This page describes troubleshooting hardware issues with the Controller and Printer that will not show an error on a controller/printer screen or via a printer stack light.
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WEAR 100% NITRILE GLOVES WHENEVER HANDLING material OR SOLVENTS |
# | Issue Description | Customer Troubleshooting Steps | ||
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HW1 |
Material cures in the resin tray from ambient light sources. |
Your 3D Systems installer will not have staged a Printer in the path of ambient UV light. Sunlight (even through windows), quartz-halogen lights, high-intensity incandescent lights, and other UV-intensive lighting can cure material quickly if the upper-build-chamber door is left open too long. Ensure that you do not change the room around a printer such that it is in the path of any of these UV sources. To clean cured material out of the resin tray:
In either case, you must discard the rest of the material in the resin tray, as you will not have a way of knowing the amount this material has cured. Discard the material according to all government regulations. |
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HW2 | Resin Tray membrane is punctured or otherwise damaged. |
The resin tray will have to be replaced. Also, see HW4 and HW5 below for how to handle any spilled material. Contact 3D Systems to order more trays. It is a good idea to have at least one extra resin tray on-hand for each Printer to reduce printer downtime. Please see the Resin Tray Care page for helpful tips on how to keep the resin tray from getting damaged. |
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HW3 | Elevator Arms are loose |
If elevator arms appear to be loose when placing a print platform on them, gently push on the arms in multiple directions to see if they move. If they do, contact 3D Systems immediately. |
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HW4 | Material spills inside machine |
Material spills in different parts of the machine will require different actions by the printer operator. Please find the scenario that matches your spill below:
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HW5 | Material spills outside machine |
Material spills outside the machine will require different actions by the printer operator. Please find the scenario that matches your spill below: Porous surfaces - These are surfaces that will absorb liquids. Examples of porous surfaces are: carpeting, unfinished wood, certain stone cards/counters. Your 3D Systems installer should not have staged a Printer on surfaces such as these, as material cannot be reliably cleaned out of them. If material spills on these, the recommendation is replace the affected sections of the surface. Non-porous surfaces - These are surfaces that will absorb little or no liquid. Examples of non-porous surfaces are: metal, glass, hard plastic, concrete, and finished wood. To clean spills on these surfaces, use paper towels to soak up as much material as possible. Use IPA and paper towels to clean residual spilled material. Discard all spilled material and cleaning materials according to all government regulations. |
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HW6.1 | Touch screen touch input not working on Controller |
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HW6.2 | Touch screen touch input not working on Printer |
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HW7.1 | Controller computer makes noise; but touch screen is blank or off |
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HW7.2 | Printer makes noise; but touch screen is blank or off |
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HW8 | Air-pressure warning does not display, but tension arms do not fully engage. |
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HW9 | Printer lower-chamber door does not close. |
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HW10 | Elevator Arms unable to lower the Print Platform onto the Resin Tray membrane's surface |
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HW11 | No power, Printer/Controller will not turn on |
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HW12 | Printer slowing down, job takes longer than expected | Contact 3D Systems Service. | ||
HW13 | Unusual odors coming from Printer |
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HW14 |
Material cartridge collapsed in the MDM Collapse exaggerated for clarity |
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HW15 | Keyboard/Touch Pad not working on Controller |
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HW16 | Material coming out of delivery tube very slowly, or not at all |
If you are getting a Material Delivery Error on the Printer screen, see item 27 in the Error Message Glossary. If you are not getting an error message, keep in mind that It is normal for little, or no, material to be flowing out of the tubing for a few minutes under the following circumstances:
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HW17 | Upper- or Lower-Chamber lights are burned out/not functioning | Contact 3D Systems Service. This will NOT affect printing. | ||
HW18 | Material-delivery Tube leaking | The tubing must be replaced, as per the section Remove/Replace MCO Tubing. See HW4, above, for information on cleaning up the leaked material. | ||
HW19 | Printer sensor not satisfied, but should be |
You might be trying to clear a message on the printer by taking steps to satisfy a sensor. For example, the printer might tell you it needs a print platform installed to continue. If you have fulfilled this condition, but the printer still shows the message, take the following steps:
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HW20 | Material cartridge is leaking |
A leaking material cartridge cannot be repaired. Please take the following steps if your cartridge is leaking:
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