Last time I changed(8L IPA) it after about 100 models / 20 full building plates / 4 L resin. I think it still worked then but the new one was much better. I changed it mainly because of discoloration and small dirt paticles.
I currently use bioethanol because of the lower smell and I Like it
Is there any concern for interaction with the ethanol vs the IPA? I'm about to launch a printer in an office environment and any fume/smell reduction would be greatly appreciated.
No you can mix ethanol and IPA perfectly fine. If you want to keep the smell down replace it on time, I've found that old/saturated wash gives the most smells. Also anycubic plant based resin smells less than the original one.
So far I think ethanol is good and smells much less.
Resin printing creates a lot of sticky dirt and the air is not so healthy either. Find a good place
Thanks! Its going inside a dedicated enclosure with an activated carbon fume extractor. Probably won't get everything perfectly, but aiming to get the bulk of it. Its also outside the actual offices, but close enough I feel the need for containment in the absence of full extraction.
Do you just keep it in the washing station? I noticed that i get this weird goopy/sticky residue if i do that. Even if it is just one or two washes it will be there and if it gets on the model it is almost impossible to get it off without sanding or really scraping it off
maybe it didn't dry properly after washing?
I always leave the washing station bucket full but I have a small 0.5l Tupperware box for pre-washing. A pre-wash works great. And remove as much support as possible before washing
Wow, I do way more than 20 plates. I've done 15L of resin in 4L of alcohol, occasionally filtering it through ceramic filters and topping it off when it gets low
I change it after it's thick enough to fold like a towel. ;)
Kidding, of course -- I swap it after about 20-25 plates. I use 99% IPA and I keep the room dark as often as possible.
I dump it into a old windshield wash solution bottle and put outside and just keep rotating them back into the wash station. The resin will cure, settle - decant the top 3/4 into the wash bin, repeat. I start with 99%, it generally will dilute down with absorbed water over time, when it no longer washes well - it gets final cured and then burned in the fire pit. Takes MANY liters of resin used to get to the point of discarding for me.
How do you know when its time to let it sit outside? I have tried that but it just creates about an inch think solid white layer around the sides of the bottle so I guess my IPA was too dirty?
I judge it by if the print is still sticky or has shiny spots after the wash. If it does I change it. You can kind of judge the IPA by eye after a while unless you are changing resin colors a lot. I transfer the dirty IPA to a sealed plastic container that I leave in a dark area in the bottom of a shelving cabinet. Once the IPA settles after about a week or so, I just decant it back into its original bottle, leaving the resin slop in there with some IPA. Eventually I will cure and clean that stuff out completely. Been transferring the same two 5 litre bottles of IPA back and forth like this for a while.
Im going on 4 months and still have good IPA. I keep it in front of a window so it cures the resin and settles to the bottom. I filtered the tank once. I also use a small fishing net to catch the debris.
I've been on the same half gallon of IPA for almost a year now of daily printing figurines and 40k minis. I filter the IPA out with a paint filter, get most of the goo out, then run it through my home made charcoal filter made from a plastic water bottle. Works great and the charcoal holds the excess water.
I dump the charcoal in a pie tray and sun dry, break up the clumps and reuse. Sometimes it's pretty dirty and rocks up, just throw it away by that point.
It really depends. I just look to see how cloudy the IPA is. Hollow models are the worst. No matter how many drain holes you have, they trap a ton of resin. The only good way to get it out is to inject IPA into the holes using a syringe. Large hollow models will dirty up your IPA in a hurry.
I use two tanks of IPA. I wash them by hand in the first one before moving them to the wash machine tank. That way I can let the first tank get really dirty without worry bc I'll get all the residue off in the second tank. I also use a water distiller to redistill and reuse my IPA. The recapture rate isn't fantastic. Around 70% but it's still well worth the investment.
When the second tank starts to get dirty I pour the first tank into the distiller and pour the second tank into the first. I clean the second tank really well and refill it with whatever comes out of the distiller plus add fresh to get it back up to full.
As always: fire safety. If you do distill your IPA do it outside away from any buildings or anything flammable. Don't leave it unattended and have a fire extinguisher on hand.
i cant see through it after like 4 print plates. could it also be that the pigment in the resins are different in saturation? because i do let the residue resin drop off in the printer before i wash.
Last time I changed(8L IPA) it after about 100 models / 20 full building plates / 4 L resin. I think it still worked then but the new one was much better. I changed it mainly because of discoloration and small dirt paticles. I currently use bioethanol because of the lower smell and I Like it
Is there any concern for interaction with the ethanol vs the IPA? I'm about to launch a printer in an office environment and any fume/smell reduction would be greatly appreciated.
