IPA vs Water Washing 3D Resin Prints
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2023
- Washing 3D resin prints with IPA saves time and mess. A much cleaner process with better washing results.
#3dresin #anycubicphoton #anycubic
Magnetic Build Plate
bit.ly/AnycubicPhotonMonoX - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
It seems that many of the drawbacks of water could be addressed by using water in a wash and cure station. It wouldn't help with the drying times, but it wold certainly eliminate all the faffing around outside with the hose. Have you considered that?
Hey, thanks for your question. Yes, I have tried that. But the water just doesn't do as good a job, even in the wash station. In fact, eSun even specifies that their water washable resin should be washed under running water, and not in a wash station. Anycubic has also just released water washable resin, and specifies a water/or IPA wash. After extensive testing and experimentation, I'm sticking with IPA...until something better comes along. 😀
Honestly i dont see the problem. I use a similar washing station for my prints with water washable resin, all i did i filled it with water instead of IPA. Works absolute fine (If you add a cup of IPA to the water it works even better) and i only need to change the water once or twice a year. So no big deal at all.
Thanks for the comment. Sounds like a great suggestion. I'll give that a try, for sure. 😀
This sounds more like your advocating for a wash and cure station than for alcohol vs water. You can put water in a wash station and you can then pour it into glass jars to cure in the curing station. You don't need to go outside with a bucket and a hose. And you can change out that water as much as you like since it's effectively free. As for drying, pro tip, if you have an airbrush just blow air at your prints. You can also you a blow drier but that gets a bit hot.
Maybe...I did try water in the wash & cure station, although I still wasn't that amazed. IPA just gave a better result. But that's resin printing...so many things to try. 😀
Interesting video, it's good that IPA cleaning is working well for you. After much experimentation I've gone the other way and moved away from standard resin & IPA with a wash & cure, to water washable resin.
I've found the trick is using warm water - it cleans the prints far, far better than cold.
I also fully immerse my prints in warm water as I cure them. I swear by this method - it limits thermal warping, cures the inside of hollow models better as the UV diffuses through the water, and causes any missed 'wet' resin to cure in the water column rather than on the model.
Its also worth mentioning that IPA is a VOC, and it's worth reading up on the possible long term health effects before choosing a method of cleaning.
Happy printing folks!
That's really interesting. Thanks for offering the suggestion into the conversation. I hadn't considered warm water. I will definitely keep that in mind. I still need to use IPA for cleaning the tough resins for the parts I make. Water washable resins are still too brittle. But who knows, maybe that will change in the future. Happy printing indeed.
and IPA is super flammable. Having a washing bucket of 5 liter of Alcohol laying around in my house makes me very nervous. Cleaning right away with very warm water also makes the support kind of detach by themself. When the water is 40 to 45 degree Celsius the parts dry quite fast by themself but you can use a hair drier to speed up the process.
You really think you’re curing the inside of hollow prints by curing in water? I guess it would vary based on the type of model you’re curing, but most of mine would never cure inside without inserting a UV light source. YMMV
@@forrestegan that's interesting, I've not really had curing problems. I usually leave my cured prints on a tray on a windowsill for a day or two afterwards as well, so maybe that also helps? I've got printed titans & big models that are several years old now & have been fine, so pretty sure they're past the 'danger zone' now (at least I hope so!).
I think they key is finding a process that works well for you and sticking to it.
Came across this video as I searched for more information regarding water-washable resin. I'll be taking your advice and will be sticking to the analog (IPA)!
I too use resin printing for my practical needs, this was very insightful! Thank you!
Thanks, I'm glad that was helpful. I recently changed out the IPA in my wash & cure and I was surprised, again, at just how well the IPA cleans, both water washable and standard type resins. After a while the IPA seems to get 'sticky', even after filtering it etc. For the time being, IPA is still my go to.
It's kind of funny. I just switched to water washable abs-like from the UV tough and I love it so far. I don't think I'm ever going back to IPA washing.
UV Tough is a great choice if you are going that route though. I've been using that for a while.
Maybe I should try the Anycubic ABS-like in the wash and cure station with water. Perhaps it's been optimised for better water washing. eSun specifically state not to use a wash station. IPA just gave an instant brilliant result on the tough resin. Maybe I need both. I'm certainly keen to try the ABS. 🤣
@@ColinKlupiec I don't have any experience with Esun. That is strange that it says that. I don't know why it would matter.
