Long touted as the primary sales argument, 3D printing speed isn’t the only determining factor in additive manufacturing productivity. In reality, it’s the overall manufacturing speed, including all post-printing steps, that determines the efficiency of a production flow. Because a 3D printed part is rarely immediately usable upon exiting a 3D printer. It almost always requires post-processing, which is often essential to ensure precision, aesthetics, and safety. This process, which includes support removal, cleaning, curing, and smoothing, is even more time-consuming for parts printed in resin, a material that is known to be highly prized in dental 3D printing. In this niche of automating post-processing in 3D printing, the American company PostProcess Technologies has established itself as one of the world’s leading companies. To learn more about the capabilities and benefits of its solutions for processing dental devices, I interviewed Alain Marion, Head of Sales South Europe at PostProcess Technologies.
« The need for automated, user-friendly post-processing solutions exists among almost all users of professional or industrial printers »
Alain Marion
Hello Alain. In the highly fragmented 3D printing ecosystem, PostProcess Technologies is one of the few players to offer dedicated post-processing solutions for additively manufactured parts. Tell us about this company and its origins.
Hello Alexandre. Indeed, PostProcess is a specialist entirely dedicated to automating post-printing steps. As such, we occupy a rather unique position in the market. As is often the case, it all started with user frustration. Our CTO worked at a large avionics company in the United States and was frustrated by the lack of automation in 3D printing post-processing.
This gave him the idea to design the first complete solutions—software-driven equipment and the use of suitable detergents and consumables—focused on support removal, resin cleaning, and surface finishing.
« Similarly, our clients range from aerospace to jewelry, medical and dental »
Who are your post-processing solutions aimed at, and what range of additive manufacturing technologies and materials do they cover ?
Printed parts before and after post-processing
Fundamentally, the need for automated, user-friendly post-processing solutions exists among virtually all users of professional or industrial printers, regardless of company size or industry. Our clients range from two-person service desks to CAC40 or Fortune 500 companies. Similarly, our clients range from aerospace to jewelry, medical, and dental. The only constant is a minimum business volume for post-processing issues to become a real obstacle to resolve, justifying the return on investment.
We have solutions for soluble support removal in FDM (mainly around large Stratasys printers), SLA or DLP resin cleaning for all printer brands, Stratasys PolyJet support removal, wax support removal from 3DSystems MJP printers and finally surface finishing solutions for both polymer and metal parts. We therefore offer a very wide range of solutions for different printing technologies.
« The cleaning of parts is done in small quantities in multiple baths and therefore monopolizes the operator on a thankless task with low added value. »
Among your solutions are machines specifically dedicated to the post-processing of resin-printed parts, a material that is known to be highly prized in dental 3D printing. What are these systems and how do they work? What problems do they address?
Parts from a resin 3D printer
Unfortunately, today, post-printing parts are often cleaned with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or an equivalent product. I see three problems with this.
First, these solvents are flammable, highly volatile, irritating, and therefore harmful to the work environment. Second, they saturate very quickly, generating a lot of waste, which is harmful to the environment, with results that constantly vary depending on the saturation level.
Finally, parts are cleaned in small quantities in multiple baths, thus monopolizing the operator on a thankless and low-value-added task.
Dental parts cleaned in a single bath in the DEMI X 520
PostProcess offers an automated solution with machines—the DEMI X 200 Plus and DEMI X 520—combined with safe detergents specifically developed for resin cleaning.
Each machine can save recurring post-processing parameters as ‘recipes’, allowing for the fastest ‘Press/Play’ mode.
« The DEMI X520 will allow the cleaning of 1 to 150 dental models in 10 minutes »
DEMI X 520
The DEMI X520 will allow the cleaning of 1 to 150 dental models in 10 minutes. It combines the vortex principle in the tank with the adaptation of the temperature to the viscosity of the resin, which allows perfect cleaning even for large quantities of parts.
