Faster Resin Exposure Tests - How the Elegoo Exposure Test Finder Works

[@MrNBridger]

We need this feature on all printers.

[@FauxHammer]

Agreed

[@T1000-s6l]

Just a note, it doesn't work on all printers but should on quite a few, I purchased the Saturn 3 Ultra thanks to FH and it works ok that

[@T1000-s6l]

Here is a link to the list of the printers it should work with

[@Kathdath]

Thankyou. Had been desperately searching for a proper explanation and instructions for this feature. I had actually been getting frustrated with constantly being refered to your earlier short that briefly discussed this feature, but lacked actual instructions.

[@Philozbosc]

Thanks! Very helpful. Let's get startet!

[@S.A.S.H.]

I vote for more quick tips. Thanks for this one as I'm just getting ready to go back into "production" with resin after a five year hiatus.

[@alfredanil]

me too 👍

[@Choom42]

Bought a 4 Ultra 2 months ago at launch, great tip to dial in the exposure, thanks!

[@robinbiggs3577]

Great short video. How about a video on correct disposal of the cleaning fluid all the resin companies are very vague on this especially with the water washable resins keep up the great work

[@yourgoodliness]

Thanks for the guide! I personally do like these no-nonsense short form instructional videos, especially with added guidance and your own hard learned tips.

[@GeekDetour]

Ross, this was REALLY GOOD. I was planning on doing basically this video, but you did such a great job... It is not "necessary" from me anymore 🤣😭👍

[@jessicaalvis7063]

Yes, yes it is necessary for you to do it anyways. Because I enjoy just listening to you two lovely nerds talking ❤ I just added a resin printer to my Christmas wishlist. A Saturn 4 ultra.

[@craigells4151]

I was making the assumption about the machine populating the multiple prints, thank you for clearing it up😊

[@FauxHammer]

No worries. I made the same assumption initially.

[@scottdecleene6071]

Thank you for this guide. I am almost ready to start printing with my Ultra 4 and this should help.

[@Blackchance]

Thanks for this video. I have been absolutely going crazy trying to calibrate resin on my Ultra 4. I didn't realize that it flipped (or didn't flip?) the build plate from what showed in Chitubox. I had assumed that the top left *on the plate* was the #1 spot. You're a lifesaver!

[@FauxHammer]

Thanks, yeah me and my editor had a right time figuring this out. but the labels are there on the display. showing which section of the "Screen" the exposures are. and once you flip the plate, they are the opposite, with 8 being the shortest exposure time and 1 being the longest...

[@Blackchance]

@@FauxHammer I kept getting wildly off exposure tests, where something seemingly 0.2 off completely changed the results. But with this revelation I know I was comparing my 1 and 8 instead of my 4 and 5. 🤦 Maybe one day Elegoo (and everyone else in the biz) will actually have proper explanations for this stuff. Cheers!

[@bluetorch13]

WTF! there should be a QR code printed in the instructions of the machine with THIS VIDEO! THANK YOU! such a great feature and so freaking hard to make it work and no documentation.

[@velociraptor1969]

Great video! Thanks

[@RathOX]

great video, ty!

[@davidthorp375]

Greenday nice. Yes more of these short ones about a single tip or how to is great. Love your work

[@3DPrismaPrint]

Thanks, finally i understand how it work's. Thank you

[@erre333]

Finally 🙏🏻🙏🏻thank you for this. It’s now finally clear.

[@FauxHammer]

You’re welcome 😊

[@Old_Wizard_Minis]

S4U + sunlu abs like = easy fast flawless printing. I literally cannot wash and cure as fast as I can print now.

[@rudygarcia3398]

Great video, just got a Saturn 4 ultra. I am a Starter 3D mini parent so I have been looking for some honest opinions on the Carima CMYK non-toxic resin but can’t find any, and thought I would suggest you doing a review of it. Would love to hear your take on it. Thank you

[@MBHR]

Thanks for the guide

[@jefferynichols2549]

1 . I see you pulling out a drip tray. looks like grey silicon... What is it? And where did you get it? 2.Just ordered mine tonight. Im so glad i came across this video. i see future screws not happening now.

