Mars 3 First Print Failue - Nothing But a Block

[Michael Peterson]

Hello:
Brand new to 3D printing, tried the rook .stl file that came on the USB stick with my new Mars 3.  Machine dutifully said it printed all layers of the model, but at the end I had this solid resin rectangle which consumed all the resin in the tank.   I used Nova3D Standard Resin, and thought I had followed the levelling instructions in the manual and secured the build plate properly.

When I ran the Exposure test afterwards, the exact same area of the LCD screen covered by this block of resin is faded, so that the first half of the words "Elegoo" and "Technology" are faded and barely discernible.  The Exposure test worked fine before I attempted the print, so something has happened.


My questions are:
Did I make a mistake in setting up the machine?
Was the resin bad?
Was there a fault in the LCD panel, and if not, have I damaged it?
I'm contacting Elegoo customer support as soon as I post this, and would also be grateful for your thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Michael

[billtodd]

Hello:
Brand new to 3D printing, tried the rook .stl file that came on the USB stick with my new Mars 3.  Machine dutifully said it printed all layers of the model, but at the end I had this solid resin rectangle which consumed all the resin in the tank.   I used Nova3D Standard Resin, and thought I had followed the levelling instructions in the manual and secured the build plate properly.

When I ran the Exposure test afterwards, the exact same area of the LCD screen covered by this block of resin is faded, so that the first half of the words "Elegoo" and "Technology" are faded and barely discernible.  The Exposure test worked fine before I attempted the print, so something has happened.


My questions are:
Did I make a mistake in setting up the machine?
Was the resin bad?
Was there a fault in the LCD panel, and if not, have I damaged it?
I'm contacting Elegoo customer support as soon as I post this, and would also be grateful for your thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Michael

Run a print without the tank and plate and look at the pattern on the LCD (use sunglasses if you're worried about the blue light)  it should mask out the light nearly completely except where the model layers show.

[Michael Peterson]

Hello:
Brand new to 3D printing, tried the rook .stl file that came on the USB stick with my new Mars 3.  Machine dutifully said it printed all layers of the model, but at the end I had this solid resin rectangle which consumed all the resin in the tank.   I used Nova3D Standard Resin, and thought I had followed the levelling instructions in the manual and secured the build plate properly.

When I ran the Exposure test afterwards, the exact same area of the LCD screen covered by this block of resin is faded, so that the first half of the words "Elegoo" and "Technology" are faded and barely discernible.  The Exposure test worked fine before I attempted the print, so something has happened.


My questions are:
Did I make a mistake in setting up the machine?
Was the resin bad?
Was there a fault in the LCD panel, and if not, have I damaged it?
I'm contacting Elegoo customer support as soon as I post this, and would also be grateful for your thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Michael

Run a print without the tank and plate and look at the pattern on the LCD (use sunglasses if you're worried about the blue light)  it should mask out the light nearly completely except where the model layers show.

Hi Bill:

Many thanks for getting back to me.  I followed your suggestion, ran the Rook file again, and saw this.  Light is all over the place, especially on the left where the solid block of resin formed.  I checked to see if there was a layer of protective plastic packaging that I hadn't removed from the LCD plate, but it appears to just be glass, so I'm guessing it's a problem with the LCD itself?   

[billtodd]

Hello:
Brand new to 3D printing, tried the rook .stl file that came on the USB stick with my new Mars 3.  Machine dutifully said it printed all layers of the model, but at the end I had this solid resin rectangle which consumed all the resin in the tank.   I used Nova3D Standard Resin, and thought I had followed the levelling instructions in the manual and secured the build plate properly.

When I ran the Exposure test afterwards, the exact same area of the LCD screen covered by this block of resin is faded, so that the first half of the words "Elegoo" and "Technology" are faded and barely discernible.  The Exposure test worked fine before I attempted the print, so something has happened.


My questions are:
Did I make a mistake in setting up the machine?
Was the resin bad?
Was there a fault in the LCD panel, and if not, have I damaged it?
I'm contacting Elegoo customer support as soon as I post this, and would also be grateful for your thoughts and advice.
Cheers,
Michael

Run a print without the tank and plate and look at the pattern on the LCD (use sunglasses if you're worried about the blue light)  it should mask out the light nearly completely except where the model layers show.

Hi Bill:

Many thanks for getting back to me.  I followed your suggestion, ran the Rook file again, and saw this.  Light is all over the place, especially on the left where the solid block of resin formed.  I checked to see if there was a layer of protective plastic packaging that I hadn't removed from the LCD plate, but it appears to just be glass, so I'm guessing it's a problem with the LCD itself?   

There should be a plastic polariser layer on the top surface of the glass (its edge might be being covered by the black tape on your Mars, but on my Saturn it can just be detected at the edges )

The LCD has only one thin protective (clear) plastic film from new. (the polariser would be a job to remove accidentally) .

It does sound like you have a defective LCD :-( 

Elegoo support are very good  - My LCD died after only a few weeks of use and Elegoo were good enough to send me another.  However it did take a while to get here from china and if I'd had known I could buy one on amazon , I'd have saved a lot of time.

If your machine has an access plate on the side (like the Saturn) it may be possible to open it and check the LCD ribbon connection - It might have worked loose in transit