I bought 2 pickle jars to water wash with and that seems to work pretty well. Time will tell lol
My biggest problem with the IPA was dealing with the fumes with limited space. If you have a good system in place for that it's not as much of an issue :p
Also, I would suggest removing the prints from the supports before putting them in the IPA because your IPA is going to get dirty way faster if you wash the supports.
@@hauntswargaming Good point about washing supports. I tried that and found that my prints tended to bounce around in the wash. Detail for me is kind of the opposite...it's about smooth surfaces with no detail, and I'd get tiny little marks from bouncing around in the container. But you're right...I've now started to wipe the build plate from excess resin before placing it into the wash station.
@@ColinKlupiec whatever works for you 👍
@@ColinKlupiec I washing my print with the shower. Easy and quick and most important no fumes. At this moment i must use other resin and i cant wait to end of use IPA.
Thank you very much for your video. 😊
You're welcome 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Nice tip about the magnetic build plate, seen lots of disaster vids using those paint scrapers. Wonder if it will work with the Anycubic Tough resin which is also a bit flexible.?
I don’t use paint scrapers for removing prints. They’re too thick and can easily damage the build plate. The best device by far is a butter knife. Thin, but strong and flexible, and doesn’t scratch up the build plate nearly as much. You’ll see me use it in this video… Siraya Tech Blu Resin | How tough?
th-cam.com/video/CcdSR2s-2Ug/w-d-xo.html
And yes, the Anycubic Tough resin comes off the build plate easier because of its flexibility. It’s a great resin.
Thanks for your video and information.
I got my resin printer 3 years ago and really enjoy it, it’s great for what I need it to do but I always use water washable resin and just got used to the processes involved in using it and yet never appreciate how fragile the small pieces are. Do you find the resin that needs ipa for cleanup is stronger or even less brittle?
Thanks for your question and your kind feedback. A major reason for the switch to IPA was that I could then wash 'tough' type resins. They are much less brittle and can handle quite a bit of punishment.. I compare water washable resins to tough resins in this video th-cam.com/video/PLtjuhRN6Wg/w-d-xo.html
You might find the comparisons useful.
Thanks I’ll check out your video👍🏻
The information on why I have white spots on my cured parts and being told I can wash my water wash parts in IPA is rather helpful. I'm going to keep trying water in my wash & cure station as I've just started with printing in general, but having options is nice, thanks.
Hey, thanks for leaving a comment. I'm glad you found that helpful. I think the mistake I was making was curing the prints too quickly before they were absolutely and completely dry. You can fix that with a heat gun or hair dryer and then be a little more patient than I was. But...I still think I get a cleaner result when I use IPA. Have a great day. 😀
I've always used IPA. I use a two stage cleanup. First dunk the build plate and models in a tub of IPA to get the bulk of the resin off. Second pop the models off the plate and into the wash and cure container and proceed normally. The tub without the impeller is easier to clean and resin tends to settle out since it's never stirred from the bottom. I recycle the IPA by letting it settle for some time out in the sun and I feel that the recycled IPA is perfect for the first stage dunk.
That’s a great idea. I’ve been thinking about doing something similar to that.
speed it up using a couple glass jars. Run your IPA through the curing station for about an hour and let it COOK. All the resin settles to the bottom and can be filtered out. No more wasted IPA. Top off as needed.@@ColinKlupiec
@@gravesclay I've got some old IPA sitting in a wash container that I will try this with. Sounds really interesting. I've used the method of leaving it out in the sun, but not thought of using the cure station for an extended cycle. 👍
I just wash it in the sink under running water and its perfectly clean in like 10 sec
I guess that works. Not that great for the engineering type resins. 😀
If I ever got the 3D printing route, I think resin is where it is at for the things I have in mind.
Hey, thanks for leaving a comment. If you like to make precision parts, then resin is the way to go. FDM is good for fast prototypes, which you can then develop further with resin (which has very long print times). 😀
@@ColinKlupiec I think Bambu Lab's X1 is also capable of very high precision prints, especially with a nozzle change. I've been pretty impressed with what I've seen on Reddit in the miniature printing subreddits.
Of course that's a 1.5k euro printer so SLA is still the way to go for detail on a budget.
@@FlakiCiociGosi Resin printer have a pixel size of about 30 micrometers, fdm does not come close
yup same problem I have been running into using the Anycubic ABS Like Resin v2, it's not that bad I only get a slight amount of white residue, but still enough to make my eye twitch. It's a good resin but it's such a pain to get it off the plate. literally chipping away at it, doesn't pop off at all like how I see other people printing with resin.
my first resin to use for 3d printing also, so I don't have much of an actually contrast.
