I want to bring some solutions which could help fix the BEAN's issues. I will also try to convince the manufacturer to implement those fixes as they have been receptive to my technical suggestions in the past and have in fact already adopted 1 of them (change of material for the VAT). Take note I am also posting this on the negative video review update at YouTube as I've been unable to post even a very short version at Indiegogo even after trying for days, the post button does not work, when queried Indiegogo didn't help but gave me a line about how projects are not garanteed (when I was actually reporting a technical bug of their website & asking them if they can post my message for me (they didn't). I hope Indigogo won't become a part of the problem but we will see as I emailed them again to fix the unresponsive post button.
How Kudo3D can fix the BEAN :
It is the responsability of the manufacturer to test the longevity of the LCD under the conditions it will be used before finishing the design so it will be fit for use. Kudo seems to have done measurements for temperature (maybe not as sophisticated (?) as in a photo from students who measured it with an IR cam on an unrelated LCD printer). Perhaps they could have asked more questions to the scientific team of the LCD manufacturer & say they will remove the back of the screen & polarizer & shine UV LEDs through the back, in a metal box of size X plus electronics producing X amount of heat, etc, & they would tell them how long it will last for that application.
I understand LCDs have a shorter life when you beam UV through them but only 100 hrs is not acceptable. Aren't there higher quality glass LCDs instead of acrylic which could last longer ? If it's a problem affecting the liquid crystal fluid could it also be that heat from UV rays causes the acrylic cover of the screen to bulge & create internal voids ? Or separation of the chemical components of the LCD ? Maybe Kudo3D chose a type of UV LEDs that emit too much UV radiation ? 405nm UV curables are not true pure UV resins but also absorb wavelengths near UV. Could t those other near UV wavelengths be used in more qty to cure resin rather than use pure UV LEDs that use only UV light ? (a combination of near UV & UV). In combination with a resin formulation with a peak more in the non-UV spectrum ?
*** There are ways to fix the Bean. 5 things need to be fixed. So i want to offer ideas Kudo can use which could fix the Bean & make it last for years. 1- The screen seems to last only 100-400 hours (black spots ruining prints/supports). 2- The VAT leaks. Resin seeped outside 3DMN s printer. Another backer s printer got fried when resin seeped into the electronics. 3- The software/control board seem unable to print more than 2 parts at the same time. 3DMN tried & the system froze. I bought this machine to also make batches (my files average 40-60mb or more), 1 of the reasons to buy a LCD printer is because it gives max res from edge to edge of the built area. There are chips that can be used for the controller/slicing with more power to process batches. The fact that SLAcer & Kudo3D slicer only allow 2600 layers or else it crashes will stop me from printing several of my parts: at 10 microns they require 12000 layers.
So here are solutions Kudo can use to fix the Bean:
1- Glass LCD screens instead of acrylic to help survive UV rays. I don't know if the black dots are from degradation of the liquid crystal or voids created by heat expansion of the screen + suction or a combination. Most LCDs have an operating limit of 50 degrees C (some go up to 60 C). Kudo should add a temperature sensor linked to a fan to add more cooling when the LCD nears 50. I have seen low cost temp sensors including an IR sensor board at 18.59$C. Some PC fans come equiped with a temperature sensor cable. If the problem is liquid crystal degradation I see only ONE solution : Kudo should offer a discounted kit to convert the BEAN into a daylight resin printer : Royal blue LEDs instead of UV, & sell resin from Photocentric, ThreeBond, or Bucktown (though I would avoid the later: aliphatic resins are more toxic/allergenic). Doing this could add years of life to the LCD (as i cannot spend 3000$/year to replace LCDs).
2- The living hinges of the VAT are ways too fragile, like on throw-away shampoo bottles. Kudo should use real hinges with pivot to survive frequent cleaning & FEP film changing. Kudo told me that would be for a next version of the VAT. I hope they will do it, very soon.
