Fuse 1 generation printers surround each printed part with Surface Armor, a semi-sintered shell that minimizes potential thermal inconsistencies which can adversely affect your parts. Media blasting is necessary to remove Surface Armor, and Formlabs recommends media blasting your parts for the best possible finish.

The Fuse Blast exposes parts to blasting media from all directions. The ionizing air rinse prevents loose dust and media from re-settling on the parts.

The Fuse Blast extends the life of blasting media with passive media recycling. Waste powder and degraded media naturally filter out into the waste hopper over time.

The Fuse Blast media hopper holds 8.3 L (2.2 gal) of blasting media, equivalent to 13 kg of 200-300 μm glass blasting media. For other blasting media, the total mass varies based on which media blasting material is used. If the media hopper is empty or low, follow the instructions in the support article Adding blasting media to the Fuse Blast.

The Fuse Blast will not run if the waste hopper is full. Inspect the waste hopper window before using the Fuse Blast and empty the waste hopper as needed. Follow the instructions in the support article Inspecting and emptying the Fuse Blast waste hopper.

If you are using the Fuse Blast Polishing System, tilt the Polishing Module open and check the water bottle. If it is low or empty, refill it.

Use the blast gun to remove powder and Surface Armor from parts. The Fuse Blast’s compressed air supply pulls blasting media into the air line and propels it through the blast nozzle.

The blast arm supports the blast gun and swivels between two positions. The blast arm features a wire guide to change its orientation between the active cleaning position and the idle position. When idle, the blast arm is positioned vertically on the right side of the blasting chamber. In its active position, the blast arm is in front of the tumbler basket.

The blast gun can also rotate on the end of the blast arm. Grip and squeeze the locking lever to release the blast gun. Pivot the blast gun towards the tumbler for the active cleaning position or down to the work surface for assisted manual cleaning. The blast gun is removable for hand-held manual operation.

When using glass media with the base Fuse Blast, Formlabs recommends setting the blasting pressure at 30 psi. Higher blasting pressures are not required to clean parts, except for parts printed in Nylon 12 GF Powder. Setting the blasting pressure above 30 psi may result in damaged parts.

When using Formlabs Polishing Media with the Fuse Blast Polishing System, Formlabs recommends setting the blasting pressure to 60 psi. Formlabs Polishing Media can be used at a higher pressure than glass media without damaging your printed parts. The Fuse Blast Polishing System will not polish parts printed with TPU 90A Powder but can still clean loose powder from the part. The Fuse Blast Polishing System is compatible with all other Formlabs SLS powders, although some powders may require longer polishing cycles.

For more information, see Selecting and configuring a blasting cycle (Fuse Blast).

The Fuse Blast cleans parts in a four-step sequence: startup, blast, chamber rinse, and part rinse.

* These settings are not configurable.

There are five settings on the home screen that change the blast cycle sequence:

• Blast pressure
• Blast time
• Rinse pressure
• Rinse time
• Rotating speed of the tumbler basket

Experiment with different settings to achieve the best possible results for your individual printed parts.

After extracting printed parts from the powder cake with the Fuse Sift, clean and media blast printed parts with the Fuse Blast’s automatic cleaning cycle:

1. Collect printed parts in the supplied transfer container for ease of transportation to the Fuse Blast.
2. Unlatch and open the Fuse Blast’s chamber door.
3. Move the blast arm to the right into the idle position. The blast arm should be out of the way of the tumbler.
4. Place the printed parts inside the tumbler basket.
5. Move the blast arm to the front of the chamber in the active cleaning position. Ensure the blast nozzle points towards the tumbler basket.
6. Close and latch the blasting chamber door.
7. Ground yourself before touching any electronics in the unit by using the grounding strap attached to the Fuse Blast.
8. On the touchscreen, choose the settings for your desired cleaning cycle or use the preset settings:
   1. Blast: Tap up or down arrows to set the duration of the media blasting cycle. Drag the slider up or down to set the air stream pressure for the blasting cycle. Formlabs recommends setting the blasting pressure at 30 psi.
   2. Rinse: Tap the up or down arrows to set the duration of the ionizing air rinse. Drag the slider up or down to set the air stream pressure for the ionizing air rinse.
   3. Speed: Tap the up or down arrows to set the speed of the tumbler basket’s rotation.
9. Tap Start. The Fuse Blast activates and the timer starts. Use the touchscreen to pause the cycle.
10. When the cleaning cycle is complete, wait 30 seconds for particles to settle before opening the blasting chamber door.
11. Inspect parts.
12. If necessary, repeat the media blasting cycle until the parts are clean.

