r/ElegooSaturn

Hi everyone,

so I’m trying to dial in 35 microns on my Saturn 4 Ultra 12k with Elegoo Water Washable Ceramic Grey, and it’s being a total pain. My 50-micron settings were solid at 2.0s, but moving to 35um is failing the Cones of Calibration big time.

Even at 1.7s (my highest test so far), the "Success" side forms but the tips just won't touch. Anything lower than that is a complete train wreck. The printer shows 35°C, so I figured it would be more reactive, but I'm stuck.

Has anyone else found they had to keep their exposure nearly the same (or even higher) when dropping layer height on a 12K screen?

Current Settings:

Layer Height: 35 microns

Bottom Layers: 8

Bottom Exposure: 23s

Transition Layers: 12

Wait Before Cure bottom: 3s

Rest Time / Wait Before Cure: 2s

Should I just bite the bullet and try 1.9s or 2.0s, or is something else potentially dialed in wrong?

Appreciate any help!

The tank in my Saturn 4 Ultra leaked and its pretty pad. There is resin on the UV light at the bottom, on the Fresnel lens, on the LCD and its connector, along with just about everything else below tank level minus the mother board. None of this resin is cured. The bottom is also covered in a thick layer. Ive gotten some of it cleaned up, like around the UV light in image 1, but what is the best way to clean the rest of it without damaging anything, particularly the electronics and lens?

Anyone know what might be causing this? They're supposed to be smooth and flat sides (two halves of a hollow box-shape). The same weird layering thing happens on all prints, it's just easiest to see on these. Also parts of the bottoms slump instead of being perfectly flat. It used to work fine, beautiful prints. This is my first machine and I'm still learning.

The bottom of these objects are what attach to the supports and build plate. The clean-looking tops are furthest from the build plate. I print using angles and standard supports, the distinct angled line near the top is exactly horizontal coming out of the resin.

Saturn 4 Ultra 16k, ABS-like V3.0 resin. Standard settings for that resin provided by Satellite.

Recently went through the whole firmware reinstall rigmarole (frozen loading wheel, then 3x updates with help from Elegoo support). I also replaced the film using the proper Elegoo product and I'm quite certain I did it perfectly, but I'm prepared to reconsider.

Anyway, any help on what to try - I'd appreciate community thoughts! My first instinct is longer exposure time per layer but i don't want to break anything

I didnt print for 2 months. Everything printed smoothly last time.

(started the printer up, it asked for an update, installed the update. All nice and well. Im guessing this is a Hardware problem, not Software, but wanted to include it for the full picture)

Now the Z Axis Motor makes a sound and doesn't rotate the spindle while making the sound. And it only makes the sound when the Z axis switches direction. In the video you can see, its totally fine with multiple steps in the same direction. Even repeatedsmall ones. Starting/Stopping often. but when the direction is switched, compared to the last step, it makes that sound and doesn't move. Sometimes for a shorter, sometimes a longer amount of time. but only when switching direction.

This kept me from printing, because the bed slowly wanders/creeps up during the repeated up and down steps during the resin heating phase at the beginning of a print. And then fails with a 'please troubleshoot' message on screen.

I have already greased the Z axis spindle and the sliding rails. no change. happens with and without the print bed attached. so I don't think its a friction issue.

there is also no spilled resin in the Z axis motor or anywhere, as I've never had a spill (and I checked to be sure).

Is there anything else to be done? or just replace the Z axis motor?

It gives all check marks on the self test but the vat doesn't tilt at all