Author: Solivet

Today we’re proud to launch our latest innovation for 3D-printed Vat Photopolymerization resin removal, PLM-403-SUB. This new addition to the PostProcess Technologies family of proprietary detergents was developed specifically for PostProcess’s patented Submersed Vortex Cavitation (SVC) technology and improves upon the performance of its predecessor, the previously released PLM-402-SUB (referred to 402 from here on).

Read on to learn how PostProcess’s newly developed resin removal detergent stacks up against common resin removal solutions like isopropyl alcohol (IPA), dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPM), or tripropylene glycol methyl ether (TPM).

Longevity
Beyond a detergent’s ability to clean parts, perhaps the number one thing that users look at is the life of the detergent, as this typically determines the frequency of laborious cleaning activities. In the case of resin removal solutions, longevity can be defined by the weight that the chemical solution can hold while it is still able to functionally remove resin. As a result of testing capacity by weight of resin in solution at 10 minutes, 403 not only had better longevity than all typical solvents (IPA, TPM, DPM), but it also had a 6% improved longevity versus our previous solution, 402.

In addition to scaling back downtime caused by chemical change-outs, the optimized longevity of 403 can play a role in reducing waste generation, as well. Uncured resins in solution are considered hazardous, making them costly to dispose of. The less frequency with which this hazardous waste must be disposed of, the better – and that’s precisely the benefit of 403’s longevity. Once saturated with resin, 403 can even be recovered for use by distillation. Under a typical vacuum distillation, up to 90%+ of 403 by saturation weight (amount of resin in solution) can be recovered for reuse of the detergent. This factor serves to make 403 an especially sustainable and cost-effective option.

To enable users with a simple way of tracking their detergent’s longevity, PostProcess provides a Hydrometer solution to indicate the amount of resin saturation.

Safety Considerations
In addition to handling hazardous materials as minimally as possible, additive operations make an effort to mitigate inhalation and combustion risks in order to maintain a safe work environment. With a higher flashpoint and boiling point than 402 or IPA, 403 is a critical asset in reducing the risk of flammability and maintaining safety for engineers and technicians. In fact, this heightened flashpoint brought 403 down to the “non-flammable liquid” category.

Additionally, with a vapor pressure of only .2 @ 20 C (mm Hg) compared to IPA’s 33.1 @ 20 C (mm Hg), the 403 detergent is far less volatile to work around. Offering a safer work environment, this game-changing detergent is developed to be user-friendly with a minimal waste output.

Alleviating Storage Concerns
If you’re working in the additive space, you’re likely already familiar with the limitations on the amount of flammable/combustible resin removal liquids that can be kept on-site. While maintaining safety is essential, these regulations can prove troublesome for large-scale resin removal.

In situations where large volumes of chemicals are required to remove resin, 403’s heightened flashpoint addresses issues of storage limitations. The 220°F (104°C) can be stored for use in much larger quantities than other resin removal chemistries that are considered flammable or combustible.

Chemistry is just one part of our comprehensive approach to resin removal. You can learn more about the various components of our full-stack resin removal solutions, as well as see in-depth data on 403’s performance in our latest Application Note.

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Before 2020, it was easiest to look back on the World War II era for examples of times that emergency supply production took place. During this time (about 80 years ago), key domestic manufacturers were called upon by the United States government to shift their production to supply products that were urgently needed, and that could be created without a major dependence on global supply chains. As the saying goes, history tends to repeat itself, and sure enough, the government has been reliant on manufacturers to shift production for critically needed medical products in the wake of 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic.

The good news is that nowadays there is additive manufacturing, which has made the shift in production to medical and testing supplies significantly more expedient. PostProcess was able to contribute towards the emergency supply production and scale-up efforts of Print Parts, a Manhattan-based additive manufacturing service bureau. After securing a contract with New York City for the production of over 1 million 3D printed nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs for COVID-19 Test Kits, Print Parts invested in eight medical-grade Digital Light Processing (DLP) Envision One cDLM 3D printers from EnvisionTEC for their ISO 13485 compliant production lab. While these additional printers enabled scalable 3D printing, post-printing with traditional isopropyl alcohol (IPA) caused a significant bottleneck, as it would have taken over 20 minutes to clean each batch of printed swabs.

By implementing the PostProcess™ DEMI 800™ Resin Removal solution, Print Parts managed to reduce their resin removal process 5x over, as the software-controlled DEMI 800 delivered a completely hands-free cleaning process in a single 90-second submersion [followed by a quick IPA rinse]. Thanks to the efficiencies enabled by the PostProcess solution, Print Parts was able to rapidly scale in a short amount of time, and bring effective testing to individuals across the greater New York City area.

Check out our joint press release with Print Parts to learn more about how our technology-enabled rapid results not possible with previous methods, and more background information on Print Parts and the COVID-19 response contract itself.

-> Read more in a full Case Study

-> Explore our automated Resin Removal White Paper

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Even while our ever-turbulent world has undergone some exceptionally jarring changes in 2020, the additive manufacturing (AM) industry as a whole has managed to persevere through all of the recent ups and downs. While it’s true that the minimal amount of required starting material and quick turnaround times have enabled additive manufacturing to shine as the go-to solution for emergency supply production, there’s a little something else that keeps pushing the industry forward, and we believe that is collaboration, which PostProcess Technologies is embracing by continuing to host industry-wide virtual events. Keep reading to learn more about why these sorts of events are more important than ever before, as well as details about our next big virtual endeavor, UNLOCK AM Live: Today & Tomorrow.

Additive Manufacturing may be considered a relatively new industry, but it’s a rapidly growing one. The 2019 Wohlers Report estimated the worth of the entire industry at $11.867 billion, with a 21.2% growth from 2018 – 2019. Though additive has stood its ground as a whole, the recent economic downturn has still resulted in missed tradeshow and networking opportunities for many. And yet, collaboration and solidarity within the industry is the factor that keeps driving AM forward, regardless that it is still such a fresh sector. Additive’s intrinsic forward-thinking nature paves the way for Industry 4.0, the future of manufacturing, and the increasingly digital road ahead.

PostProcess Technologies set out with the intention to pioneer an entire sector of the AM industry that did not previously exist; software-driven post-printing. Even as relative “newbies”, we’ve held strong and steady over the curveballs that 2020 has thrown our way, and have done so by embracing this new remote “normal” and hosting a series of major virtual industry events. Recognizing that industry connection might be lost this year with the cancellation or delay of all major tradeshows, we put on our own week-long virtual tradeshow experience, UNLOCK AM Live in May, complete with an interactive virtual booth. We’ve even hosted major brands like The Toro Company for additional standalone online presentations. Since April, these virtual events have brought in hundreds of attendees, allowing us to spark connections and reach audiences that we may not have had the chance to otherwise.

This September, we are taking this collaborative spirit a step further. Our upcoming virtual event, UNLOCK AM Live: Today & Tomorrow will be pulling in executives from Fortune 100 companies like Google and Ford, as well as additive experts from cutting edge technology brands like Siemens, Protolabs, 3D Gence, Henkel, Jabil, and more. These guest panels and webinars will be taking place in addition to internally-hosted presentations and demos that showcase the ins and outs of our automated post-printing technologies. The event will be split into two tracks, with the “Today” track taking place on September 15th, and the “Tomorrow” track occurring on September 16th. We are thrilled for the opportunity to hear from these experts and look forward to being joined by forward-thinking attendees from a variety of industries.

Learn more about the event or sign up for sessions here.

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