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13. Regular Printer Maintenance
Although the Original Prusa SL1S has a number of smart sensors and has been carefully designed
to be easy to use, it’s still a machine and
requires regular maintenance and care.
There are
several key areas that require attention if you want to keep your printer in good shape for a long
time.
13.1. Keeping the printer clean
The key to a trouble-free experience is first and foremost
keeping the printer clean.
Resins are
liquids and they are easily spilled. Every time you use the printer, make sure you are
not leaving
drops or stains of liquid anywhere.
Liquid resin will solidify even in regular daylight, making it
much more difficult to remove compared to its liquid form.
When removing the print platform / printed objects, use the black plastic tray to shield the printer
from drops of resin.
Always keep a bundle of soft paper towels near the printer, so you can
wipe any spilled resin/resin drops immediately.
To clean drops of resin more effectively, use a
piece of cloth / paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol. For more delicate surfaces (such as the
display), use a mix of water and dishwashing product.
A good practice is to
place a plastic table-cloth under the printer
for easier cleaning. However,
be careful - the table-cloth
must not block the fan
on the underside of the printer.
Do not use acetone or ethanol to clean the lid!
The lid is made of acrylic glass and it has a special surface finish to block UV light from
reaching the printing chamber. You can clean it with standard products for cleaning glass
and/or isopropyl alcohol. Don’t use acetone or technical alcohol - it would damage the acrylic
glass.
13.2. FEP film / Tank maintenance
It's a good practice to empty the resin tank after each print - there might be tiny solidified resin
particles you might not see - these could potentially damage the FEP film when startin the next
print. Use a funnel to pour the resin out of the tank into a bottle. Don’t mix used resin with unused
liquid. Instead, use a new bottle.
Inspect the resin tank bottom before and after each print.
Look for any scratches, dents or
holes. If the FEP film is damaged, replace it immediately, otherwise, you’re risking a resin spillage.
If the FEP film has a grey-ish tint, you can restore it to its original look by washing it with warm
water with a bit of dishwashing soap (or even regular soap) before you start printing again. Don’t
print with a dirty or damaged FEP film, as it will negatively impact the print quality. It may even
lead to damage to your printer.
NEVER use isopropyl alcohol to clean the FEP film!