DEMI X 200 Plus
The DEMI X 200 Plus will carry out all the post-processing steps: Cleaning, rinsing, drying, UV cooking and temperature automatically for around ten models at a time.
Tell us more about the benefits of your technology, whether in terms of ROI or reduced processing times.
The first benefit is the elimination of isopropyl alcohol, a hazardous product in the workplace. This is primarily due to the health and well-being of employees, of course, but also to the legal liability of the business owner.
It should be noted that according to Article 223-1 of the French Criminal Code, an employer can be prosecuted even in the absence of an accident or damage, if the clearly deliberate failure to comply with their safety obligations directly exposed employees to an immediate risk of death or injury.
The use of alcohol in an ultrasonic bath, where the first page of the user manual states that flammable solvents should never be placed in the tank, may fall under this article.
Using a 30-liter tank of isopropyl alcohol in a room that does not meet ATEX standards also puts employees at risk. The business owner can face a one-year prison sentence and a €15,000 fine, even if nothing has happened, including an accident or injury! It’s important to know this.
Furthermore, these solutions are very cost-effective because they save a lot of operator time. This is crucial, of course, given the cost per part, but also because of the difficulty of finding and retaining skilled employees.
Freeing up one or two hours a day for a skilled employee allows this saved time to be allocated to higher-value, more satisfying tasks than cleaning parts with your nose in isopropyl alcohol! Process stability is also a key point because it avoids wasted time checking results, as well as the time and materials lost due to non-conformities.
« With the DEMI X 520 we can clean up to 150 dental models at a time in less than 10 minutes »
Using a specific example of dental devices, how many parts can be processed at the same time ?
With the DEMI X 520, we can clean up to 150 dental models at a time in less than 10 minutes. We have customers who process well over 1,000 models per day, as well as those who use the same machine for only 30 models per day.
Just because the machine can process very large numbers of parts doesn’t mean it’s not cost-effective for lower-volume users.
« a customer with a DEMI X 520 will only change his PLM-403-SUB bath after two years or 40,000 dental models »
Regarding the solvents/detergents that power your machines, can you tell us the processing capacity in terms of the quantity of parts that can be processed before they need to be renewed ? Also, does your equipment require installation in an ATEX environment ?
Our PLM-403-SUB detergent is non-flammable—so there’s no need for an ATEX environment, secure cabinets, or storage or transportation restrictions. It also has very low volatility and exceptional longevity.
It may seem hard to believe, but a customer with a DEMI X 520 will only need to change their PLM-403-SUB bath after two years or 40,000 dental models. Say goodbye to the hassle of changing alcohol baths and saturated IPA cans piling up under tables!
« When choosing post-processing equipment, it is important to ensure that it meets current needs as well as potential future needs. »
Just as choosing a 3D printer can be complex, identifying the best post-processing solution for your needs is not something that can be improvised. How to select the right system ?
Capacity in terms of the number of parts is, of course, a primary factor. The DEMI X 200 Plus is ideal for small production runs, while the DEMI X 520 is ideal for larger model production runs.
Regarding biocompatible dental parts, which are therefore considered medical devices, the UV/temperature curing aspect is crucial. Indeed, it is essential that the curing process be carried out in strict compliance with the resin manufacturer’s instructions to maintain biocompatibility.
Some manufacturers, for example, will specify vacuum or nitrogen processes to increase the conversion rate. To meet these important parameters, the DEMI X 200 Plus has the ability to configure the post-treatment to accommodate any type of curing process, as the machine features high UV power over a very wide wavelength range, integrated heating, an onboard vacuum pump, and a port for connecting nitrogen!
It will be possible to adapt to all resins, which is rare for curing equipment and completely unprecedented for an « all-in-one » machine that also includes cleaning.
When choosing post-processing equipment, you must ensure that it meets both current and potential future needs, as you never know which resin you’ll need to print tomorrow! If you’re unsure about choosing a post-processing solution, don’t hesitate to consult a manufacturer specializing in this field, such as PostProcess!