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Troubleshooting

There are unique situations you may encounter when operating the printer. This section has compiled a partial list of these situations and methods of troubleshooting them.

NOTE: Unless troubleshooting steps require the printer to operate, shut down the printer and unplug it before performing troubleshooting steps.

Print Failures

# Issue Description Customer Troubleshooting Steps
1 Supporting architecture not generating properly during part building

This can be caused by:

  1. Not enough material in the print tray. To prevent this, be sure to fill material back up to the minimum level specified in this guide before building.
  2. Cold material. Be sure the room where you store material and the room you print at is kept within the temperature limits expressed in this manual.

If you have taken both of these steps and still have issues printing supports, please contact your authorized print-material provider.

2

Delamination between layers - this is separation of printed layers, which do not cure together properly

delamination.jpg

This can be caused by:

  1. Not enough material in the print tray. To prevent this, be sure to fill material back up to the minimum level specified in this guide before building.
  2. Spilled print material gets in between the projector's radiation path and the print surface. In this case, remove the print tray and glass print base, and clean both components. Inspect the lower print chamber to see if material has spilled inside. If so, the printer must be returned to 3D Systems for cleaning.

    CAUTION: Do not attempt to clean anything in the lower print chamber. Doing so risks further damage to the printer. Only certified service personnel may clean the components of the lower print chamber.

    projector-through-view-hole.jpg

  3. Dust on projector lens - remove the print tray and glass print base. Use a nonabrasive, lint-free paper towel or microfiber cloth to wipe the projector lens.
  4. The part orientation on the print platform can contribute to delamination. Parts with large, flat surfaces should be placed at an angle when setting up the build file in 3D Sprint. This reduces the surface area of the part being cured on a given layer, decreasing likelihood of delamination.
  5. Print-tray film scratched, dented, hazy/dirty- particularly in the failed area of the build. If scratched or dented, it is best to replace the tray. If hazy/dirty, clean the tray as in the section Clean Print Platform and Print Tray.
  6. Glass print base might be dirty or damaged. Clean plate as in the section Clean Glass Print Base. If damaged the plate needs to be replaced.
3 Shifting - layers on the printed part have shifted in the X or Y direction

This can be caused by:

Hardware

Run elevator diagnostics. Observe the elevator motion throughout the whole process. If it moves in an irregular motion, contact your authorized print-material provider. The printer will need to be sent in for repairs.

Part Orientation

Large, flat parts can cause a shift when built parallel to the print platform. Orienting the parts at a 5° or 10° angle will typically be enough to eliminate the shift. Thicker parts may need a larger angle.

4 Voids in printed part - holes or empty spaces where there shouldn't be

This can be caused by:

  1. Not enough material in the print tray. To prevent this, be sure to fill material back up to the minimum level specified in this guide before building.
  2. Spilled print material gets in between the projector's radiation path and the print surface. In this case, remove the print tray and glass print base, and clean both components. Inspect the printer to see if material has spilled inside the lower print chamber. If so, the printer must be returned to 3D Systems for cleaning.

    CAUTION: Do not attempt to clean anything in the lower printer chamber. Doing so risks further damage to the printer. Only certified service personnel may clean the components of the lower print chamber.

  3. Dust on projector lens - remove the print tray and glass print base. Use a nonabrasive, lint-free paper towel or microfiber cloth to wipe the projector lens.
  4. Cured material was left on the film from a previous build - Use Resin Mixer to feel along the print-tray film. Any place that causes the mixer to stop or jump indicates cured material. If this is the case:
    1. You must empty the print tray of all liquid material. You may do this in one of two ways:
      1. Discard the material according to all local, state, and federal regulations.
      2. Pour the material into another compatible print tray, as seen in the section Print-Tray Material Cross Usage.
    2. Pour recommended solvent into the print tray.

    3. Allow the partially cured part to soak in the solvent long enough for it to swell in size.

    4. Use the Resin Mixer to gently scrape the part off the film.

      CAUTION: Putting too much pressure on the print-tray film can puncture the film. The film cannot be replaced by itself; if the film is damaged, the whole print tray must be replaced.

