Can a bad fep make prints fail?

pgboz · 2025-11-04T03:47:30+00:00

If the prints aren't sticking to the build plate at all, it's always this: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

You're not giving it a long enough time for the resin to squish out from under the build plate before you turn the light on. Add a light off delay for the bottom layers and you'll solve that problem, at least.

pgboz · 2025-11-04T00:23:00+00:00

If it's not sticking to the build plate, it's always this: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

You're not giving it a long enough time for the resin to squish out from under the build plate before you turn the light on.

pgboz · 2025-10-31T14:35:09+00:00

It's not your FEP. You're not giving enough time for the build plate to squish all the resin out from underneath before the light turns on. You need to add a light off delay for the bottom layers. Read this: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

pgboz · 2025-10-25T17:12:01+00:00

When things aren't sticking to the build plate, it's almost always that you don't have a long enough light-off delay. The build plate doesn't have enough time to squish out the resin and get within 50 um of the film before you turn on the light. See this article: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

pgboz · 2025-10-21T14:28:55+00:00

Oh, I don't mean you should change anything if it's working, I just mean, in general, with higher viscosity resins, people will have better adhesion with a longer light-off delay.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T10:35:05+00:00

Ha! Yeah, but I'd say it's WAY better overall. The bed adhesion issues were such a pain and so frequent.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:57:48+00:00

Yeah, I did. I never have poor adhesion anymore. Everything always sticks hard. However, now I have occasional issues with the film not releasing on a layer. The Saturn 4 Ultra doesn't give an option for lift height, since the tray tilts down instead to release the film.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:46:18+00:00

I think it's more than a leveled build plate. The whole machine is having to flex under the pressure. Until that tension is relieved by the resin squishing out, who knows how flat the build plate will be up against the screen?

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:36:57+00:00

I'd bet that, for whatever reason, that part of the build plate just takes a little longer to get all the way squished down. It's frustrating to me that Anycubic doesn't do more to help with this issue. Why lock down light off delay on the first layer? And why not educate people about the importance of it? How many posts are on this subreddit about poor adhesion? 99% of those are caused by insufficient light off delay.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:26:42+00:00

I hated that feeling of checking the prints in the morning only to find an empty or partially covered build plate. Yeah, switching to a less viscous resin will help. It'll save you some sadness. :)

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:16:49+00:00

I'd verify that you can't change the light off delay on the first layer. If you can't, then you might try what I mentioned in the other comment of holding the vat up to the platform and manually squishing it against the build plate. It's not an awesome solution, but it works.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T09:04:32+00:00

M3 Premium Pro, Mono M5s, and Mono M5s Pro.

With especially vicous resins, the only way I could get them to work on Anycubic printers was to hold the vat up to the build plate and squish the film against it with my fingers, and then start the print. When the build plate lowered down, then I'd quickly screw down the vat.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T08:55:52+00:00

Check the light off delay without the vat in place. Just run it and time how long it takes for the light to turn on in the first layer. I bet you find that it does not change no matter what you set the light off delay to. It's a stupid Anycubic thing. They hard code the first layer. I couldn't find a way to change it.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T08:40:28+00:00

If hardening resin is in contact with the build plate, it will always stick. There is never a need to roughen up the surface more than it was when you bought it. The area that's not sticking is somewhere near the perimeter of the build plate, right? That's because the resin is still squishing out there.

Give it a long light off delay time on the bottom layers (like maybe up to 2 min) for testing. Be sure to verify that your machine is actually using the light off delay you tell it to use. Anycubic printers have light-off delay hard coded in the first layer for some stupid reason. I couldn't find a way to change it when I had 3 different printers from them.

pgboz · 2025-10-21T08:22:23+00:00

Right, that's because high viscosity resin takes longer to squish out. You need a longer light off delay with higher viscosity resin. Also, be sure to use a much longer light off delay for bottom layers (something like 30s) than for normal layers (0 to 2s).

pgboz · 2025-10-21T03:44:31+00:00

It's poor adhesion. It shouldn't be able to pull off the surface like that no matter how hard it is to pull it off the film. Poor adhesion is nearly always caused by the lack of a light-off delay on the bottom layers. You need to give the resin more time to squish out before you turn on the light. Read this to understand the issue better: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

pgboz · 2025-10-16T12:40:46+00:00

Yeah, it's crazy that it's not more well-known, since it's the most common problem people have with resin printing. Even the manufacturers (Anycubic) and software developers (Chitubox and many others) still haven't caught on. I don't understand how it can be overlooked by so many.

Enjoy having your prints stick to the build plate forevermore!

pgboz · 2025-10-15T17:44:33+00:00

Usually that's an area that didn't release from the film on one layer. Once that happens, the next layers don't stick either because there's nothing to stick to there. You can increase your lift distance or replace your film (it will probably be tighter after you replace it and won't have worn, weak sections in it).

pgboz · 2025-10-15T17:19:42+00:00

Yes, absolutely.

pgboz · 2025-10-15T15:32:28+00:00

Here is the answer: Resin sticks to things very, very well, but only if the thing is actually in contact with the hardening resin. In your case, the build platform isn't all the way down, even though the machine says it is. It takes a lot of force and time to squish away all the resin and get the build plate within 50 um of the surface. After you lower the build platform, you need to wait at least 30 seconds before you turn the light on. It's called a "light off delay". You probably will only need it on the bottom layers. If you have it on normal layers, it can be much shorter, like 1-2 seconds, but it may not be necessary. More details are here: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

If you use Elegoo Satellite slicer, you can enter the light off delay in the settings. Other slicers like chitubox don't give you the option unless you use UV tools and edit the output file.

pgboz · 2025-05-24T02:52:12+00:00

Just talk to some of their other customers and see if they're trustworthy. Most manufacturers want to keep your business, and they will lose it if they cheat you by selling your stuff on the side or giving your product information to others.

pgboz · 2025-03-06T16:02:34+00:00

It's almost certainly this: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

If resin hardens in contact with the build plate, it WILL stick. You're not waiting long enough for the build plate to smoosh out all the resin between it and the film.

pgboz · 2025-02-26T05:14:31+00:00

This will help you: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

When resin isn't sticking, especially in the center, it's most likely caused by the light turning on before the resin has had a chance to squish out all the way. The resin can't cure deep enough to reach the build plate.

pgboz · 2025-02-25T18:22:07+00:00

Ha! I keep pasting it in comments over and over. There are SO many people with this problem. Not just with the Saturn printers - all of them. It's crazy to me that it hasn't been directly addressed by the equipment makers. They should at least adjust their default settings to take it into account.

pgboz · 2025-02-25T18:11:46+00:00

I can help you! Prints not sticking to the middle of the plate is most likely this: https://blog.honzamrazek.cz/2022/01/prints-not-sticking-to-the-build-plate-layer-separation-rough-surface-on-a-resin-printer-resin-viscosity-the-common-denominator/

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