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Hi,

Does anyone know if its possible to clean the resin with ethanol ?

I can’t find Isopropyl in a local store.

Thanks

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I think it should work, but maybe not as good. Isoprop and Ethanol/Methanol are pretty similar. Acetone works too, if you can get that (don’t keep the prints exposed to it for too long though it’s very aggressive)

Where I live, some apothecaries and pharmacists carry Isoprop (and Ethanol) You can get the Acetone in DIY stores as it’s also used as a thinner for paint.

Hope this helps.

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hey StudioK,

we had this conversation right now with the guys on the formlabs forum (ReCoating Resin Vats - DruckWege - Support & Troubleshooting - Formlabs Community Forum). Formlabs once suggested to use isoprop, but now says it could harm the vat… But honestly we didn’t had any issues with isoprop nor ethanol. We have the subjective feeling, isoprop works better, but honestly we use what is there. Regarding acetone, we used that too in the beginning, but besides the fumes I think this really could harm your vat.

Since we are running our Kickstarter and got a lot of questions regarding the best vat cleaning fluid we queried our chemical experts and are awaiting an answer soon, so stay tuned.

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You dont have any local pharmacy stores like CVS? That’s where I got mine.

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ebay get a big tank

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Yes, you shouldn’t use acetone on the vat / platform. Works fine to clean prints though and it doesn’t harm the containers or any of the tools.

And yes, fumes. I always wear a mask using Acetone or Isoprop.

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Hello!

You find isopropyl alcohol 70% at any pharmacy.

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This is actually not true (at least for where I live)

A lot of pharmacists stopped selling technica because there isn’t enough demand for them. But they usually know _which_ pharmacy still carries those things.

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+1 in germany, we get it also from the pharmacy stores and not from the tool stores.

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They sell 90% Isopropyl in CVS.

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hi all, thanks for all replies, In the mean time i found some isopropyl at the pharmacy on the corner. either way I going to test the ethanol issue. because i think its still not clear if it’s possible. so I keep you posted. thanks again!

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Hi StudioK,

Currently we use 91% isopropyl alcohol from CVS and Walgreens to clean the resin printed by Kast 3D Printer. However our engineers said that it is OK to use ethanol for cleaning.

We are working on finding new ways for better cleaning and we are running for Kickstarter soon. Stay tuned for Kast, the ultra-fast next generation 3D printer!

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Hi all,

I tried the Ethanol yesterday and had no problems at all.

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Hi,

I don’t know where you live, but you can find IPA at 2€/L on http://hoefer-shop.fr/alcool-isopropylique-99-9/ or the german version : Isopropanol / Isopropylalkohol jetzt bestellen | Höfer Chemie

IPA is recommended to clean parts. We (I work at Formlabs) had a discussion about why isopropanol but I can’t find it.

To clean the printer/tank, we recommend Novus (avail. on goprint3d in EU)

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Hi @cyprien,

I am from Belgium, and the thing is Isopropanol can be bought in pharmacies and webshop.

In Belgium, ethanol is easier to get and 40% cheaper. Thats the main reason why I wanted to know if it was possible.

I hope you find the report of the discussion, cause I am very curious about this.

Thanks for the information on the Acrylcleaner. But also in this case i think the are similar and cheaper products in local stores.