Introducing the Lychee Cleaner:
Your Solution for Quick Resin 3D Printer Tank Cleaning!
Resin 3D printing is amazing, but when things go wrong, the cleanup process can be a real hassle. To make this task more enjoyable, we proudly present the Lychee Cleaner! This nifty printable tool is designed to effortlessly remove the resin layer created by your printer’s “Clean Tank” function, which is responsible for capturing stuck bits at the bottom of the resin tank.
At Lychee Slicer, we perform numerous tests, and naturally, we frequently have to clean our resin tanks. The Lychee Cleaner, crafted with care, is here to make this step quicker, easier, and (hopefully) less frustrating.
Below, you’ll find usage instructions, helpful tips, and of course, the download link.
The Lychee Cleaner in Lychee Slicer, on the left, in printing orientation, on the right, ready to be used to clean your resin tank.
Printing the Lychee Cleaner
It’s a breeze, and the design is meant to be printed directly on the build plate. The Lychee Slicer 3D scene offers multiple instances of the same object. Feel free to print extras!
1. Download the 3D scene below and open it in Lychee Slicer.
2. In your resin settings, choose layer heights of 100 microns / 0.1 mm. Or even better, load a community resin profile).
If you’re using Lychee Slicer Pro, enable grey compensation with -0.4mm and 30% grey to minimize the elephant foot effect.
The important resin parameters: layer thickness at 100 microns and optionally, the resin compensation.
The small notch, to help you easily remove the Lychee Cleaner from the Build plate.
3. The Lychee Cleaner is disposable (sniff!), so there’s no need to use high-quality resin.
4. No anti-aliasing during export/slicing – it’s unnecessary, regardless of your 3D printer’s resolution.
5. Start the print… bzz bzzzz bzzzz bzz (x411 layers!).
6. Carefully remove the Lychee Cleaner from the build plate: there’s a small notch underneath, facing outward, to insert a spatula and gently pry it off.
7. Cure it under UV to ensure the Lychee Cleaner becomes rigid and its textured pads maintain their shape over time.
8. Now it’s ready to be used… for your next failed print (hopefully in the distant future, or never)!
3. The Lychee Cleaner is disposable (sniff!), so there’s no need to use high-quality resin.
4. No anti-aliasing during export/slicing – it’s unnecessary, regardless of your 3D printer’s resolution.
5. Start the print… bzz bzzzz bzzzz bzz (x411 layers!).
6. Carefully remove the Lychee Cleaner from the build plate: there’s a small notch underneath, facing outward, to insert a spatula and gently pry it off.
The small notch, to help you easily remove the Lychee Cleaner from the Build plate.
7. Cure it under UV to ensure the Lychee Cleaner becomes rigid and its textured pads maintain their shape over time.
8. Now it’s ready to be used… for your next failed print (hopefully in the distant future, or never)!
Using the Lychee Cleaner
Follow these simple steps for successful resin tank cleaning using the Lychee Cleaner:
1. Raise or remove your build plate to prevent interference.
2. First, locate the corner of your screen at the bottom of the tank. This is crucial! Use a flexible silicone spatula (like a kitchen scraper, flat with an angle, it works better) to scrape a corner and find a screen corner gently. It’s usually NOT located at the tank’s corner but slightly offset (more or less).
The arrow indicates the corner of the screen.
As you can see, the small pads are on top of the screen AND outside of it at the same time.
3. Place the center of the Lychee Cleaner on this screen corner. The goal is to have pads over the screen and some extending beyond.
4. Apply only gentle pressure to insert the Lychee Cleaner; a light press is sufficient. Pressing too hard could potentially scratch the film (that’s not the intention!).
3. Place the center of the Lychee Cleaner on this screen corner. The goal is to have pads over the screen and some extending beyond.
As you can see, the small pads are on top of the screen AND outside of it at the same time.
4. Apply only gentle pressure to insert the Lychee Cleaner; a light press is sufficient. Pressing too hard could potentially scratch the film (that’s not the intention!).
5. Activate the tank cleaning function, often named “Clean”, “Clean Tank”, “VAT Cleaning”, or “Screen Exposure”, for 20 to 30 seconds. All resin 3D printers feature this function.
5. Activate the tank cleaning function, often named “Clean”, “Clean Tank”, “VAT Cleaning”, or “Screen Exposure”, for 20 to 30 seconds. All resin 3D printers feature this function.
The VAT Cleaning command on the Anycubic 3D printer.
The VAT Cleaning command on the Anycubic 3D printer.
6. If the Lychee Cleaner is properly positioned, it will fuse with the solidified resin layer at the bottom of the screen. Tilt it towards the screen center while gently lifting upwards – the corner should detach, leaving the solidified resin layer ready for removal.
Tilt and lift!!
6. If the Lychee Cleaner is properly positioned, it will fuse with the solidified resin layer at the bottom of the screen. Tilt it towards the screen center while gently lifting upwards – the corner should detach, leaving the solidified resin layer ready for removal.
7. And there you have it! Before discarding, expose the resin layer to UV light to render it inert. Your tank bottom should be free of any adhered debris!
Tilt and lift!!
7. And there you have it! Before discarding, expose the resin layer to UV light to render it inert. Your tank bottom should be free of any adhered debris!
Download the Lychee Cleaner
We encourage you to share these instructions rather than the download file itself with others (especially as updates may occur)!
By downloading and/or 3D printing the Lychee-Cleaner.lys file, you release Mango 3D / Lychee Slicer from all liability regarding its usage and any potential consequences it may have on your 3D printer if it is used improperly or if you fail to perform proper resin tank cleaning.
Important Notes on Resin Tank Cleaning
While the Lychee Cleaner is incredibly useful, it doesn’t do it all, and in some cases, it might not be sufficient on its own. Please read these notes carefully:
- For prints with extensive debris at the tank bottom (not just flat bits), we strongly recommend using a paper paint filter to strain your resin. If solidified resin chunks remain in the tank that the “Clean Tank” function hasn’t captured (perhaps located outside the screen area or in suspension), they might get pressed against the screen during the next print, causing damage to the screen and the bottom film.
- If you have substantial debris adhered over larger areas, consider using multiple Lychee Cleaners for different corners.
- Feel free to gently slide a soft plastic / silicon spatula under the layer as you detach it; this can enhance effectiveness.
- Never use hard plastic or metal spatulas inside your resin tank!
If you want to discuss these topics with us, join our Discord server and chat with the Lychee Slicer team and community.
Lychee Slicer is available for all users, either as a free version or with a Pro with a Premium Option. Download the latest version from our download center right now or update directly from Lychee Slicer.
Don’t forget to share with us your feedback on this newest version in our Discord server and interact with the Team 🤩
Several thousand users exchange ideas and share their 3D printing experience with Lychee Slicer every day.
Happy Printing!
The Lychee Slicer Team
A wonderful product made with passion by
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