Hey nice video there :D I have few questions such as how do you discard the filter and at what frequency ? (After a number of batches ? Kilos of resins Cleaned ?) Do you turn the system as often as possible or when it's start to get clumpy ? Do you cure the filters so you can use these a little longer ? How do you dispose of those, since it's still hasardous material until it's not cured.

Have you found the ipa still comes out cloudy? I still think its cleaned for sure. Maybe i need smaller micron filters, two 5 microns arent seeming to separate whatever cured resin is clouding mine

The heat band around the vat, is there any information on how to wire it up?

I’ve been banging my head against this type of design for a few weeks, very impressed with what you did here, I’m going to copy it.

What about the resin building up on the inside of the tubing? I use a plate stirring unit, a glass beaker and a uv light. The side of the beaker gets covered with resin after just a few minutes of running the system. I then just use a filter cone to get rid of the cured resin. Plus I also have to clean the resin off the inside of the beaker using a paper towel and then some alcohol wipes.

I built this with the exact parts list and it ran great for several weeks. There was no sediment after washing several liters of parts though the IPA slowly darkened to the point that was difficult to see the bottom of the tub. Then the pump started to leak, slowly at first but became much worse over time. I t would suck air into the system when running and dribble IPA when shut off. I disassembled it and couldn’t find the problem so I reassembled it with silicone grease hoping it would fix the problem if only for a short time. However it was just as bad as previously. The only difference between the setup here and mine is that I mounted the pump upside down from the way he has it. Does anyone else have experience with running this setup for four or more months? Have you had any of these issues?

new info: the pumps have a safe run time, we found them listed about 5 minutes, 10 minutes cooldown. after running for an hour one day the pump started leaking. gaskets or something failed inside, and was a mess and needed a full replacement short of opening the pump. went a good year before it failed from that. Still working good though.

I Really like this idea and am planning my own. Have you had any issue with the vinyl tubing in the uv section? I know that vinyl isn't very uv resistant. I wanted to use FEP tubing, but it is so expensive.

im not sure but the leds that are linked just arent curing the resin

Built this and not gonna lie isn't really doing anything ran it for 15 min the other day and it's just not filtering anything

thank you so much for sharing this brilliant Tip. I have a question. Did you make holes in your wash cure bucket to pass in the tubes? If so, please what did you do exactly ? Thanks in advance.

Awesome!

im not that smart with the wiring is there anway u could show how u wired it or direct em somewhere i can learn how to wire it

Hi Nick, I have been running this system now for a couple of weeks. So far it’s doing a great job cleaning the resin off of my prints. I’ve done about 3 liters or resin through it and there is still zero trace of resin in the IPA. However, I am running into an issue with my IPA getting super cloudy. I’m assuming it’s because I’m using Sunlu 14k dark grey resin, and maybe it has additives in it to print higher detail? I’ve noticed tiny white specs on my prints after I wash them, which I’m assuming is leftover pigment or something. I did some research and it looks like Prusa has made a specific cellulose membrane filter to clean up the leftover particles from the IPA that aren’t resin, so I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to filter out this extra stuff? I’ve tried a flocculant and that made my test IPA from my vat even cloudier, so I’m at a loss as to how to get rid of the extra stuff in the IPA. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Nick, really close to putting this together now. Got all the parts in but I'm a frustrated as I went with PTFE tubing for the curing loop (Eric Strebel is using fep, but couldnt find that for a reaosnable pricve) but the tubing is not cooperating with being shaped at all. Wondering if silicone would do the trick for that as well or if that would mess with the UV permeability? Also, how have you got your connections to the cleaning tank set up?

Thank you.

A second question please...how are the two hoses secured to the wash vat?

How do you dispose of printing resin/failed prints?

amazing!

Saw a comment below about a potential commercial option on this, a Kickstarter? Is there a place to follow you for updates on this? I'm debating building one, upgraded with silicone tubes and some draining options. But if you're going to going commercial I'd love to see those details.

has anyone had issues with the vinyl line degrading from the IPA? Also, has anyone experienced any issues with the resin sediment causing issues to the pump since it is the first device in the loop? I understand it was done to pressurize the lines to keep them from collapsing, but I am a little concerned about pulling unfiltered resin through it.

How have the filters held up? I'm considering whether this is worth it for a small high-volume operation. I know they're consumable and will have to be replaced eventually but I'm wondering how many liters of resin you were able to get through before replacing the filters. It's not a cheap setup so I'm wondering where the tipping point is for it to be cheaper to just buy new methylated spirits lol. Also, any particular reason to go with a 12v pump over a 220v? Another question I have is about vinyl, I know in gloves we use nitrile because of the monomers seeping through, but is it because the rvinyl tubing is really thick that it's not an issue?

This is wonderful! Any chance you could do a close up or provide more info about how to do the wiring on the heating strips with the temp relay? For a total neophyte like myself, it's a bit of a mystery.

I just finished my build. Running it for the first time as I type so far so good. Thx again for sharing

Great design! Thanks for sharing.