I hear a lot about the ABS Like Resin, but I've had so much success with the Tough Resin that I haven't got around to trying the ABS... By the way, the Tough Resin is super easy to get off the plate. It's my go to resin.
@@ColinKlupiec awesome because that’s the resin I want to try out next!
@@VRvelocity907 All water based resins are brittle - even the supposed "ABS-Like". That ABS-Like (V2) is even much just like the plain water wash types anyway!
All normal (non water wash) resins come off the build plate quite easily - which is also linked to your burn in setup, but even when overdone they still come off fine. Intact. Water wash will disintegrate if stuck on too hard! I found the plain water wash to be the best (rather than the ABS-Like V2) IF it for making something you can live with its deicateness (brittle). And washing water based is WAY easier, cheaper, safer, than normal resins and IPA!! Too bad you have that brittleness limitation/issue with water wash resins......
You also changed my mind about water/IPA, where do you get 20L IPA in Oz?
There are some good online suppliers out of Sydney. IPA is often used as an industrial cleaning product. Try looking for local industrial supplies shops, or cleaning supplies shops. I’m spoiled…I have one 5min drive away.
Hey Colin, good to see another video from you. I just purchased a new 3D printer (Creality CR-10 Smart). Let me tell you, it's a fantastic printer, but I have been looking into resin printers. Are you able to steer me in the right direction? As usual, great video. Cheers mate. 👍👍
Thanks Chris. I use an Anycubic Mono X, which seems to work quite well. I also use Anycubic resin. Postage within Australia seems to come from Sydney and is always very fast. There are newer models out now...things change quickly in this space. There's an update on the dust port coming soon too. Stand by for that one. 😀
Hi Just came across your channel, I'm very new to the hobby, came by it because of the utility it adds to my other hobbies. A lot of videos and channels barely take into consideration to the living situation of individuals trying to get into the 3d resin printing. Not everyone has a house/backyard, a garage or a dedicated room for 3d printing. IPA giving the best results is simply terrible when it comes to fumes and limited spaces. I plan on 3d printing inside with a sealed grow tent with ventilation exhaust, as for IPA washing(which involves hands on) I plan to do it in my covered balcony. Do you think washing on a balcony is acceptable?
Thanks for your question. Yes, I think washing on a balcony will be fine. Everyone's experience is different, but I've found that IPA washing is somehow more contained, especially when using a wash and cure station. Sure, IPA has fumes, but it's manageable. Some people use a wash and cure with water which also works. By the way, I think you'll find that resins these days have much fewer odour problems. I've been very surprised by that. I mostly use Anycubic Tough resin and it has virtually no odour. Worth checking out (I'm not sponsored by Anycubic). Thanks for stopping by my channel. I appreciate it. 😀
@@ColinKlupiec Thank you for the great info, yeah I looked into Anycubic and got a printer from them as well as their resin 😊 I got a combined wash and cure station but I'll have to see for myself if the fumes are manageable. The printing part might need to stay indoors for a more stable environment but the washing like you mentioned can be done pretty much anywhere. Thanks again!
@@covenant05 You're welcome. You make a good point about stable conditions. Temperature is also very important. I learned this after many, many experiments. Anycubic recommends printing over 25 degrees. I've found that over 20 degrees works too. But once you get down to ambient temperatures of 17ish the print quality starts to fail. I've also used warm water baths to warm up the resin bottle before printing in the colder months. This dramatically improves results. Resin printing involves lots of failure. But once you get it right, it becomes super efficient. I'm confident now to let resin prints run overnight. Especially good for those long prints.
Have you tried a primarily water washing the resin and rinsing it with IPA to help with the drying issue? Using minimal IPA would be more cost effective.
Yes, I did try that. It's a good solution. But these days I print exclusively with 'tough' resins which specify IPA cleaning. In some ways it simplifies the process...I just know I need to use IPA. And, I've found that it's actually not that expensive. Thanks for leaving a comment. It all adds to experience and learning. 😀
Brilliant to the point and value in this video. Looking forward to many more. Thank You!
Thank you for your kind feedback. I really appreciate it. Have a great day. 😀
How do you handle the vapors?
Thanks for your question. Always put the lid on the wash station when running a wash cycle. Helps to reduce vapours. Be careful when using spray bottles as IPA tends to atomise easily. A mask is also helpful. 😀
Hello, I am new at resin printing and am a little bit scared, do you think 3d printing is worth the risk because I heard a lot and am not sure if I am safe anymore I wear mask and gloves and I try to be very careful but I have read many horror stories, is resin that big deal , do you have any health problems from resin, if a spill happens it will be a huge problem for my health?