3- The VAT leaks. Resin leaking into the electronics & a dead printer after 100 hours is unacceptable. The VAT design is poor: ithave a gasket. Kudo must fix the VAT by creating a new version with a neoprene/silicone gasket. I read the VAT is supposed to flex a bit. If it does I can see how resin can seep between the screws & Teflon. They should also make the VAT frame more rigid
4- The Pi &/or software needs more memory/computing power to slice more than 2600 layers & let us print more than 2 models at the same time. Lots of chips can do that. Seen people replace the Pi chip & solder a more powerful one. I am sure a company could make Kudo a short run of upgraded spec Pi boards, it is an open board any manufacturer can make. Offering these upgrades could fix all the issues & make the BEAN a success. If Kudo does not I do not see anyone who would pay over 1K+$ for the FAB as it will have the same problems. So I strongly urge Kudo to apply those fixes or better : go for daylight resin conversion, the only one that may guarantee a long screen life. The Titan 1 had a leaky VAT & they fixed it. Kudo can do the same for the Bean then they will be able to sell many more + the FAB. With a gasket + real hinges the improved VAT will bring new clients rather than demands for reimbursement. That + turning the Bean into a daylight resin printer.
As for my Bean if ever Kudo does not produce a kit to convert it to daylight resin, I plan to convert it to blue LEDs myself (& hope I will not fry anything while soldering as I am no electronician. Will have to tweek the software too, though it is not my job, Kudo should do it) & I will design my own 3D printed improved VAT with gasket which i will sell to Bean clients to increase their printer's life. I am already working on preliminary designs. My VATs should last at least for a month or more with plastic. If not I will go to a different material which will be more pricey but should last for years.
UPDATE, after reading Kudo3D s update:
I now understand part of the reason for the short life of 2 of the backers screens maybe due to shocks/pressure during shipment, the screens are probably mounted tightly, I don't know exactly how as I do not have my printer yet but even if they are glued with silicone it is not hard to believe that shocks during shipping mig cause damage. There are 3 other issues that can affect the LCD : heat, UV rays & suction force like Kudo said. There is also another important thing they pointed out: exothermique reaction. Adding 125ml of resin in the VAT to use as heat sink when building thicker parts is a good engineering solution. But adding more resin could lead to leaks/overflow as the VAT tilt ? It doesn't solve everything, just a partial issue. As an aside: LCD mask 3D printers are not a new technology with unknown screen life. The 1st ones started to appear in 2014-2015. The life of the screens Kudo should have tested under the condition it will be used given they had almost a year to test it on several printers. So they should know its longevity by now. They had quoted me a life of 1500 hours for the screen & LEDS several months ago by email. So the discrepancy observed on at least 3 printers screens that lasted only 100-400 hours is huge.
Another suggestion: make the walls of the next VAT higher to allow for that additional resin as heat sink (& also add a real gasket + hinges with pivots).
If the LCD still survives no more than 100-400 hrs my request to convert the Bean into a daylight printer still applies & I still strongly urge Kudo to create a discounted kit to do so, allowing the screen to last months or over a year & it will solve most if not all the screen longevity issues. They are going a bit in the same direction I suggest for the VAT: theys are using a makeshift silicone seal & instructing us to create 1 each time we change the film. So it shows my request to redesign the VAT to include a real gasket plus real hinges is more essential than ever. Along with a conversion to daylight printer.
Getting a custom liquid crystal able to resist decay by UV created by a big LCD maker might cost cost a lot, so i do not expect that to happen soon. So my suggestion they convert the Bean into a daylight resin printer is the only practical one to ensure a long LCD screen life.
So in recap :
1- New VAT design with gasket to fix leak risks (neoprene, silicone, nitrile, flat laser cut gasket type or o-ring type including single or double o-ring).
2- New VAT design also including real hinges with pivot rather than fragile living hinges.
3- New VAT design including the improvements above plus Teflon coating like cooking pans on top side to prolong life of the plastic in contact with resin/cleaning agents.
4- New glass LCD instead of acrylic (for UV printer version). If that can help to buy time before black spots appear. Maybe use one with an oleophobic coating like the iPhone to diminish suction force on the screen ? If it makes a difference.
5- Temperature sensor coupled to small dedicated fan for the LCD screen to provide active cooling when screen temperature nears 50 - 65 degrees.
6- Chip with more computing power for the Pi board so we can print batches & heavy CAD files without the board/slicer freezing up. Either a custom series of more powerful Pi made for Kudo or a different more powerful board (many out there including many that can handle 4K).
7- Maybe add higher walls to the VAT to avoid spills if we use the additional 125ml of resin in the VAT for heat sink purpose to reduce temperature of the screen.
