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Disposing of resin cartridges

Disposing of resin cartridges

Dispose of a resin cartridge when the resin expires, or when the resin cartridge is worn out, becomes damaged, or has otherwise been made unsuitable for use.

Warning:

Resin and solvent may cause skin irritation or an allergic skin reaction. Wear gloves when handling liquid resin, resin-coated surfaces, or solvent. Wash skin with plenty of soap and water.

Caution:

Refer to the safety data sheet (SDS) and local authorities for guidance on disposing of resin and solvent. Liquid resin (whether pure liquid, dissolved in solvent, or partially cured) may be classified as hazardous waste in your region and shall be disposed of with care.

Disposing of resin cartridges

To dispose of a resin cartridge:

  1. Put on a new, clean pair of nitrile gloves.
  2. Remove the resin cartridge from the printer.
  3. If your resin cartridge is not empty, unscrew the vent cap and leave the resin cartridge upside down to drain the resin into a separate opaque container dedicated for this purpose. Cure the drained resin and discard the hardened resin as household waste.
  4. In the United States: Once resin cartridges are emptied to below 3% (<30 mL resin left in the cartridge), the cartridges are considered RCRA empty by the EPA. Dispose of RCRA empty resin cartridges with household waste.

Tip:

Regulations that control waste are often regional and vary by jurisdiction. Check with applicable local agencies to ensure that you are disposing of empty resin cartridges properly.

  1. Outside of the United States: Triple rinse the resin cartridge with clean solvent to remove traces of excess resin from the interior. Add the used solvent to your chemical waste stream in accordance with all applicable regulations.

Notice:

  • Do not pour liquid or partially cured resin into drains or dispose of it with household waste.
  • Do not pour solvent (IPA, TPM) that contains dissolved resin into drains or dispose of it with household waste. Safe and appropriate disposal methods of used solvent vary by location.
  1. Dispose of the empty resin cartridges according to local regulations. For Form 2/Form 3/Form 3L resin cartridges, Formlabs recommends that you:
      • Remove the ID chip from the cartridge skirt. Recycle the ID chip with electronic waste.
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  • Recycle the cartridge skirt with plastic household waste.

Note:

Formlabs recommends removing the ID chip so that the skirt can be recycled. ID chip removal is not a regulatory requirement (see Directive 2012/19/EU, art. 2, para. 3(b)) but rather a sustainability initiative to reduce waste whenever possible.

Form 4 resin cartridges have RFID stickers, which are not covered by the directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment and therefore do not need to be disposed of separately from the rest of the cartridge.

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