FabWash and FabCure 2: New 3D print post-processing units from Shining 3D

By Terry Whitty

D printers have reached a level where all the quality brands work very well and will give consistent, reliable results, provided you choose a machine suited to the task you require it to complete.

Moving forward, if there is one word that describes the future direction of 3D printing, it’s automation . And whilst it is easy to focus on printers that run continually by automating the removal of objects from the build platform once printing is complete, automation can actually be applied to all aspects of the process. After all, automation is designed to both increase efficiency and also to complete tasks that humans may want to avoid.

The latter is very important because 3D printing, for all its hype and glory, is actually a very messy business and the more you can automate, the better. If, through automation, we can avoid contact with the resins that tend to be sticky and smelly in a liquid state, then this is really a plus.

Overall, equipment for post-process washing and curing of 3D printed objects is still a bit of a mixed bag. Some manufacturers have novel equipment for these processes while others, unfortunately, have nothing at all.

Shining 3D Dental have taken steps to address this much maligned aspect of printing by adding a taste of automation to these processes with the introduction of the FabWash automatic post processing washing station and the FabCure 2 curing unit.

Firstly, a quick mention of the Shining 3D AccuFab-L4D and AccuFab-L4K MSLA 3D printers because they match with these products very well. For a full review of the L4D series printer see eLABORATE Vol. 20 No. 1 Jan/Feb 2023.

The FabWash unit is a cleverly thought out piece of equipment indeed. It’s the first fully automated washing and drying system designed to make things easy during the post processing segment of 3D printing.

The process is extremely simple as all you do is fill the machine with solvent and then remove the build platform from the AccuFab printer with the parts you have just printed and slide it into place in the FabWash unit.

Simply press the button on the front of the unit and the process will begin. The build platform is lowered into the wash unit and a sharp blade moves slowly across, separating the printed parts which drop into a basket within the solvent tank.

The parts are then agitated by a magnetically coupled impeller for a programable pre-determined time and washed for a squeaky clean result. After washing, the basket is raised automatically and the parts can dry off.

On the front panel is a simple illuminated switch and options to cut, wash and dry; wash and dry only; or just cut - it sounds like my local hairdresser - but rest assured, it does it all very, very well. Also, you can customise the program settings to suit your material and everything can be updated via WiFi so you will never be out of date.

Of course, you can use this unit with other brands of printers, but the cut function would not be available as it’s made to fit the Shining 3D printers alone. Nevertheless, the wash and dry function would still be very useful.

After the cut, clean and dry, you can then use the FabCure 2 light curing unit. This is a standard procedure and the known mechanical properties can be improved when a sufficient postcuring time is applied to achieve homogeneous polymerisation in both deep and superficial layers of the 3D printed object. The FabCure 2 unit is a lighting system of 30 multidirectional LED’s emitting powerful UV light that instantly penetrates deep into the surface of the part to be cured. With a power of 70 W, these LED’s provide a high power curing cycle ensuring an efficient curing process.

It also has an inbuilt heating module with multiple temperature sensors. The curing chamber heats up quickly to 60℃, accelerating the curing and ultimately enhancing the optical and mechanical properties of the cured parts. The FabCure 2 heating system precisely controls ambient temperatures to 60℃. The chamber volume is a huge 120 mm x 180 mm so there is room for a large number of printed parts.

FabCure 2 provides optimal curing parameters for Shining 3D resins, which can be updated via the wireless network. With an up-to-date cloud-based smart material library, the FabCure 2 is always synchronised. The FabCure 2 is equipped with Wi-Fi which enables over-the-air updates to deploy the latest firmware and configurations. Customised curing parameter settings are also supported for 3rd party resins so you can dial in your preferred resin curing cycle for your favourite resins and it will cure all resins regardless of whether they are 385 nm or 405 nm.

The Shining 3D FabWash all-in-one solution for cut, wash and dry together with the FabCure 2 is a godsend for all 3D printer users out there.

About the author

Terence Whitty is a well-known dental technology key opinion leader and lectures nationally and internationally on a variety of dental technology and material science subjects. He is the founder and owner of Fabdent, a busy dental laboratory in Sydney specialising in high tech manufacturing. Using the latest advances in intra- and extra-oral scanning, CAD/ CAM, milling, grinding and 3D printing, most specialties are covered including ortho, fixed and removable prosthetics, computerised implant planning and guidance, TMD, sleep appliances and paediatrics.