fep vat for peopoly moai

thingiverse

Update 4/4/2018: The vat is working, but there are some leaks while printing. This is likely due to the metal plate pressing on the FEP film and slightly opening the TPU joint. I'm giving up on this FEP vat as DLP resins aren't as good as PE Poly resin in my opinion, but feel free to print it. I've sent the SW files as requested here in the comments based on https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2216068. Be very careful when protecting your galvos! First test it with water inside to check for any leaks during printing. The vat holds a limited amount of resin, so be cautious not to overfill it like I did with my custom vat - some resin went inside the PM motor. When my PM motor is repaired, I'll test and modify the main tank to hold more resin, but this version works fine for me. Fill the vat with resin when the build plate is inside first, but not too much! Print all parts except the joints in PLA 0.2mm with supports for hexahedral holes. Print the joints using Sainsmart TPU. Use FEP 150 microns thickness. To set up: Z-offset the Moai to 1700 and then slowly increase Z until the build plate touches the FEP, applying a little tension on the springs. My final settings were at 1750. The tensioner has a glass support. A 137mm or 138mm wide glass with an EP 5mm thickness is needed for the FEP film to rest straight. Glue it with epoxy and round the edges of the glass at the corners with a grinder (corundum). It's better to print the tensioner before cutting the glass, as PLA can be unpredictable. The calculated width is 138mm, but you may get a much lower width. So, print the tensioner and measure for the glass width.