Formlabs recommends a manual cleaning cycle for removing powder from tight corners, large interior cavities, or parts too large to tumble effectively. There are two options for manually cleaning parts in the Fuse Blast:

• Assissted manual cleaning: With the blast gun mounted on the blast arm in the active position, point the blast nozzle down towards the grate and manipulate the part with both hands.
• Hand-held manual cleaning: With the blast arm in the idle position, hold the blast gun with one hand and the part in the other hand.

For best results, disable the polishing toggle while using a manual cycle on the Fuse Blast. High flow rates may result in visibly wet parts, causing dust to stick to the surface of the printed part and prevent good quality results.

The blast gun mounts directly on the blast arm. To remove the blast gun for hand-held manual blasting, slide the blast gun directly up and off the blast arm. To mount the blast gun, slide the blast gun onto the blast arm.

After extracting printed parts from the powder cake with the Fuse Sift, clean and media blast printed parts with the Fuse Blast’s manual cleaning mode:

1. Collect printed parts in the supplied container for ease of transportation to the Fuse Blast.
2. Unlatch and open the Fuse Blast’s chamber door.
3. Move the blast arm to the right into the idle position. The blast arm should be out of the way of the tumbler.
4. Place the printed parts inside the tumbler basket for storage. Alternatively, you can remove the tumbler basket for more working space.
5. If you plan to clean your parts with the blast gun mounted on the blast arm, move the blast arm to the front of the chamber in the active cleaning position with the blast nozzle pointed down.
6. Close and latch the blasting chamber door.
7. Ground yourself before touching any electronics in the unit by using the grounding strap attached to the Fuse Blast.
8. On the touchscreen, choose the settings for your desired cleaning cycle or use the preset settings:
   • Blast: Drag the slider up or down to set the air stream pressure for the blasting cycle. Formlabs recommends setting the blasting pressure at 30 psi.
   • Rinse: Drag the slider up or down to set the air stream pressure for the ionizing air rinse.
9. Place your hands in the Fuse Blast gloves.
10. If using manual hand-held configuration, remove the blast gun from the blast arm and grip it in one gloved hand.

The blast and air rinse functions are controlled with the two foot pedals under the Fuse Blast.

• The right foot pedal controls the blasting media stream, which removes compacted powder and Surface Armor.
• The left foot pedal controls the ionized air stream, which rinses off loose powder to leave parts clean to the touch.

11. Step lightly on the right foot pedal to start the media blasting. The media blasting continues as long as there is pressure on the foot pedal.

12. Pick up the printed part and orient it as required in the blast stream. Continue until all of the Surface Armor and compacted powder is removed from the part.
13. Step off the right foot pedal to stop the flow of media. Step lightly on the left foot pedal to start the ionizing air rinse.
14. Pick up the printed part and manually rinse the part with the air nozzle to remove any loose or settled powder.
15. Repeat steps 11–14 as many times as needed.
16. If you were using the manual hand-held configuration, mount the blast gun on the blast arm.
17. Wait 30 seconds for the particles to settle before opening the blasting chamber door.
18. Inspect parts. Repeat the media blasting cycle until the parts are clean.

Removing and reinstalling the tumbler basket

To remove the tumbler basket before running a manual cleaning cycle:

1. Unlatch and open the Fuse Blast’s chamber door.
2. Aim the blast gun downwards and move the blast arm to the idle position on the right side of the blasting chamber.
3. Grip the tumbler basket with two hands and pull it towards you, off its shaft.

4. Set the tumbler basket aside for later reinstallation.
5. Clean any blast media or powder that may have spilled outside the machine.

To reinstall the tumbler basket:

1. Unlatch and open the Fuse Blast’s chamber door.
2. Aim the blast gun downwards and move the blast arm to the idle position on the right side of the blasting chamber.
3. Using two hands, carefully lift the tumbler basket and slide it onto its shaft. The shaft is keyed so that the basket will only fully seat on the shaft in the correct orientation.