First thanks for the information. I have built this system and really look forward to a much better washing system. I have two issues (questions). First the filter size. I see that the Amazon listing shows 0.5 microns for the carbon filters. However I do not see that confirmed on the packaging. I suspect these are 5.0 micron filters. I compared to another purchased filter that was labeled 0.5 microns, and there was a huge difference in back pressure. The validated 0.5 micron filter caused much more back pressure compared to the listed filters.... the pump struggled to push the water through... got a few leaks too. So I switched back to the listed filters. Are we sure the 0.5 micron filter is the right filtration size? My IPA is looking very mirky without the 0.5 micron filter installed. I need to decide whether its worth it to try and get it to work. I am just looking for confirmation. The other issue/question is pump flow rate. Seems to me a much slower pump would be more ideal for the UV light to have more time to solidify the resin. I think the IPA is flowing threw the UV light too fast to actually cure. Anybody have recommendations on a slower or speed controllable pump?

I've been running one of these for a few months now... my only regret is that I didn't make one sooner!

What do you do with the ends of the tubes when you aren't running the filtration system? Oh and what is your plan to contain the mess whenever you do need to change the filters?

Interesting, but the resin residuals in the used IPA are of different types, one part visible and there are also clear oils that saturate the IPA. Im not sure this will take care of those, maybe im wrong?

Awesome video! Is there a step by step on how to put it all together?

If I built this and ran my IPA through it would be clogged up in about 1 minute just like a coffee filter does.

How do you purge the system to change the filters?? And where did you mount the in/out on the wash tank?? High?? Low?? One high, one low?? Thanks.

Great idea! How often do you clean the filters? Well done 👍

I've been running a similar system, smaller with fish tank pumps so the propeller is completely isolated. I wanted more flow and this video came into my attention. I went to check the pump you included in the video description but the back label states "Do not pump flammable liquids", same for the one of the brand Seaflo. Is yours a specific model for flammable liquids?

Found this via your reddit post. You had what looked to be a pool UV filter before in the array. Was that not doing a sufficient job? Also as it's 9 months in, how often are you printing and have you had to change the filters yet?

@nicks-fix I love this setup and am working toward building my own, but I have a question for you. The pump that you're using specifically states not to use with flammable liquids. Have you noticed any issues with the pump? Have you considered upgrading to a fuel pump instead? Thanks

Que centro de limpieza estas gastando me encanta el deposito de limpieza IPA

more of a question than a comment...if I start with fresh IPA to begin with, can I add some of my older IPA a bit at a time and get the cloudiness out of the IPA?

Really great! Anyone built this in the UK and have been able to source correct parts here in uk?

Keep up the great work, you've saved me hours of alcohol clean-up. I just built this tonight and it works like a charm! I make resin figures on a semi-weekly basis and have been looking for a better way to clean and reuse my IPA. The flow is just good enough to get the excess resin off my figures.

Nick I use denatured alcohol..........do you see any problem using this system with it?

Спасибо!

Hey, Nick. Great project! I've reproduced it and had a couple of issues I wanted to see if you've experienced, as well. One is that the pump stops pumping after 10-20 hours of total use. The motor works fine, but there's no suck or blow. I've taken the pump apart and can't find any obvious problem (no resin coating, no blockage, etc.). This has happened twice. Has this happened to you? Second, the system doesn't seem to clean the IPA much after 5-10 hours, even after replacing the filters (which didn't even appear to need replacing). Have you had this happen, too? Thanks for any tips.

I'm interested to hear more about your commercialized version. Curious if more testing has revealed improvements. On the one hand I want to build one myself right now, but I could be persuaded to wait. : )

Can one use denatured alcohol with this system?

I am still waiting for someone to start manufacturing ITO/FTO-coated heating screen protectors for efficient FEP heating. For example, KRALYN demonstrated it's use as heatbed for his FDM printer PositronV3, so it is definitely viable. Only thing you need is suitable ITO-coated glass, PSU and some kind of thermal feedback. Also, I am devising IPA filtration based on continual deposition of resin on a disposable surface. Imagine stairs on a slight slope covered with disposable non-woven fabric, complemented with overhead UV floodlight and peristaltic pump. UV light will cure resin only on the fabric, and peristaltic pump will cycle the IPA over the stairs over and over until it is clean or until the fabric is all saturated. It would be all sized up for ultra-cheap 10.6l Ikea 365+ container. Originally I planned to build it in the container's lid, but it would provide better access to the filtration fabric if it were on a standalone frame, only encased in the container. Replacing even hundred of sheets of non-woven fabric is still cheaper then replacing one proper filter, it is clog-proof because if the fabric is saturated, the IPA sipmply spills over to the next stair and eventually back to the bottm of the container. I expect to have it built by the end of the march. What do you think?

Do you think this would work with other types of cleaners, like denatured alcohol or something like mean green degreaser? IPA just kills me with the smell, so I’m on the hunt for something less stinky.

Wanted to chime in with a few things. 1. The pump in the link is a different brand now. I didn't realize that but it seems to work! 2. I got the cheapest filter housing possible. I don't recommend this. Getting some of the dual housing or single housing x2 for around 50$ total is the better idea. 3. It full on works!!! 4. Some improvements: maybe quick release fittings for the container connection! I found that having a Y at the pump outlet with one section going to a valve and a small extra set of tubing allows me to hook up an air compressor to drain 50%+ of the IPA that say in the filter housings! This makes filter replacement super easy!

Hi Nick, thank you so much for creating this video and filtering system! I've read through a lot of the comments and it sounds like you are working on a commercial system that you may sell. If so, how far out are you from that? I'd love to purchase one, but if it is still going to be a while I'll build what you have in this video. Also, can you provide the model number of the pump? The link in the description is taking me to a smaller Maxzone pump that I doubt is rated for IPA. Thanks!