[@Chimer24-qs5wo]

Great video Ross, thank you 👍

[@FauxHammer]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@davidhernandezdiez]

Great content, that isnot documented by Elegoo. Really useful!

[@FauxHammer]

Thanks. Yeah it’s not at all!

[@markrutherford9870]

Great video, as always Ross. Short video on the cleanup of equipment and how to dispose of used cloths, paper towels etc would be nice. What tray was you using when removing the build plate as I noticed no elegoo bib. Amazon link would be nice. Thanks.

[@romainflechon4567]

I like those short video. I would be happy if you could make such a video about the chitu v2 anti aliasing settings. How it works, how to set, what it really does, differences between pixel blur, aa, greyscale, etc..

[@namesjamin]

First time 3D printer here 👋. I picked up a Mars 5 Ultra and had some questions about this test. How big should this be? My build plate can only fit two of these files side by side, but there is no 2 option? I see a minimum of four in this test? What am I missing? Do I need to resize the test print? Does that mess with anything?

[@wsmith9306]

Hey! just want to know what wash station you are using? I always take my prints off the bed before I wash but seeing you just put the whole plate in the wash station makes so much more sense.

[@FauxHammer]

Please don’t copy me here. This was just for keeping them in order for the shot.

[@Rileaphone]

Just a heads up I bought the standard mars 5, expecting it to also have this feature, it does not. I know it is partly my fault for not double checking (but I also feel it makes logical sense that this would come to all new models). Just an fyi for everyone looking to by the new range.

[@jaym2381]

This is something Elegoo could have explained from the outset, but thanks for taking it on. One question though: it looks like you washed the whole build plate (in the Uniformation Wash 3?). I've seen a lot of warnings to not do that because liquid will get inside the upper housing and any gunk in the liquid can foul the springs inside. Have you figured out otherwise?

[@FauxHammer]

Nope. Dont do this… took ages to empty out. I did it for the sake of keeping all the tests in the plate in the shot.

[@jaakkosippola7191]

Hi. Just to ask. Do you ever calibrate the z-offset of your printers? I did not think that this was a big deal but it seems to be a huge deal. I do not see that many videos going through the actual process of calibrating this or the burning layers. Just a small idea if you have the time.

[@UzLooKsiZ]

Can you make a video about setting up the cheat box support? What support settings do you use?

[@FauxHammer]

Have you not seen my video on supporting miniatures 😉😘

[@UzLooKsiZ]

@@FauxHammer Please provide a link to this video.

[@smtkelly]

perfect ty Elegoo could have lasered etch the numbers on to the build plate. Maybe being dyslexic I'm just going to add 3d numbers to my test prints because I know myself all to well

[@Blazedandproud420]

I'm having trouble printing this test on my brand new mars 5 ultra, using water washable 2 by elegoo. The prints come out super thin and brittle! The longest exposure is 5 seconds and doesn't get more than a few holes but many posts. It's impossible to scrape off and see it up close it breaks into tiny pieces as I take it off. I might just try a different resin since they included an abs like resin and I was hoping to no need to use that because of the cleaning supplies. Any tips or ideas would be great and I live in Los Angeles it's still fairly warm here about 75F in the days.

[@jessefurqueron5555]

@1:20 - We got caught out on the # of models to place on the build plate, initially put one (cones v3) thinking the printer would duplicate into the correct areas based on # of areas selected 🤦🏻‍♂️. Also not super intuitive as to where #1 area is once printed, had to scratch the noggin for a second or two 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️. Also the instructions for the “ordering” of decreasing/equal time exposures could use some work 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ (Future me, saw that you covered the other two items in my list as well 👍👍) But even with those minor things, it’s a major step forward over our 9yr old Reify Solus printers (ironically, they were tilting quartz beds to help w releasing) 👍👍👍 that these S4Us replace. We ditched the bib really quickly, pain in the arse to clean and cracked after a few uses. Use a 1/8 cookie sheet w appropriately sized silicon pet-mat (with firmish sidewalls). Fits in either lengthwise or crosswise quite nicely, if lengthwise (narrow end in first), can just take the plate off and lay down on mat before taking out from printer. Cookie sheets w formed in handle help a lot to maintain a good grip. One feature missed from old Solus, it had a built in angled build plate holder to drain the resin from parts back into the vat. The engineering resin we were using was $250 a liter, so every drop counted 😉. Also helped keep cleaning solution from getting dirty as fast.

