Ralph:
The Ramco unit is well worth the investment. We use TPM in one tank and
water in a second. The units we use have recirculation pumps, filtration
and auto cycling, which frees us up to do other things while the parts wash
off. We initially leave parts on the build platform and just wipe off
excess resin from accessible areas to reduce the saturation rate for the 90
gallon TPM tank. Parts pop up and drain when the cycle is finished .
Following a brief water rinse, we remove the parts from the platform and
scrub the under side where TPM circulation was poor due to supports.
The filtration collects the debris which frequently builds up in the tanks.
We change them about once a week. Cycle times depend on the saturation of
your tanks, typically 20 minutes for TPM and 5 minutes for rinse. I have
not used any other solvents or DuPont resins for that matter, so I cannot
address your concerns there.
You have to watch for small parts with slight supports coming off in the
wash cycle. We typically take these off ahead of time so we don't go
fishing on company time.
I'd be cautious about using alcohol in the system due to the flash point and
vapor pressure. TPM has a high vapor pressure and is considered a
combustible (not a flammable as alcohol is considered). You might also be
aware isopropanol absorbs water, so if you're in a high humidity area, your
alcohol will accumulate water (which causes gumminess when cleaning).
Again, we really think the Ramco units do a great job and have been
reliable.
Steve Deak e-mail: sdeak@hasbro.com
Mgr.-Rapid Prototyping voice: (+1) 513-579-3270
Hasbro, Inc. fax: (+1) 513-579-3250
615 Elsinore Place
Cincinnati, OH 45202 USA "Our Business is FUN!"
-----Original Message-----
From: Ralf Deuke [mailto:rd@Alphaform.de]
Sent: Thursday, March 04, 1999 10:42 AM
To: rp-ml@bart.lpt.fi
Subject: Ramco Cleaning station MK36/WRU
Dear list,
I@m interested in automatic cleaning stations (Ramco?) for cleaning
parts made of DuPont Somos 7100 and 8100 resins.
Is there anybody who would share his experience with us?
What about cleaning time, consumption of TPM, alcohol.
Is it possible to use alcohol for rinsing the parts?
What about difficult part structures , what about breaking the parts
during automatic cleaning?
Any information is welcome, many thanks.
Ralf Deuke
Internal service and material distribution
Alphaform GmbH
Kapellenstr. 10
85622 Feldkirchen, Germany
Tel: 0049 89 90 50 02 51
Fax: 0049 89 90 50 02 90
e-mail: rd@alphaform.de
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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