Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?  

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Bio ethanol. Is another option. 

As is Resin away...

Regards joan

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Just an idea: Maybe you can use it to clean the MK2/MK3/Mini sheets? 😉 

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Bioethanol is the same thing as straight ethanol isn't it, aside from water content?  There has been some discussion in the Formlabs forum about TPA or TPE as a less-volatile cleaning agent.  It's pretty pricey at $US300 for 5 gallons, though.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@michaelhenry

Bioethanol is the same as ethanol, but supposedly from renewable resources, both are available in a number of different purities,

Exposing them to the atmosphere allows them to absorb moisture,  which messes with the purity! but they are cheaper than the alternative non/less volatile alternatives

 regards Joan

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Mean Green is pretty awesome at removing resin.  It is like Kryptonite for Resin. 

I don't yet use it in my CW1 as I still have a tank full of Alcohol.  The only reason I could see not to use it in the CW1 are the bubbles...  It does create bubbles.   Not bad but it may be a bit much for the CW1.  I will probably give it a try though.

I don't know about the rest of the world but it is fairly cheap and easy to find in the US in places like Walmart along with other cleaning chemicals.  I originally heard about it via a YouTube video by UncleJessy.  

I use it exclusively to clean the Vat, tools and such as it is inexpensive and non-flammable.  It is easy to keep fresh as the resin settles nicely at the bottom of the container and can be siphoned off.

If you can get it, it is worth a try!!!

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

I was thinking of ordering a second steel tank cover + magnetic mixer so I could do a water bath before IPA bath. Figured it would keep the IPA cleaner for longer. 

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

I recommend TPM. It's a straight substitute for isopropyl alcohol, way less flammable and cleans just as well. It does need a good rinse with water afterward. 

I use it in an ultrasonic cleaner which beats the pants off of the CW1 for cleaning ability. 

Formlabs have a couple of good posts on it:

https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Washing-prints-with-TPM?language=en_US

https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Tripropylene-glycol-monomethyl-ether-TPM?language=en_US

I'm in the UK and I purchased it from here: https://www.britishchemicalproducts.co.uk/product.asp?s=qvcn8v2090584&strParents=&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=323&strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Hi.

I'm based in germany, so the Mean Green is not available here. I scanned through their safety sheet and tried out different cleaning agents. There are a few based on similar solvents as Mean Green. 

My favourite so far is named "Frosch Spiritus Glas-Reiniger" (1,65€ per liter). Thet stuff is labelled "Bio". It consits mostly of a mixture of different alcohols and in the ultrasonic cleaner, it perfeclty removes resin residue from the print. Since it contains some "soapy" component, the washed-off resin remains in an emulgated state for some time, so the liquid turns opaque after the third process or so, but after two days resting time it clears itself and the resin collects at the bottom of the container. I'm also trying to put it back in the bottle and radiate it with UV. Maybe it clears faster that way and the resin can be filtered out.

I'll keep experimenting, though.

Cheers

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

I just started using my SL1 and opted to use "Mean Green" for starters. So far I'm not impressed, a 9 min clean cycle still leaves uncured resin traces. Warming the solution  just makes the Prusa Tough orange resin go limp and features become delicate and break off. I'm printing detailed Jewellery , rings and clusters but it may be more effective for larger, smoother prints. I also may try extending the clean cycle to see if that helps. 

Buying IPA from a pharmacy here in Canada is not economic so I've ordered 4 liters (1 Gallon) of IPA on amazon and will give that a go.  Most of the resins I'll be using only require 30 seconds of rinse time. The other thing I may try is Methyl Hydrate (aka  methyl alcohol, methanol, wood alcohol) it is readily available here in hardware stores, at an economic price, I'm just not sure if it's a direct replacement for IPA or Ethanol.

My old B9 Creator DLP printer with yellow resin was a joy to clean the resin from the model. Just a few minutes under running warm water and it was clean. I'm still looking for that joy with my SL1. 

Just trying to keep up with the learning curve.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Posted by: @cosmicvelocity

Hi.

I'm based in germany, so the Mean Green is not available here. I scanned through their safety sheet and tried out different cleaning agents. There are a few based on similar solvents as Mean Green. 

My favourite so far is named "Frosch Spiritus Glas-Reiniger" (1,65€ per liter). Thet stuff is labelled "Bio". It consits mostly of a mixture of different alcohols and in the ultrasonic cleaner, it perfeclty removes resin residue from the print. Since it contains some "soapy" component, the washed-off resin remains in an emulgated state for some time, so the liquid turns opaque after the third process or so, but after two days resting time it clears itself and the resin collects at the bottom of the container. I'm also trying to put it back in the bottle and radiate it with UV. Maybe it clears faster that way and the resin can be filtered out.

 

I'll keep experimenting, though.