8- And the most important : Convert the Bean to a daylight resin printer with new royal blue LEDs & use daylight resin to fix most of the LCD screen longevity issues. And of course add all the other improvements which are relevant to a daylight version, this will make the Bean a success with a long life.
How Kudo3D can fix the BEAN :
It is the responsability of the manufacturer to test the longevity of the LCD under the conditions it will be used before finishing the design so it will be fit for use. Kudo seems to have done measurements for temperature (maybe not as sophisticated (?) as in a photo from students who measured it with an IR cam on an unrelated LCD printer). Perhaps they could have asked more questions to the scientific team of the LCD manufacturer & say they will remove the back of the screen & polarizer & shine UV LEDs through the back, in a metal box of size X plus electronics producing X amount of heat, etc, & they would tell them how long it will last for that application.
I understand LCDs have a shorter life when you beam UV through them but only 100 hrs is not acceptable. Aren't there higher quality glass LCDs instead of acrylic which could last longer ? If it's a problem affecting the liquid crystal fluid could it also be that heat from UV rays causes the acrylic cover of the screen to bulge & create internal voids ? Or separation of the chemical components of the LCD ? Maybe Kudo3D chose a type of UV LEDs that emit too much UV radiation ? 405nm UV curables are not true pure UV resins but also absorb wavelengths near UV. Could t those other near UV wavelengths be used in more qty to cure resin rather than use pure UV LEDs that use only UV light ? (a combination of near UV & UV). In combination with a resin formulation with a peak more in the non-UV spectrum ?
*** There are ways to fix the Bean. 5 things need to be fixed. So i want to offer ideas Kudo can use which could fix the Bean & make it last for years. 1- The screen seems to last only 100-400 hours (black spots ruining prints/supports). 2- The VAT leaks. Resin seeped outside 3DMN s printer. Another backer s printer got fried when resin seeped into the electronics. 3- The software/control board seem unable to print more than 2 parts at the same time. 3DMN tried & the system froze. I bought this machine to also make batches (my files average 40-60mb or more), 1 of the reasons to buy a LCD printer is because it gives max res from edge to edge of the built area. There are chips that can be used for the controller/slicing with more power to process batches. The fact that SLAcer & Kudo3D slicer only allow 2600 layers or else it crashes will stop me from printing several of my parts: at 10 microns they require 12000 layers.
So here are solutions Kudo can use to fix the Bean:
1- Glass LCD screens instead of acrylic to help survive UV rays. I don't know if the black dots are from degradation of the liquid crystal or voids created by heat expansion of the screen + suction or a combination. Most LCDs have an operating limit of 50 degrees C (some go up to 60 C). Kudo should add a temperature sensor linked to a fan to add more cooling when the LCD nears 50. I have seen low cost temp sensors including an IR sensor board at 18.59$C. Some PC fans come equiped with a temperature sensor cable. If the problem is liquid crystal degradation I see only ONE solution : Kudo should offer a discounted kit to convert the BEAN into a daylight resin printer : Royal blue LEDs instead of UV, & sell resin from Photocentric, ThreeBond, or Bucktown (though I would avoid the later: aliphatic resins are more toxic/allergenic). Doing this could add years of life to the LCD (as i cannot spend 3000$/year to replace LCDs).
2- The living hinges of the VAT are ways too fragile, like on throw-away shampoo bottles. Kudo should use real hinges with pivot to survive frequent cleaning & FEP film changing. Kudo told me that would be for a next version of the VAT. I hope they will do it, very soon.
3- The VAT leaks. Resin leaking into the electronics & a dead printer after 100 hours is unacceptable. The VAT design is poor: ithave a gasket. Kudo must fix the VAT by creating a new version with a neoprene/silicone gasket. I read the VAT is supposed to flex a bit. If it does I can see how resin can seep between the screws & Teflon. They should also make the VAT frame more rigid
4- The Pi &/or software needs more memory/computing power to slice more than 2600 layers & let us print more than 2 models at the same time. Lots of chips can do that. Seen people replace the Pi chip & solder a more powerful one. I am sure a company could make Kudo a short run of upgraded spec Pi boards, it is an open board any manufacturer can make. Offering these upgrades could fix all the issues & make the BEAN a success. If Kudo does not I do not see anyone who would pay over 1K+$ for the FAB as it will have the same problems. So I strongly urge Kudo to apply those fixes or better : go for daylight resin conversion, the only one that may guarantee a long screen life. The Titan 1 had a leaky VAT & they fixed it. Kudo can do the same for the Bean then they will be able to sell many more + the FAB. With a gasket + real hinges the improved VAT will bring new clients rather than demands for reimbursement. That + turning the Bean into a daylight resin printer.
