♦ Tutorial♦ Replacing a 3D printer resin tray FEP film

Iceman 29 · January 3, 2021

It is sometimes necessary to replace the transparent plastic film after a print that has gone wrong, the film may then be pierced, forcing it to be replaced.

This film must also be replaced when it is too scratched or begins to become opaque.

It is therefore a consumable like any other, so it is good to know how to replace it.

The difficulty is 2 out of 5.

There are films for different printers sold by the brands, but also by "aftermarket" suppliers offering high quality films.

There are two thicknesses on the market, 0.10 mm and 0.15 mm to my knowledge.

For this tutorial I have used 0.10 aftermarket film which is perfectly suitable for the Anycubic Photon Mono X.

It should be noted that to date Anycubic does not offer any replacement film for sale for this very large tray and no replacement film is supplied with this printer. So I had no choice. In fact, I only found 0.10 in this extra large film size.

Anycubic supplied 2 replacement films with the purchase of the Photon S.

You can find different film surface sizes in aftermarket, I bought the largest to my knowledge. They can of course be used for a smaller tray.

The film tension is an important adjustment. It is therefore preferable to use your mobile phone as a sound annalyzer to "tune" the drum skin to the right frequency/tension.

There are free applications available, I use "Spectrum" which is easy to use and is perfectly suited for our film adjustment.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audio-spectrum-analyzer-db-rta/id1281873790#?platform=iphone

It may be interesting to note how often the film is calibrated when the tray is new, in anticipation of a replacement. Simply tap the film.

The frequency is usually around 340/350 HZ for Mono X, but this can change, but not much with the size of the tray depending on the printers.

Removing the film is very simple, the same for all these printers.

Put on gloves to protect your hands from the resin.

Place the tray on a clean, flat and soft surface like a "paper towel".

Dismantle the frame, a first row of wider screws holds the frame on the tray, it is also possible to adjust the tension on reassembly.

Here you can see 2 holes in the FEP. If resin has leaked out, clean the LCD screen thoroughly.

The FEP holding frame once disassembled: Do not lose the screws.

Here we are on the side of the small screws that hold the film on the frame, on the tray side.

The new film is placed on the frame.

The counter-frame is placed and holes are made with a pointed object so that the screws can fit into their housing.

For my part, I first put the screws on the narrowest edges, no need to stretch the film.

Once it is firmly tightened, the excess film is cut off with a new blade.

It's over for this first stage, it goes quite fast. You can see on the photo that the film with the reflection of the lamp is not yet stretched, that's normal.

The frame is placed on the tray and the screw holes are pre-drilled with a pointed object.

Then the screws are tightened crosswise until they are lightly resistant, then they are served one by one in succession, going around the tray several times if necessary. Make a voltage/frequency check with the smartphone or tablet. Be careful not to over-stretch the film, as it may break.

That's it, a brand new film. The operation takes less than half an hour.

Re-adjust Z before returning the tray to the printer.

The 2820X200 mm large format film type used for this print:

You can find them on Amazon by 10 (Delivery in 1 week), or by 5 on AliExpress / Banggood ( 2 weeks). There are also small sizes, please make a search.

https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0825TN84R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.banggood.com/fr/5Pcs-280x200mm-FEP-Film-Release-Film-for-SLA-DLP-UV-Resin-3D-Printer-p-1613785.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=SB_20201125140829&SearchText=fep+film