Instructions for Use IFU for water soluble sacrificial 3D printed resins

Follow our Instructions for Use "IFU" for printing our 3D resins. For cleaning and postprocessing our water (and alcohol) soluble sacrificial resins follow the following protocol.

Basics about water soluble sacrificial 3D printed resins

  • Water and alcohols cannot be used for washing and cleaning water soluble sacrificial 3D printed resins because they dissolve water soluble prints
  • Clean and postcure your water soluble 3D prints with Cleaning Fluid WS1 and Cleaning Fluid WS2 Bio (both are required)
  • Some water soluble sacrificial resins instead of fully dissolving may swell. This depends on few kinetic variables beyond 3Dresyns control* 

Cleaning and postprocessing protocol

  • The following washing and cleaning method is automated, cost effective, fast and easy. It is recommended for cleaning water soluble prints

Equipment:

  • a low cost wash & cure machine of 100 Euro can be used, such as this wash & Cure Machine or a similar one

Printing

Follow our general Instructions for Use "IFU" and our more specific IFU for different printing technologies, which can be requested by email to info@3Dresyns.com after ordering our 3Dresyns 

Light box post-curing of prints in immersion/dipping:

  • remove prints from the build platform with a spatula
  • dip prints inside a washing basket in a washing container filled with Cleaning Fluid WS1
  • remove any uncured resin from the surface of the prints by dipping them up and down inside Cleaning Fluid WS1 as fast as possible (in less than a minute) to avoid over dissolving / smoothing the prints o with fast with a magnet stirrer (wash mode)
  • remove any Cleaning Fluid WS1 from the surface of the prints with a hot air dryer or rinse it in acetone for 1-3 seconds
  • dip prints in a container filled up with our Cleaning Fluid WS2 Bio and postcure them in a light box. Recommended light box post curing times:
    • 5-10 minutes** is normally enough for getting a dry surface
    • 10-20 minutes* will increase the rigidity of prints (recommended)
    • 20-60 minutes* will increase the rigidity of prints but brittleness will increase due to excessive light post-curing
  • remove  Cleaning Fluid WS2 Bio from the surface of the prints with compressed air or with a clean cloth
  • cut the supports. If supports are too hard and brittle, leaving marks on the prints, cut them before light postcuring
  • Dip prints in water (or in alcohol) for dissolving water (and alcohol) soluble 3D printed materials

*Note: full dissolution cannot be warranted since printer and light box power, wavelength, exposure time, etc may affect the solubility of sacrificial resins. 

**Note: ideally use fresh unused Cleaning Fluid to avoid contamination of prints with uncured resin from previous washings. 

How to reuse dirty Cleaning Fluid? Expose the Cleaning Fluid in the washing container to sunlight, or with or without stirring to light in the light box or curing machine. After several minutes the uncured resin will cure as small particles. Then, use a paint filter to separate and remove the cured resin from the recycled cleaning fluid, which can be used again and again for washing prints.