In addition to the above tools, it’s necessary to protect yourself from the potentially carcinogenic effects of 3D printer resin by wearing nitrile gloves, non-baggy long sleeves, and safety glasses to protect from resin splashes. This is standard practice when working with resin, and following proper guidelines for personal protective equipment is a key part of safe 3D printing.

If you happen to get resin on your skin at any point during this process, make sure to remove that resin with soap and a lot of water. It’s also important to note that you should be performing the resin cleaning in a well-ventilated area, as 3D printer resin contains components that can irritate the lungs.

Finally, uncured 3D printer resin is a hazardous material, and special attention must be devoted to its disposal. All resin and resin-contaminated items created by this process need to be either handled by a hazardous materials disposal company or cured fully before disposal in your household waste. We’ll give you more details on how to do this later on. Let’s get started with cleaning!

As a starting point for this guide, we’ll assume that we’re working with a resin vat that contains both usable, uncured resin, as well as potentially partially-cured resin particulates from failed prints. We want to remove the particulates from the vat and the resin stream while also returning as much resin as possible to a resin container.

After putting on the necessary PPE, here’s how to empty the resin vat:

1. Start by preparing a bed of tissue or microfiber towel about the size of your 3D printer’s build plate and another the size of the resin vat. You should also prepare your resin funnel and drip stand if using.
2. Remove the build plate and place it on this towel bed. This will prevent resin on the build plate from dripping onto the screen while you’re cleaning the resin vat.
3. Unscrew the resin vat’s screws according to your 3D printer manufacturer’s instructions and remove the resin vat from the 3D printer.
4. Tilt a corner of the vat over so that as much of the resin vat is over the funnel and resin drips down into a resin container of your choosing. Use a squeegee to aid in the transfer. It’s important to exercise caution because resin often clings onto the side of the resin vat when being poured and may drip in an unexpected manner.
5. Once satisfied with the amount of resin that has returned to the resin bottle, set the resin vat down on a prepared bed of clean tissues or microfiber cloth.
6. Using a separate tissue or microfiber cloth, blot out as much extra resin as possible that remains stuck to the sides and bottom of the resin vat and the build platform. Do this carefully, as forceful jabs might damage the FEP film of the resin vat.

The next step is to thoroughly wash the resin vat with isopropyl alcohol or another resin-cleaning solution:

1. Wet a new tissue or microfiber cloth with solvent, then use it to wipe away resin residue left on the vat. Clean both the inside and outside of the vat. If replacing the FEP film, remove the FEP film at this step so that you can clean the seal between the vat and the FEP film of resin.
2. Rinse the vat by dispensing solvent onto the remaining areas of the vat, then using a dry tissue or microfiber cloth to wipe up the excess solvent.

Depending on how contaminated the vat was, multiple rinses may be necessary. The best practice for cleaning contaminated objects is to wash them three times with solvent, so repeat steps 1 and 2 at least an additional two times. This process should be repeated for the build platform as well.

Once the vat has been cleaned with solvent, it will be necessary to dry the solvent residue so that it doesn’t dilute new resin in the vat:

1. Use a fresh cloth to blot dry the resin vat and FEP film (if you haven’t removed it in the previous step) while it’s on a flat surface to avoid stretching out the FEP film. Be careful to only lay down your FEP film on a soft and clean towel or else risk damage or further continuation.
2. If needed, use a solvent-dampened cloth to remove as much dust as possible.
3. Allow for all of the solvents to evaporate by resting the resin vat on a clean surface for a few hours. Remember to also dry the build platform once it has been cleaned.

If you’re replacing the FEP film, you can install this once the vat has dried.

Resin 3D printing creates a lot of waste that must be responsibly handled. After completing the cleaning process, take all solid resin-contaminated waste (i.e., towels and gloves) and empty it into a large clear container. In order for the waste to be safe for disposal in the household waste stream, leave the container of waste in the sun to fully cure and evaporate. Once all is hardened, it can be thrown away as usual.

If you saved any resin-contaminated liquid waste, you can either let this fully evaporate in the sun in order to directly dispose of it as solid waste or you can recycle it. Leaving the container in the sun will solidify the resin within the IPA (as long as it’s not too heavily contaminated), making it easy to filter out. Just be sure to also thoroughly dry the filter before disposing of that as well.

Alternatively, you can also opt for your waste to be picked up by local hazardous waste disposal companies, just be aware that you’ll need to familiarize yourself with GHS labels, specialized containers, and fees.

And with that, your resin vat is as good as new! Happy printing.

It’s no surprise that there are plenty of makers out there trying to make the cleaning process easier. You can print models for all kinds of tools, including drip stands, print fail-cleaning tools, and even resin-cleaning peristaltic pumps.

A bit of snooping around on various 3D model repositories will likely get you the files you need for your specific printer. To help you get started, here are some great tools that makers have already designed and released:

• Resin cleaning tool: Amtech on Cults made this 3D printable resin vat cleaning comb to remove cured resin from the vat.
• Resin vat protector: To prevent the accumulation of dust and other particles in your resin, you can print yourself a resin vat film and dust protector, like the one designed for the Elegoo Mars by minusmagis on Thingiverse.
• Squeegee: You can never have enough of these things. Print your own with the designs posted by SpoonUnit on Thingiverse.

Alternatively, you can design a tool for yourself! Open your favorite CAD software and make sure to design with 3D printing in mind.