My experience with resin has been good so far. Always stick to the manufacturer’s safety guidelines for resin and IPA. 😀
Can i use Vinegar to wash ?? 🤔
I've never tried using vinegar. I doubt it. But, methylated spirits also works. Just not quite as well as IPA.
Dude, you know you can just pour water into wash station, right?
Sure, I tried that too. I just found that IPA cleans better. I reckon it cleans water-washable resins better as well. It also opens things up to using more engineering type resins, like tough resin. But hey, whatever works. I appreciate you leaving a comment. 😀
So, how long does the IPA last?
At 3:47 you stated, "Depends on how much you print."
DUH
Very vague answer.
Perhaps you may like to elaborate.
As a suggestion....Give an example.
Thanks for your question. I guess it is a vague explanation for how long it lasts. It’s hard to be precise. But, to extend the life of IPA I now use a 2 stage process. First dunk into a small container of IPA. Then use the wash station. The first container is then easier to recycle and dispose of, leaving the IPA in the wash station for that final rinse. Seems to he working well so far. It also depends on the detail of your models. Mine are mostly smooth shapes with large cavities to allow the excess resin to drain off. I imagine highly detailed models would require longer washing cycles and therefore contaminate the IPA more quickly over time. Hope that helps.
Try methylated spirits they are a game changer
Interesting…I did try methylated spirits, which worked, and then led me to using IPA.
Lol I had the same experience as u, I used water washable at first, and will never look back, water washable is no where near as good as a good curing/cleaning station with IPA
Hey, thanks for leaving a comment. 😀 Indeed, I still think IPA is better, especially when working with 'tough' resins.
Did anybody say that you can cure in water?!
Yes, they did. I tried that too.
Adding IPA to the water will speed up the evaporation. TBH, I only heard a lot of non arguments.
That's the joy of resin printing. So many different use cases and applications...and somehow we're all finding our way through it. Whatever gets the result. 😀
99% Isopropyl is fine for the washing process right?
Yes, I've found that to work fine. It's often advertised on the bottle as 99.99%.
I have 2 wash and cure stations, both do very well for washing in IPA OR water. I prefer the water over IPA due to cost and easy cleaning. Water washable is so much better for me because I don't have saturated IPA hanging around until I can reclaim it. With water washable it's so much easier. Wash it in wash station and I use a hair dryer to blow dry them then cure. the water is then cured with the UV for about 30 minutes and you can see the resin drops collected at the bottom, then you just wipe it away and your done. Also I do not cure my prints for more than a minute, unless they are large clear prints, then I cure for 1min 30sec. I have had no issues with curing. If you are using dense color resin, the only part that will actually cure in the UV station is the outside, so why waste the time for nothing.
You make some great points. Thanks for contributing to the conversation. I now use a 2-stage process with IPA to save cost and improve results. 👍
I'm not entirely sure the white residue is from moisture being left on the part... Perhaps moisture containing photochemical remnants in it from prior washes? I say this because you can cure models completely submerged underwater without getting any residue. In fact, underwater curing has a number of advantages over open air curing. Food for thought :)
Thanks for your comment. I'm not sure about it either. Each time I washed with clean running water. I did read up on curing under water and tried that too. Perhaps it's just the resin I was using. I'm using IPA these days because I now print with 'tough' resins which specify IPA cleaning. Although I welcome your comment. It all adds to experience and learning. 😀
Also interested if there is more on this anywhere. I used IPA and made a filter system for the IPA to get rid of the white marks on my work as using specialised resins that need IPA cleaning and often gunk up the IPA quickly. However seems some of my processes needed fully submerged in water curing. Seems if I cure a wet part it will get the white, but if fully cleaned in IPA and dried and then Cured fully submerged in water it does not have white marks.
Mate…. Just use the wash and cure station with water instead of IPA. lol
I tried that. It works, but I still reckon IPA does a better job of cleaning the prints. 😀
Please make more resin printing videos I am getting tired of the cartoon characters shilling for printers on other resin 3d printing channels and I can be the only one. I will be using IPA moving forward. Thank you for making this an easy decision!
Hey, thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it. I'm actually working on another 3D printing video now. Stay tuned. 😀
Another 3D printing video. Published today. th-cam.com/video/CcdSR2s-2Ug/w-d-xo.html