Resin Printer Cover Mod – How to Upgrade SLA Printer Lid
Instructions
In today’s article, we’ll be looking at modifying your Resin Printer lid to make it more space efficient. As always, do this modification at your own risk, and I’m in no way responsible if any damages may occur.
I, like many others, had pre-ordered the Elegoo Saturn 2, and although I had received it some time ago I was unable to use it because of space restrictions. In my case, this was caused by the lid design which, although fairly robust, requires several inches to properly remove the cover. It’s for this reason that I started working on this simple modification for my machine. To make these changes easier, I’ve reworked the initial design to ensure that the original lid could be reused and that only a limited amount of printing would be required. This makes it easier for more people to undertake, while also leaving additional room for customization in the future. Now I will be including the tools, supply list and STL on the main website at YarkspiriFantasyArt.com should you also be interested in doing this yourself.
Before undertaking this, you’re going to want an easy to clean space, since this will create a lot of debris which will be difficult to clean up latter. So I’d highly recommend you have a vacuum at the ready since this debris could damage your FEP if it gets into the vat. You’ll need a rotary tool kit along with a cutting disk that will be large enough to cut through the full thickness of the material. Having a Back saw will help cut all the way through if you don’t have the proper disk thickness, and will also help straighten the cut.
Before we start cutting, we’re going to place some painter’s tape along the edge of the machine. The cut will be at 2.5 inches from the back of the lid, so you’ll want to cover that area, so you can make your markings. With the Painter’s tape in place, you’ll then either use a combination square or a simple ruler to draw out your lines. As mentioned previously, I made it 2.5inches from the back of the machine so that it just barely cleared the linear rail system. It’s very important that you clear the rail system, which we’ll be attaching the printed portions to this latter.
Before cutting into the materials, I did some practice runs with a similar plastic to make sure I had the proper speeds for my rotary tool kit. In my case, I found that a speed of either 3 or 4 was a great balance between speed and control. Anywhere past the 5 mark and you will risk melting the plastic, which can cause the disk to melt into place. The cutting disk I was using, was fairly small therefore it didn’t cut all the way through, forcing me to use my Back saw to finish the procedure. This had the additional benefit of straightening out my cuts, but shouldn’t be necessary if you have the correct supplies. I began from one side, going all the way around, making sure that I was always facing the backside of the lid. This helped ensure that I always cut from the same side of the markings. Once I finished both sides, I then worked on the top of the lid, being very careful not to put too much pressure on it. While finishing up with the Back saw, I made sure to hold both portions together while I cut through.
With the two pieces cut, It was time to deburr the edges and clean the entire area before moving forwards. This is actually a very important step since material can get stuck in the tape and become difficult to remove later on. I used a vacuum cleaner to clean the workspace and the lids fully. Although the lid could fit currently together, it’s better to add a ledge to prevent any light from bleeding through. Any fully opaque thin plastic will work for this purpose. I had some material lying around, so I used this, however most art or hardware stores have various materials which could be used for this purpose. Just make sure whatever you choose will be resistant to isopropyl alcohol and the resin. To attach this material, you’ll have two main options. You can use a double-sided adhesive or, like me, I used Gaff tape since it doesn’t leave a residue. If you do decide to use Gaff tape, be aware that you’ll need to replace it every 1 to 2 years. By putting this tape on both sides of the edge, it allowed for a tighter fit, which in turn prevents the front from coming off as easily. I did leave about 1 inch clear from the bottom since I was concerned about the tape absorbing resin. I ended covering that area later on because it allowed too much light through the openings on either side. What I did do, however, it uses kapton tape to attach the material to that area since it’s more resilient to chemicals.
After 3d printing these two parts, we’ll superglue this to the top of the Linear rail enclosure. This will help make sure that the back lid stays in place, since we don’t want this to move around. Using some more Kapton Tape, we’ll tape the bottom edge of the lid to the rest of the machine. With everything attached, I could finally start testing this new machine.
So while this may not be necessary to get a fully functional machine, this mod has made a big difference in my ability to fully utilize my work space. Removing the lid is a lot easier now and has speed up my overall workflow. I hope you guys enjoyed this video and I hope to see you guys again soon
Personal Notes
Supplies + Tools
- Deburring Tool
- Rotary Tool
- Cutting Disks
- Back Saw
- Painter’s tape
- Marker
- Ruler
- Combination Square (Optional)