Phrozen Sonic Mini 4k

[narrowminded]

I don't have a dog in this hunt but just looking at the build plate attachment, bent steel relatively light weight brackets as well as attaching hole placements, I suspect that the rigidity desired to make parts holding extreme tolerance just isn't there, especially vertically.  A dial indicator and finger tip loading of the build plate would afford some sense if this is true.  Additionally, if only to make adjusting the squareness of the plate easier, add at least some washers to those bolts on the slotted adjusting holes and better yet, a drilled bridge plate that joins those holes, with the idea that they will resist the propensity of the turning bolt to cause the slotted bracket to shift position while torqueing those bolts. 

I've also heard reference to the "Z" axis nut allowing some angular shifting of the build plate while running but without seeing the latch-up I'm not sure what that's all about.  If the axis isn't rigidly guided then it's a problem, maybe bigger than the suspicion that I outlined above.  It's also possible that any one of those things might not be a huge issue by itself but they are cumulative so...     If the rigidity isn't there, all of the wonderful screen resolution and light brightness becomes moot.

[timwatson]

I did get mine from Amazon, I ordered it a few days after you did. The bugs are you cannot control the z-axis from gcode. Which you should be able to do no problem. In fact in the machine settings they are using that but its not actually running. I’m still testing and I have done a ton of things but I am trying to dial things in. I did make a gasket to even the LCD to the vat.


There is between .3mm and .5mm of deflection in the z-axis when the bed homes and starts the first layers. I have tried so many things and right now I am using a sheet styrene spacer of .25mm - .26mm. The most concerning is you cannot print on the build plate and have the bottom layers be square because of the deflection.

[Chris333]

The bugs are you cannot control the z-axis from gcode.

What does this mean? You can't lift and lower the Z from the screen? If not then how do you level and zero?

On my Photon I can grab the print head and wiggle it a tiny bit, but it still prints fine. Have you printed yet with yours?

[Chris333]

OK I saw your video on FB. Have you ran the same test with the dial indicators on the Photon?  I mean a foot long rail like that will have to flex a little when the only attachment is being end bolted to a thin plate.

Any way you can post that video here?

[timwatson]

Go to this FB group Chris (look for my post). It speaks into the issues. It's really similar to the Photon issues.
Also don't expect good posts to stay around on the Phrozen FB group. They have deleted every post I've started that speaks into these issue.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/795210167970577

[timwatson]

OK I saw your video on FB. Have you ran the same test with the dial indicators on the Photon?  I mean a foot long rail like that will have to flex a little when the only attachment is being end bolted to a this plate.

Opps sorry double post.

[timwatson]

OK I saw your video on FB. Have you ran the same test with the dial indicators on the Photon?  I mean a foot long rail like that will have to flex a little when the only attachment is being end bolted to a this plate.

The photon is rock solid. No movement in the z-tower. This is a shorter z-axis even - shouldn't be doing this.

[Chris333]

Any way you could post the video here?
https://www.facebook.com/wittmason/videos/10224236516918338

[Chris333]

Also did you see the post about the backlash spring not being fully compacted from the factory. Someone took theirs apart and pushed the spring down before threading onto the rod.

[timwatson]

Also did you see the post about the backlash spring not being fully compacted from the factory. Someone took theirs apart and pushed the spring down before threading onto the rod.

Yes that's what I thought was happening but I don't think that's it now that I have one for a weekend. I am doing a first real - non test print now. I expect there will be some failures but that video was one I shot on this latest run.

[timwatson]

I did also message Phrozen support. I hope to have this answered within 14 days. That's how long I have to return to Amazon.

[timwatson]

You can't lift and lower the Z from the screen? If not then how do you level and zero?

Yes this is exactly the problem with the Phrozen firmware. On our Photons we can adjust manually the z-index that we set as "zero" the Phrozen you cannot. You have to have a "spacer" that represents the gap for there you manually designate the zero position. It's super janky.


Take the vat off, undo the screws on the build plate. Go into the z calib mode. Add your spacer on top of the lcd, hit next and the plate lowers to the lcd, then tighten all 4 screws.


So I did that and my plate was .14mm off of the already wide .25mm gap. So that means my z-axis started at .39mm almost .4mm from the bottom of the vat. that's a huge gap when your layer is .03mm

[timwatson]

Any way you could post the video here?
https://www.facebook.com/wittmason/videos/10224236516918338

I tried to post the videos here but I don't think it worked, trying YT instead.

[Chris333]

Thanks for posting the video.

Just spit balling: Are there loose bolts from the factory? My Photon was pretty loose when I bought it.

I saw a few days back on FB that Phozen released a new g-code for the printer. Did you try that? I suspect this is what Phozen will have you try.

Another modeler I know had a Phrozen before I got my Photon and he said they were about the same, but no Anycubic quality issues.

[Chris333]

That is crazy that you cannot manually move the Z rail. I use that all the time on the Photon. But as far as leveling the plate, I've only had to do that 2-3 times in 2 years with the Photon. Once it is set you should be good.