3D-printing... A learning experience...

The last couple of weeks I have been printing one model after another, rarely allowing my printer a moment of rest. Most of my prints have come out rather well and apart from some issues with supports I have yet to suffer any serious failures. 

But today I did learn something new, something I could have known, no, something I should have known...

The MARS had just finished a Dorchester ACV (more pictures in a future post) I found on Thingiverse. Because I had another model ready to print I immediately started the clean-up. 

I followed my normal procedure, starting with tilting the build-plate to let any excess resin drip back into the resin vat. However, I neglected to put the red hood back on... In the few moments it took for me to take out my gloves, tools and water, it all went wrong. The print itself was flawless, but due to the abundant sunshine the layer of liquid resin started to cure. Fast... Before I realised what was going on it was too late.

I tried to salvage the model, submerging the print in water, scrubbing and poking at the blobs, but to no avail... Most of the flat surfaces I managed to clean to some extent, but the smaller details were all but lost.

The railing just under the roof is all but gone, as are most of the other small details...

The covered windows and vision slits are just about invisible...

Ah well, lesson learned... However, the model won't be tossed away. I will most likely find a way to include it in a piece of terrain or objective. I will print this one again and take extra care not to expose it to sunlight...

Update...

After finishing the second model I can offer some pictures to compare the difference in quality...