As for my Bean if ever Kudo does not produce a kit to convert it to daylight resin, I plan to convert it to blue LEDs myself (& hope I will not fry anything while soldering as I am no electronician. Will have to tweek the software too, though it is not my job, Kudo should do it) & I will design my own 3D printed improved VAT with gasket which i will sell to Bean clients to increase their printer's life. I am already working on preliminary designs. My VATs should last at least for a month or more with plastic. If not I will go to a different material which will be more pricey but should last for years.
UPDATE, after reading Kudo3D s update:
I now understand part of the reason for the short life of 2 of the backers screens maybe due to shocks/pressure during shipment, the screens are probably mounted tightly, I don't know exactly how as I do not have my printer yet but even if they are glued with silicone it is not hard to believe that shocks during shipping mig cause damage. There are 3 other issues that can affect the LCD : heat, UV rays & suction force like Kudo said. There is also another important thing they pointed out: exothermique reaction. Adding 125ml of resin in the VAT to use as heat sink when building thicker parts is a good engineering solution. But adding more resin could lead to leaks/overflow as the VAT tilt ? It doesn't solve everything, just a partial issue. As an aside: LCD mask 3D printers are not a new technology with unknown screen life. The 1st ones started to appear in 2014-2015. The life of the screens Kudo should have tested under the condition it will be used given they had almost a year to test it on several printers. So they should know its longevity by now. They had quoted me a life of 1500 hours for the screen & LEDS several months ago by email. So the discrepancy observed on at least 3 printers screens that lasted only 100-400 hours is huge.
Another suggestion: make the walls of the next VAT higher to allow for that additional resin as heat sink (& also add a real gasket + hinges with pivots).
If the LCD still survives no more than 100-400 hrs my request to convert the Bean into a daylight printer still applies & I still strongly urge Kudo to create a discounted kit to do so, allowing the screen to last months or over a year & it will solve most if not all the screen longevity issues. They are going a bit in the same direction I suggest for the VAT: theys are using a makeshift silicone seal & instructing us to create 1 each time we change the film. So it shows my request to redesign the VAT to include a real gasket plus real hinges is more essential than ever. Along with a conversion to daylight printer.
Getting a custom liquid crystal able to resist decay by UV created by a big LCD maker might cost cost a lot, so i do not expect that to happen soon. So my suggestion they convert the Bean into a daylight resin printer is the only practical one to ensure a long LCD screen life.
So in recap :
1- New VAT design with gasket to fix leak risks (neoprene, silicone, nitrile, flat laser cut gasket type or o-ring type including single or double o-ring).
2- New VAT design also including real hinges with pivot rather than fragile living hinges.
3- New VAT design including the improvements above plus Teflon coating like cooking pans on top side to prolong life of the plastic in contact with resin/cleaning agents.
4- New glass LCD instead of acrylic (for UV printer version). If that can help to buy time before black spots appear. Maybe use one with an oleophobic coating like the iPhone to diminish suction force on the screen ? If it makes a difference.
5- Temperature sensor coupled to small dedicated fan for the LCD screen to provide active cooling when screen temperature nears 50 - 65 degrees.
6- Chip with more computing power for the Pi board so we can print batches & heavy CAD files without the board/slicer freezing up. Either a custom series of more powerful Pi made for Kudo or a different more powerful board (many out there including many that can handle 4K).
7- Maybe add higher walls to the VAT to avoid spills if we use the additional 125ml of resin in the VAT for heat sink purpose to reduce temperature of the screen.
8- And the most important : Convert the Bean to a daylight resin printer with new royal blue LEDs & use daylight resin to fix most of the LCD screen longevity issues. And of course add all the other improvements which are relevant to a daylight version, this will make the Bean a success with a long life.
.