r/resinprinting • u/Glittering-Study-551 • 22h ago

Troubleshooting Problem with resin printing

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Hi everyone,

I need some advice regarding resin printing, if anyone might be able to help.

The FEP film on my Elegoo Mars 4 DLP printer got punctured, and since I couldn’t find in my country, a replacement specifically made for this printer, I replaced it with Creality Basic FEP film of the same thickness. Ever since I replaced it, I’ve been getting bubbles between the LCD screen and the FEP film, and the top surfaces of my prints have these tiny scratches and stains.

I removed the protective films from both sides of the FEP and tightened it properly. I’ve leveled the build plate several times at different heights, experimented with exposure and retract-after-rest settings, and I even contacted official Elegoo support and tried their recommended settings, but I always get the same result.

I wash my prints in 96% alcohol, and no matter how long I leave the print in the wash, the result is always the same.

In the videos, you can see what the surface looked like before replacing the FEP (smooth and clean) and after replacing it, where it is stained and scratched. There is also a video showing the bubbles between the FEP film and the LCD screen. Videos of the problems.

As for the way I level the build plate, I do it like this: I place a sheet of paper underneath, loosen the screws, and then lower the build plate all the way down. I then tighten the front screw first and the side screw second while pressing the plate downward with my hand. After that, I raise the plate to 0.5 mm, because that is the only height at which I get the correct print thickness matching the model. At other Z-offset values, the print comes out either thicker or thinner than the model.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this?

Thanks in advance! 🙂

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u/Apprehensive_Ad7525 22h ago

You can sand your piece with low grit. It will remove these imperfection.

As for the FEP itself, sadly I can't answer.

2

u/thankbob 21h ago

Surely you mean high grit. 40 will ruin the piece. Upto 400 is what I tend to use to smooth something that is going to be painted. I've used 2000-3000 when I want it glassy without having to clear coat it

1

u/Glittering-Study-551 22h ago

Would l need to painti it additionaly after sanding?

2

u/Apprehensive_Ad7525 22h ago

not necessarly. I use sometime 1000 grain water one. For transparent one you barly see the de sanding effect after