[@JenserBierfan]

Hey Ross, I saw you using the Uniformation Ultra Sonic with the plate from the Saturn4. Does it fit in good or do you have to tilt it? I am currently looking for a wash station because my old one does not fit the Saturn 4 plate and I like to wash the whole plate with the print on, to reduce resin mess.

[@jcmxm]

Hola, el tiempo de exposición depende del tamaño de la impresión? Gracias

[@FauxHammer]

Hiya. No it should not. You dial in the printer for XY accuracy (and then tensile strength) and this will be the case for all the following prints (Give or take significant temperature changes)

[@jasonsinger2362]

I thought you said in the Uniformation 3 ultra they were going to have the same feature. Where is it? Heard any news when its going to be available?

[@FauxHammer]

Check my video tomorrow.

[@RolandK]

Thanks for the calibration "grid" explanation! How Elegoo even managed to leave it like this? :) Nice tool, but sooo confusing... I thought slightly different initially and, strange, but my tests between 2s and 3s on Elegoo ABS Like V2 resin had almost no difference (visually).

[@FauxHammer]

Thanks. Sounds like both were overexposed then?

[@BCY]

So what I have ended up doing is putting a primitive shape of a number partly attached to whatever I am slicing so I can track what is in what spot it was in after it is taken off the build plate. I don't want to stick the build plate in alcohol if I can avoid it. It has worked out well for these tests.

[@FauxHammer]

Smart idea. I should have done this

[@BCY]

@@FauxHammer The one thing that would make this a really foolproof option though would be the ability to modify the base layer times. I still end up having to upload a modified file to deal with those base layers changing.

[@chaver28]

hey noob here, do i need to clean out the vat after every build? or is that only after failed builds

[@FauxHammer]

only if there are specs of cured resin still in the vat.

[@chaver28]

@@FauxHammer thank you for the help :)

[@paulwingrove7105]

Any way of getting getting this to work on the earlier saturns?

[@FauxHammer]

Not with this Method. But I think UV tools has a similar way that works on some machines

[@GregAtlas]

I wish this was an option on older printers. Maybe one day we'll get a custom firmware similar to how we can use Marlin or Klipper.

[@monkeydoom]

Any chance we'll see the combat patrol contents soon?

[@jod3000]

I'm fairly sure Hachette have been fairly tight lipped about this one but I'd love to be proven wrong @Fauxhammer ?

[@bastianvogelsberger658]

Ross, what are your favourite AA settings for miniatures on S4U using Chitubox?

[@FauxHammer]

Minimal AA, but enable 2x Image Blur. though they changed it in Chitubox Basic and I haven't tested it yet.

[@bastianvogelsberger658]

@@FauxHammer yes, ty. They changed the settings and my results ain’t as good as they used to be on my S3U.

[@ProjectGT40]

Where did you get the silicone tray around 00:50 ??

[@FauxHammer]

Amazon. Just check for a silicone baking tray. Really handy. But sometimes too flexible.

[@Nanowith1]

About to unbox my new printer, anybody know a rough estimate of what exposure time I should use for 3um with Elegoo's Water Washable resin 2.0? All guides and help seem to only show settings for 5um and I want more granular detail.

[@MrAndyNich]

Do you know why my printer shuts down when the build plate reaches the vat? Guys on groups told me make sure all my films are removed and camera lens cap off lol. Those are removed. It still just shuts off everytime.

[@MalebogiaNemrod]

4:21 I've heard the cover or the Saturn 4 Ultra does not filter the UV. So be careful with your eyes.

[@kaharthemad]

thanks. in my old age I was looking at the counts wrong. even though you say its pretty explanatory, Im still getting used to a resin printer worth its cost instead of halot mage worth .25

[@adriandanielferu703]

dude i kinda hate you right now. i got 2 resin printers 10 days ago. a used anycubic x6ks a friend had gathering dust (got it really really cheap) and a brand new Saturn 4 ultra. 9 out of 10 prints are fails. then i watch you videos and you make it look soooo easy.