 

Cheers

Please let me know about the results. I've tested IPA, Monocure ResinAway and 3DJake Resin Cleaner. Can't recommend the Resin Cleaner but the ResinAway stuff is pretty good. I am still looking for alternatives due to the extreme price.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@niellopalko

Just keep in mind that methanol is poisonous so take care not to ingest it.  Safe to use so long as you are aware of the risks and takes steps to mitigate them.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@lichtjaeger

Hi.

I refuse to by pricey "special" resin cleaners from folks like 3DJake. Feels like snake oil. 

That "Frosch" cleaner does a decent enough job, though I could not run a reasonable survey yet, because I'm in the middle of a production run.

It seems to become saturated after a few uses (about 5 cleaning runs of quite big prints), but it is hard to judge, because the solution becomes opaque after two of three runs. It still seems to remove most of the uncured goo. My model has a small company logo and text embossed which  always come out  clean without "bridges", regaular and very much readable.

Take my writings with a grain of salt, though, because I'm very new to resin printing. I'd really love to get some input on the topic from people in germany.

Cheers.

I was just a bit over optimistic about the resin setting down after a while. Some collects at the bottom, but the cleaner never fully clears again even under UV radiation. I'll try a coffee filter the other day, but I expect quite some amount to be in solution rather than just emulgated.

I still think that for the price it is a valid alternative, and since the results are sufficiently good, I#ll stick to it until the actual order is finished. I got some other detergent on the radar, which is from Sagrotan and thus almost double the price. But it is still cheaper than IPA. 

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

I have been using IPA 91%, but figured I'd try something different with the shortage going on. Baseline process, I have my CW1 was with IPA for 5 min, no water rinse, followed by 10 min heat dry @ 30C (no preheat), then 10 min cure. Attempts listed below, mean green as is without dilution:

1) Mean green in tub 1, CW1 wash for 5 min. Take off minis from built plate and dunk rinse in tub 2 of water. Dry 10 min, cure 10 min. Minis came out shiny, creases showing what appears to be mix of resin and mean green residue cured. Definitely not what I was looking for.

2) Mean green in tub 1, CW1 wash for 5 min. Take off minis, and scrub with toothbrush followed by dunk rinse in tub 2 of water. Preheat to 30C, dry 10 min, cure 10 min. Minis better on large flat areas (like shields), but majority of minis still shiny, with residue in creases. A little better, but still not what I want.

3) Mean green in tub 1, CW1 wash for 5 min. Take off minis, and scrub with toothbrush followed by scrub and rinse in tub 2 of water. Followed by rinse under tap. Preheat to 30C, dry 10 min, cure 10 min. Minis on larger surface areas came out much better, but top surface of base (assuming I didn't scrub enough) and deep creases still shiny/showing residue. I'm happy I'm seeing progress, but still not satisfied, especially with all the extra effort I'm having to do compared to before.

My thoughts on this compared to ultrasonic cleaners is that agitation may be key with the alternative solutions working or not (I'm thinking of Uncle Jessy's youtube testing). Stirring type machines could not be doing enough with using mean green as a means to clean resin off models. I haven't tried the other solutions yet with the CW1.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Has anybody tried TFR (Traffic Film Remover) in an ultrasonic?  Its cheap for a gallon at any car place like Halfords etc.  If yes, did you dilute it?

Its amazing cleaning stuff and I think its citric based.

  https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-cleaning/car-shampoo/carplan-trade-super-tfr-5l-703633.html

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@chris-f4

Who knew, it's currently even cheaper on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LRN1DAK

Have you tried it yet?

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@nigel-j

Great find. I used it on jewelry in my ultrasound (resin printer due in 2 weeks) and it was great even diluted.

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

@chris-f4

Hi Guy's,

 I'm also in the UK and looking for an alternative to IPA, like the Mean Green.

 Is the TFR505 any good on the resin removal?

 Use it neat or diluted?

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Does anyone have any feedback on using the TFR505?

RE: Are there any good alternatives to cleaning solutions for the CW1 other than IPA?

Posted by: @magical-terry

I recommend TPM. It's a straight substitute for isopropyl alcohol, way less flammable and cleans just as well. It does need a good rinse with water afterward. 

I use it in an ultrasonic cleaner which beats the pants off of the CW1 for cleaning ability. 

Formlabs have a couple of good posts on it:

https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Washing-prints-with-TPM?language=en_US

https://support.formlabs.com/s/article/Tripropylene-glycol-monomethyl-ether-TPM?language=en_US

I'm in the UK and I purchased it from here: https://www.britishchemicalproducts.co.uk/product.asp?s=qvcn8v2090584&strParents=&CAT_ID=0&P_ID=323&strPageHistory=search&numSearchStartRecord=1

I’m in the uk also and this looks like a great solution. How do you dispose of your TPM after its saturated with resin? About how long can you reuse it before having to dispose of it?