perform perfectly with less than half of that.
So far my only problem has been the resin level sensor claiming that the vat is "too full" when it's on or just below the maximum line. But that was easy to fix by just switching the sensor off in the menu. Turned it back on for the next print and didn't fill it so full.
RE:
Ordered: 4.11.2021
Shipped: 12.1.2022
Delivered by DPD to Germany: 17.01.2022
Shipped in 3 packages - everything works fine so far... (except the resin level sensor that wants more than 50% filled in to print a 20 ml job 😉
RE: SL1S Shipping Schedule?
From my understanding, the old aluminum tank was too heavy to move it as fast as they wanted on the new "speed" model. So, they replaced it with a carbon-infused plastic version that had significantly less mass for the motors to have to move around. Without this change, they would have to move the tray more slowly, and/or they would wear-out the motors more quickly. Neither of those was an acceptable outcome.
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As an aside, does anyone know why the new tank is needed? Changing from aluminium to plastic seems like a downgrade.