[@FauxHammer]

Sorry mate, but that's 2 bargains you got there. Did you see my video on how to print miniatures? has helped a lot of people May do a new video (get your temperature right before you begin) 1. If print aren't sticking to the plate - It's not level or your exposure test is too low/too high. 2. use an exposure test to Dial in your printer exposure to whatever you want, finding a balance between detail and success 3. fails mid print will be due to supports (you'll see thios if prints are breaking at support contact points) or you lift hights are too low. 4. Once you have success. Slowly ramp up your speeds until you start to get fails. then step back. because you found your speed limit.

[@adriandanielferu703]

@@FauxHammer my problem is the exact opposite. They stick so hard to the build plate, the only way to remove them it's in bits and pieces. Ah il crack It sooner or later. I fell like old me 13 years ago trying to make my diy fdm printer to work.

[@FauxHammer]

@@adriandanielferu703 your base exposure times are too high then, this is the only reason. But you may be making them that high to compensate for low temperature or an uneven plate

[@harikriz369]

🙏🏻thank you..

[@FauxHammer]

Happy to help

[@davidpadilla2280]

Just bought Saturn 4 damn this feature its for ultra version :(

[@Anne3000]

👍

[@javierp.a9842]

Can you model a grid only to place them right at first try?

[@FauxHammer]

I can’t. But it would be good if someone did. You’d need to delete it before slicing though

[@LordSteebu]

I think there are grids available on cults3d specific to this printer

[@FauxHammer]

@@LordSteebu that’s cool!!

[@IgnusFast]

Did you actually get successful prints down in the 1+ second range? I tried going down to just 2.25 seconds (Mars 5 Ultra) and immediately got failures with blobs stuck to the FEP...

[@FauxHammer]

With this resin I got successes. But not sharp enough so I did them higher

[@BCY]

I have printed down to a second as well with Sunlu's standard resin. Best print quality was about 1.6 seconds though. Other resins take up to 3 seconds so it all depends on what resin you are using.

[@IgnusFast]

@@BCY Makes sense - thanks for responding! I'm using Elegoo ABS-like 3.0, which has performed quite well, though doesn't seem to handle anything < 2.35s per layer. I'm completely new to resin printing, which is why I dipped my toe in with the quite affordable Mars 5 Ultra. Someday I'll pick up a large-bed printer and go to town...

[@BCY]

@@IgnusFast I have not used that stuff, if it's kinda thick it will for sure take longer. Sunlu standard gray is like water. One issue I had with that stuff is if the first layer times are any longer than like 8 seconds it sticks to the FEP. Sirayas thicker resins need up to 15-20 seconds. This thing has been a big shift for me for layer times vs my Jupiter which takes longer.

[@IgnusFast]

@@BCY I live in Arizona and routinely print in >35c temps - I doubt very many resins stay thick when it's this warm. :)

[@rmfberry261]

i didnt realize it doesnt help with bottom exposure time.

[@FauxHammer]

Yeah, for that I start high and gradually lower with each print until I get fails

[@TechBrewGamer]

I been reading them wrong all this time. blah. I set down the build plate and read the bottom right as #8, but that is number #4. what?!?!

[@SiKe_sxt]

i hate that u cant set the layer height for this test

[@MaheerKibria]

you totally can you just can't change the layer height in the device. Beceuse you need to reslice it at the layer height you want.

[@MaheerKibria]

There has to be a better way to do this. It can't be that hard to code something that would evenly space a model and make sure it falls into the appropriate areas.

[@FauxHammer]

Right now I’m just thankful for this way since we had nothing before

[@MaheerKibria]

@@FauxHammer So yes and no. Anycubic had their RERF and while not as customizable as Elegoo. It was decent in getting in the ballpark. And until this is an industry standard It's a ok that's a good reason to get elegoo ultra printers instead of their competitiion. The fact that they limited it to their ultra kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth. And lastly the fact that no one has created an automated tool for dragging in a model and creating a plate ready for this exposure test is annoying since basically it means both anycubic and elegoo couldn't be bothered beyond doing the bare minimum to say they have this feature.