5

Poor surface quality on side walls - specs dotting part surface

bad-side-wall-of-build.jpg

 

This is a sign of debris in the print tray. Ensure that the print tray is clean of debris in between builds. The side walls should look like the image below:

side-walls-good.jpg

6 Part not accurate in the X/Y direction Run the Accuracy Wizard in 3D Sprint, as seen in the section Accuracy Wizard.
7 Part not accurate in the Z direction

In 3D Sprint, change the Scaling Factor Z field under Build Styles. For assistance in testing the Z scale of your parts, contact 3D Systems Customer Service.

sprint z percentage 101.jpg

Hardware Issues

# Issue Description Customer Troubleshooting Steps
1 Glass print base broken
The plate will need to be replaced. Call your authorized print-material provider for replacement information. Please see the section Clean Glass Print Base for instructions on preventing this from happening. glass-bottom.jpg
2 Print Tray Damaged on Single Spot Over Time

Print tray will need to be replaced if damaged. To avoid this damage in the future, do not print the same object on the same location of the build platform repeatedly. If you must build the same object repeatedly, move the object to a different area of the print platform in 3DSprint each time.

Network Issues

# Issue Description Customer Troubleshooting Steps
1 Computer unable to connect to printer because you access the internet via proxy.

Check computer's proxy settings. You must not be using a proxy server to access your network. Follow these steps to disable a proxy server in Windows 10:

  1. Navigate to the Internet Options screen by typing "internet options" in the search bar and selecting the dialog.
internet-options.png
  1. Click the Connections tab.
connections-tab.png
  1. Click the LAN Settings button.
lan-settings.png
  1. Uncheck the Use a proxy server for your LAN... checkbox.
proxy-v2.jpg
2 Computer unable to connect to printer because of network firewalls Contact your network administrator. The printer's IP address must be added as an exception on your firewall.

Printer Diagnostics

Printer Diagnostics allows the user to test certain functions of the printer to either confirm their operation or diagnose certain issues. Running these diagnostics can help both you and 3D Systems in determining the cause of potential issues with the printer. The following sections describe the different functions of Printer Diagnostics. You can enter this mode whenever the printer is powered on and in idle mode (not printing).

Open Printer Diagnostics

  Printer Message Translation
Press the power button twice to enter the "Printer Diag" screen. printer-diag.jpg

Printer Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

 

In this dialog, you can access the following diagnostics and sub-diagnostics:

  1. Motor Diagnostics
    1. Elevator Diagnostics
    2. Tilt Motor Diagnostics
  2. Barcode Scan Diagnostics
  3. Projector Diagnostics

Motor Diagnostics

This diagnostic exists to test both the elevator motor and tilt-tray motor. You will need to test the elevator motor if, for example, the print platform does not move to its proper offload position after printing. You will need to test the tilt motor if, for example, printed parts are not peeling off the print-tray film properly.

CAUTION: You must remove the print tray and print platform before beginning this process. Failure to do so risks damaging the printer.

CAUTION: Do NOT put your hands, or any other object, inside the printer during motor diagnostics.

NOTE: It is best to have the printer door open during diagnostics in order to watch the elevator motor and tilt motor go through their motions.

 

Elevator Diagnostics

  Printer Message Translation
  1. On the Printer Diag screen, hold down the power button to get to the Motor Diag screen.
printer-diag.jpg

Printer Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Motor Diag screen, hold down the power button once more to get to the Elevator Diag screen.
motor-diag.jpg Motor Diagnostics
Hold button to continue
  1. On the Elevator Diag screen, hold down the power button to enter the diagnostic.
elevator-diag.jpg Elevator Diagnostic
Hold button to continue
  1. The elevator will move to its Home position and then hit its upper and lower limits. During this process, you will see the screen at the right.
warning-moving-elevator.jpg

Moving Elevator
Hold to abort

  1. Once you see the following screen, the Elevator Diagnostic has completed successfully.
diag-complete-successfully.jpg Diagnostic complete

Tilt Motor Diagnostics

  Printer Message Translation
  1. On the Printer Diag screen, hold down the power button to get to the Motor Diag screen.
printer-diag.jpg

Printer Diagnostic
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Motor Diag screen, hold down the power button to get to the Elevator Diag screen.
motor-diag.jpg

Motor Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Elevator Diag screen, press the power button to get to the Tilt Motor Diag screen.
elevator-diag.jpg

Elevator Diagnostic
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Tilt Motor Diag screen, hold down the power button to enter the diagnostic.
tilt-motor-diag.jpg

Tilt Motor Diagnostic
Hold btn to continue

  1. The tilt motor will move to its Home position and then hit its upper and lower limits. During this process, you will see the screen at the right.
warning-moving-tilt-motor.jpg Warning
Moving tilt motor
  1. Once you see the following screen, the Tilt Motor Diagnostic has completed successfully.
diag-complete-successfully.jpg Diagnostic complete

Exit Motor Diagnostics

You may exit motor diagnostics by:

  Printer Message Translation
  1. Pressing the power button any time before starting one of the diagnostics.
    1. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg Exit menu?
Hold button to exit
  1. Aborting the diagnostic that is currently running by pressing the power button. You will see the screen at the right.
elevator-error.jpg

Diagnostic complete
Elevator error

  1. Press the power button to see the the screen at the right.
  2. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg

Exit menu?
Hold button to exit

 

NOTE: Please see the section Diagnostics Messages for a full list and description of messages you may see during this process.

