Note:
The IPA will be turbid and may have Silicone 40A Resin floating on the surface or settled at the bottom. This is normal as silicone is not soluble in IPA.
WHITEPAPER
Silicone 40A Resin IPA sonication wash guide
Silicone 40A Resin IPA sonication wash guide
The standard washing procedure for Silicone 40A Resin uses a mixture of 20% n-butyl acetate and 80% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in a Form Wash for 20 minutes. As some users are sensitive to the odor of n-butyl acetate, this alternative wash procedure uses only IPA but requires a sonication bath to produce similarly clean parts in less time. Since it does not use n-butyl acetate, this produces less of an odor.
The standard washing procedure for Silicone 40A Resin uses a mixture of 20% n-butyl acetate and 80% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in a Form Wash for 20 minutes. As some users are sensitive to the odor of n-butyl acetate, this alternative wash procedure uses only IPA but requires a sonication bath to produce similarly clean parts in less time. Since it does not use n-butyl acetate, this produces less of an odor.
Formlabs recommends the Vevor UltraSonic Cleaner or a similar ultrasonic cleaner in the 35–45 kHz frequency range for cleaning parts.
- Remove parts from the build platform and place them in a container with enough IPA to fully submerge the parts.
Left: Preparing a container with IPA for submerging printed parts
Right: Parts printed in Silicone 40A Resin submerged in IPA
- Place the container in a sonication bath filled with water.
- Sonicate for 2 to 3 minutes.
Container with Silicone 40A Resin printed parts sitting in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with water
- Repeat steps 1–3 using a new container of fresh IPA to fully clean your printed parts. Fully cleaned Silicone 40A Resin parts will not have any residual silicone on their surfaces.
- Remove the parts from the IPA bath and allow them to air dry for at least 30 minutes prior to post-curing.