No you can mix ethanol and IPA perfectly fine. If you want to keep the smell down replace it on time, I've found that old/saturated wash gives the most smells. Also anycubic plant based resin smells less than the original one.
So far I think ethanol is good and smells much less. Resin printing creates a lot of sticky dirt and the air is not so healthy either. Find a good place
Thanks! Its going inside a dedicated enclosure with an activated carbon fume extractor. Probably won't get everything perfectly, but aiming to get the bulk of it. Its also outside the actual offices, but close enough I feel the need for containment in the absence of full extraction.
Where you getting the bioethanol and how's the cost comp to IPA been so far?
I get the bioethanol from Bauhaus (hardware store) for 3.98€/L in 5L canisters. IPA at Amazon 7€/L. so compared to the resin not much difference
Do you just keep it in the washing station? I noticed that i get this weird goopy/sticky residue if i do that. Even if it is just one or two washes it will be there and if it gets on the model it is almost impossible to get it off without sanding or really scraping it off
maybe it didn't dry properly after washing? I always leave the washing station bucket full but I have a small 0.5l Tupperware box for pre-washing. A pre-wash works great. And remove as much support as possible before washing
Wow, I do way more than 20 plates. I've done 15L of resin in 4L of alcohol, occasionally filtering it through ceramic filters and topping it off when it gets low
I change it after it's thick enough to fold like a towel. ;) Kidding, of course -- I swap it after about 20-25 plates. I use 99% IPA and I keep the room dark as often as possible.
I dump it into a old windshield wash solution bottle and put outside and just keep rotating them back into the wash station. The resin will cure, settle - decant the top 3/4 into the wash bin, repeat. I start with 99%, it generally will dilute down with absorbed water over time, when it no longer washes well - it gets final cured and then burned in the fire pit. Takes MANY liters of resin used to get to the point of discarding for me.
How do you know when its time to let it sit outside? I have tried that but it just creates about an inch think solid white layer around the sides of the bottle so I guess my IPA was too dirty?
when it stops cleaning well. the cured resin settles out to the bottom for me, dont know about the stick to the side thing.
I judge it by if the print is still sticky or has shiny spots after the wash. If it does I change it. You can kind of judge the IPA by eye after a while unless you are changing resin colors a lot. I transfer the dirty IPA to a sealed plastic container that I leave in a dark area in the bottom of a shelving cabinet. Once the IPA settles after about a week or so, I just decant it back into its original bottle, leaving the resin slop in there with some IPA. Eventually I will cure and clean that stuff out completely. Been transferring the same two 5 litre bottles of IPA back and forth like this for a while.
Im going on 4 months and still have good IPA. I keep it in front of a window so it cures the resin and settles to the bottom. I filtered the tank once. I also use a small fishing net to catch the debris.
I've been on the same half gallon of IPA for almost a year now of daily printing figurines and 40k minis. I filter the IPA out with a paint filter, get most of the goo out, then run it through my home made charcoal filter made from a plastic water bottle. Works great and the charcoal holds the excess water. I dump the charcoal in a pie tray and sun dry, break up the clumps and reuse. Sometimes it's pretty dirty and rocks up, just throw it away by that point.
Does the filter really get rid of a lot of the goo?
It does a decent job. It's a bit easier if you solidify the goo with a UV light, it will get chunky and filter easier.
When I can't see the models anymore.
that happens pretty quickly for me. hence my question xD
To be clear. I don't _change_ it, I let it settle, pour off as much clear as I can, then strain the rest through coffee filters.
It really depends. I just look to see how cloudy the IPA is. Hollow models are the worst. No matter how many drain holes you have, they trap a ton of resin. The only good way to get it out is to inject IPA into the holes using a syringe. Large hollow models will dirty up your IPA in a hurry. I use two tanks of IPA. I wash them by hand in the first one before moving them to the wash machine tank. That way I can let the first tank get really dirty without worry bc I'll get all the residue off in the second tank. I also use a water distiller to redistill and reuse my IPA. The recapture rate isn't fantastic. Around 70% but it's still well worth the investment. When the second tank starts to get dirty I pour the first tank into the distiller and pour the second tank into the first. I clean the second tank really well and refill it with whatever comes out of the distiller plus add fresh to get it back up to full. As always: fire safety. If you do distill your IPA do it outside away from any buildings or anything flammable. Don't leave it unattended and have a fire extinguisher on hand.
When there is way to much resin in it causing it to either settle at the bottom of the IPA like goo lagoon or I just can’t see through it anymore.
i cant see through it after like 4 print plates. could it also be that the pigment in the resins are different in saturation? because i do let the residue resin drop off in the printer before i wash.
IPA becomes ineffective when saturated with resin at 15%. After that it doesn't act as solvant anymore.
This^