Test Scanner

This diagnostic exists to test the barcode scanner on the printer. You will need to test barcode scan if, for example, a barcode on a material bottle will not scan properly. In a case such as this, testing the scanner can either confirm or eliminate the scanner as the cause of the issue.

  Printer Message Translation
  1. On the Printer Diag screen, hold down the power button to get to the Motor Diag screen.
printer-diag.jpg

Printer Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Motor Diag screen, press the power button to get to the Test Scan screen.
test-scan.jpg

Test Scanner
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Test Scan screen, hold down the power button to enter the diagnostic. You will see the screen at the right, which indicates that the scanner is ready to read a barcode.
scan-test.jpg

Scan test
Barcode

  1. Print out this page and scan the following QR code:
    scan-test-qr-code.png
scan-bottle-qr-user-guide.jpg  
  1. After the scan completes, you will see one of two messages on the printer screen:
   
  1. If you see the "Scan Test Failed" message, press the power button to exit the diagnostic. This message could mean one of three things:
    1. The barcode you printed out from this page is corrupted. Please print the page out again and run the scan diagnostic once more.
    2. The scanner has some sort of interference. Please check the clear scanner cover to ensure it is clean of debris and fingerprints, and run the scan again.
    3. If you performed steps i and ii, and the test scan still does not complete, the scanner is damaged in some way. Call your authorized print-material provider.
scan-test-failed.jpg

Scan test
failed

  1. If you see the "Scan Test Complete" message, the barcode scan was successful. Press or hold down the power button to exit the diagnostic.
scan-test-complete.jpg

Scan test
complete

Exit Test Scanner Diagnostic

You may exit Test Scanner diagnostics by:

  Printer Message Translation
  1. Pressing the power button any time before the diagnostic begins.
    1. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg

Exit menu?
Hold button to exit

  1. Aborting the diagnostic that is currently running by pressing the power button. You will see the screen at the right.
elevator-error.jpg

Scan test
failed

  1. Press the power button to see the the screen at the right.
  2. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg

Exit menu?
Hold button to exit

Test Projector

This diagnostic exists to test the functionality the printer's projector. You will need to test the projector if, for example, printed parts have inconsistent curing on their surfaces.

WARNING: The printer will prompt you to keep the printer door closed during this diagnostic. To prevent yourself from looking at the light emitting from the printer, Keeping the printer door shut is necessary whenever the projector is active.

 

  Printer Message Translation
  1. On the Printer Diag screen, hold down the power button to get to the Motor Diag screen.
printer-diag.jpg

Printer Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Motor Diag screen, press the power button to get to the Test Scan screen.
motor-diag.jpg

Motor Diagnostics
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Test Scan screen, press the power button to get to the Test Projector screen.
test-scan.jpg

Test Scanner
Hold button to continue

  1. On the Test Projector screen, hold down the power button to begin the diagnostic.
test-projector.jpg Test Projector
Hold button to continue
  1. You will see the screen at the right during the test. The test will measure the projector's power output.
testing-projector-warning.jpg

Testing projector

  1. Depending on the outcome of the test, you will see one of the following screens:
   
  1. If you see the "Projector Test Failed" screen, it means that the projector is damaged in some way. Call your authorized print-material provider for assistance.
projector-test-failed.jpg

Projector test
failed

  1. If you see the "Projector Test Complete" screen, the projector is functioning normally.
projector-test-complete.jpg

Projector test
successful

Exit Test Projector Diagnostics

You may exit Test Projector Diagnostics by:

  Printer Message Translation
  1. Pressing the power button any time before the diagnostic begins.
    1. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg

Exit menu?
Hold button to exit

  1. Aborting the diagnostic that is currently running by pressing the power button. You will see the screen at the right.
projector-test-failed.jpg

Projector test
failed

  1. Press the power button to see the screen at the right.
  2. Hold down the power button to exit.
exit-menu.jpg

Exit menu?
Hold button to exit

 

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