Weekly
Perform these maintenance actions every week:
Put on CLEAN GLOVES before proceeding.
Inspection Only
A clean clamp pot is important to ensure the proper seating of the platform.
- Remove the platform.
- Inspect the clamp pot on the underside of the build arm for any resin or debris that will affect functionality. Pay extra attention to critical areas that interface directly with the underside of the platform:
- Circular metal area of the clamp pot
- Recess for platform pin
If you find a dirty clamp pot with resin or other debris, do not clean the hardware yourself. Contact Carbon Support.
Inspection Only
The NFC Antenna is what the printer reads to identify the platform. Keeping this clean is critical for printer operation.
- Remove the platform.
- Inspect the NFC antenna on the underside of the build arm for any resin or debris that will affect functionality. Pay extra attention to critical areas that interface directly with the underside of the platform:
- Round area, shown here with the orange circuitry
If you find a dirty NFC antenna with resin or other debris, do not clean the hardware yourself. Contact Carbon Support.
Inspect Deck Clamp Pots
Clean deck clamp pots are important to ensure the proper seating of the cassette.
- Remove the cassette.
- Inspect the 4 clamp pots on the deck for any resin or debris that will affect functionality. Pay extra attention to critical areas that interface directly with the underside of the cassette:
- Black ring around hardware (sits slightly proud of the hardware)
- Recess for cassette pin
- First place the foam insert (included during shipping) or clean aluminum foil on the pedestal to keep any debris from falling into the printer cavity.
- Dampen a large swab with IPA, outside of the printer, and blot on a blue shop towel.
- Do not apply IPA directly to the clamp pot.
- Clean the clamp pot to remove and resin and dust
- Clean the metal surface and the raised black ring around the hardware
- Clean the recess by inserting the dampened swab
If there is cured resin on a clamp pot, or you cannot get one fully clean, contact Carbon Support.
The M3 / M3 Max printer comes equipped with two heaters to provide temperature control for highly viscous resins to improve their flow during printing. The heaters are covered with glass to prevent resin from accidentally dripping on heating elements and igniting.
The heater glass must be clean and free of any resin or particulates for normal printer performance.
⚠️ The heaters are connected to the power supply and power must be turned off for safety before servicing.
⚠️ Burn hazard: The heater may be hot. Allow to cool 15 minutes after last print before servicing.
Locate Heaters
- Heaters reside at the front and back of the projection volume, below where the cassette sits.
- Heaters sit partially underneath a short overhang of the deck.
Inspect Heaters
- For resin, dust and debris | Action: clean glass
- For cracked or chipped glass | Action: replace glass
- For proper installation | Action: secure glass
- Glass properly seated on ledge
- Clips positioned over glass
- Glass not properly seated on ledge
- Clips not positioned over glass
Dust or small drips of resin may be cleaned without removing glass from the printer if you can reach the area.
- Lightly dampen a blue shop towel with IPA, outside of the printer
- Do not saturate the towel to the point of dripping solvent.
- Reach into the opening, and wipe the heater glass with the towel, until it is clean, dry, and without streaks.
- Use a light touch to protect the glass
Larger resin spills, especially dirty glass, or damaged glass will need to be removed for cleaning or replacing. This video also shows how to properly secure the glass. If a resin spill has dripped beyond the glass itself, contact Carbon Support.
The heater glass is tempered for safety and to increase durability, but it is still susceptible to breaking if not handled with care.
The printer will not operate if the heater glass has not been properly secured in place.
- Power printer back on
- Restore system power
Power Printer Back On
- Press power switch to the on position
Restore System Power
- Press Restore system power on the touchscreen to power on all hardware sub-systems for operation
The light engine projects light through the spill window onto the cassette window to cure resin. If the spill window is not clean, it may affect part quality.
Inspect the light engine spill window inside the projection volume for any smudges, resin, dust or debris that will affect print performance.
- Lightly dampen a blue shop towel with IPA, outside of the printer.
- Do not saturate the towel to the point of dripping solvent.
- Reach into the opening, and wipe the spill window glass with the towel, until it is clean, dry, and without streaks.
- Power printer back on
- Restore system power
Power Printer Back On
- Press power switch to the on position
Restore System Power
- Press Restore system power on the touchscreen to power on all hardware sub-systems for operation
Cleaning the door weekly is important to ensure the door retains anti-static properties by using an anti-static acrylic cleaner. In addition, cleaning removes dust, fingerprints, and small amounts of resin.
Ensure the printer door is in the closed(up) position.
Never use a dry cloth or alternative cleaners to wipe the door.
Using a dry cloth or unapproved cleaners can create a static electric charge on the door. This door had a static charge and pulled liquid resin dripping from completed parts onto the inside of the door.
This can cause resin to reach prohibited areas.
Be sure to click on the image to the right to see the resin droplets on the door.
Open Service Door
- Locate the access lock hole on the left side of the printer
- Insert an 8 mm allen wrench into the hole and turn an 1/4 of a turn clockwise
- DO NOT turn counter-clockwise
- The door will release and open
Clean the Printer Door
- Dampen a lint-free polishing cloth with Brillianize (anti-static acrylic cleaner) outside of the printer.
- Wipe the outside of the yellow door with the moistened cloth, including the door's apron at the top and bottom.
- Wipe the inside of the yellow door with the moistened cloth, including the door's apron at the top and bottom.
- Close the service door by pressing shut until you hear the latch.
Dampen polishing cloth with Brillianize
Wipe Outside of Printer Door
Wipe Inside of Printer Door
Close Service Door
- Press door shut firmly, as you would a car door, until the latch clicks; insufficient force can result in a partial latch.
Note: The yellow door is made of acrylic and should never be exposed to chemical cleaners, Acetone, or scouring compounds. Acetone will permanently damage the door.
To clean the white front panel:
- Dampen a lint-free polishing cloth with Brillianize (anti-static acrylic cleaner) outside of the printer.
- Wipe the white outside panel on the service door.
Never use acetone to clean white panels.
To ensure the emergency stop is functioning correctly, engage the e-stop to confirm the printer enters a halted state. Then disengage the e-stop and restore system power.
It is strongly recommended to apply a screen protector to the printer's touchscreen display. With or without the screen protector, you must clean the screen weekly to prevent a resin build-up.
Clean Touchscreen Display
- Avoid starting a print accidentally during cleaning.
- Remove the platform or
- Make sure the print queue is empty. Touchscreen will say Printer is available when queue is empy.
- Lightly dampen a blue shop towel with IPA and wipe screen with protector until clean.
- Do not use IPA wipes, which have a high water content.
- Do not use acetone.
Weekly lab maintenance should include the following tasks.
Clean working surfaces
- Use IPA and/or acetone to clean benchtops.
- If used, change bench coverings.
- Clean floor to remove debris and resin spills/smears/drips.
Check inventory of lab supplies
- Make sure there are enough consumable supplies available. If not, order more. These are examples of important supplies:
- IPA
- Acetone
- Gloves
- Shop towels
- Wipes
