Resin and Solvent Storage
- Date of Manufacture (DoM) - The date on which a material is first produced, as recorded in the batch record and stated on CoA/CoC.
- Shelf Life - The length of time that a properly packaged and stored material will last without undergoing physical or chemical changes. Shelf Life = Expiration Date – DoM
- Expiration Date - The last day on which a material should be used. End of Carbon’s guarantee of product performance according to specification.
- Sell-by Date -The last day that a product can be scheduled to ship to the customer to ensure adequate minimum useful life (shipments can be made past the sell-by date if Sales Ops communicates to the customer and they are willing to accept a shorter useful life).
- Minimum Useful Life - The amount of shelf life remaining when the product is shipped. Typically Carbon resin products are sold with a Minimum Useful Life of six months, but there are exceptions (for example, DPR 10 has a Minimum Useful Life of 3 months). Consult the Carbon Resin Price Lists for the Shelf Life and Minimum Useful Life of Carbon resin products.
Most Carbon resins have a minimum useful life of 6 months. The exceptions are:
- DPR 10 - 3 months
- EPU 46 Black (5 liter containers) - 3 months
- Bulk quantities of EPU resins (EPU 42, EPU 43, EPU 44, EPU 46 Black, EPU 46 Color Base) are made to order. Contact Carbon for the minimum useful life of these resins.
Resins are designed to be chemically altered by UV Light and must be stored properly to maintain viability.
Store resins in a climate-controlled area that is isolated from any possible source of UV light. We recommend a dark cabinet with locking doors in an area maintained at 17-25 °C (64-77 °F). Failure to store resins as instructed can lead to compromised material properties and print defects.
- Check the Certificate of Conformity for the latest expiration information. Expiration dates on the bottles are the earliest possible expiration at the time of shipping and may be extended from time to time. Please check the Certificate of Conformity to see if your resin bottle has a later expiration date.
EPX resins require refrigeration at 4° C for long-term storage (up to 12 months). EPX 82 stored without refrigeration only has a shelf life of 1 month.
EPU resins and RPU 130 are prone to crystallizing at lower temperatures, so we recommend storing these resins in a higher temperature range, especially after the cartridge has been partially used. Reference the protocol sheet for the each resin for storage temperature range.
This cabinet specification is a recommendation based on typical applications. You should assess your own resin consumption rate and adjust your storage capacity accordingly.
SPECIFICATIONS | MEASUREMENT (METRIC) | MEASUREMENT (IMPERIAL) |
|---|---|---|
Cabinet Dimensions (W × D × H) | 0.46 × 0.89 × 1.14 m | 35 × 18 × 45 in |
See the table below for the dimensions of the resin containers.
SPECIFICATIONS | VOL (mL) | MEASUREMENT (IMPERIAL) | MEASUREMENT (METRIC) |
|---|---|---|---|
One-part resins (W × D × H) | 800 | 4 × 5 × 10 in | 12.6 × 15.7 × 31.4 cm |
Two-part 10:1 resins (W × D × H) | 400 | 3.5 × 2.75 × 9 in | 8.9 × 7.0 × 22.9 cm |
Two-part 1:1 resins (W × D × H) | 375 | 3.5 × 1.75 × 9 in | 8.9 × 4.4 × 22.9 cm |
Best practice dictates that our resins are stored in the original labeled shipping box until ready for use. The resin boxes that hold the containers are the following sizes:
SPECIFICATIONS | MEASUREMENT (IMPERIAL) | MEASUREMENT (METRIC) |
|---|---|---|
3200 mL drainback | 5 7/8 × 6 13/16 × 12 1/2 in | 14.9 × 17.3 × 31.8 cm |
Boxes of two 375 and 400 mL cartridges | 4 × 10 × 13 in | 10.2 × 25.4 × 33.0 cm |
When cartridges or bottles are removed from their box, the best practice is to keep resins in secondary containment containers (Accessories & Supplies) to prevent the spread of liquid resin residue.
See Safety - Hazardous Waste for information on the proper disposal of liquid resin.
The most common solvents used in DLS production are IPA (isopropanol, isopropyl alcohol) and acetone.
IPA
Purity>= 99% Isopropanol | CAS: 67-63-0
Acetone
Purity 100% | CAS: 67-64-1
These solvents are widely available and can be purchased at the supplier of your choice. These can also be found on Accessories & Supplies.
Use a flammable storage cabinet to store the flammable solvents used in DLS production:
- Isopropyl alcohol (IPA or isopropanol)
- Acetone
Storing washtubs with solvent inside a secondary container is also advised within the flammable cabinet.
SPECIFICATION | MEASUREMENT (IMPERIAL) | MEASUREMENT (METRIC) |
|---|---|---|
Flammable Cabinet Dimensions (W × D × H) | 22 × 35 × 35 in | 0.56 × 0.89 × 0.89 m |
Fluid Capacity | 22 US gallons | 83 L |
See Safety - Hazardous Waste for information on the proper disposal of liquid resin.
Not for use in aligner model production.
Solvents with a flammability value less than 3 can generally be stored outside of a flammable cabinet.
These solvents used with DLS processes have low flammability values:
- PG | Propylene Glycol
- VF 1 | previously referred to as custom Vertrel™ solvent blend, MS-767-3D-13
- DPM | 99% di(propylene glycol) methyl ether
- DAA | Diacetone Alcohol
Store all solvents and washtubs with solvent inside a secondary containment vessel.
Always check with local regulations for solvent storage requirements.
Solvents used in DLS with low flammability values:
CAS: 57-55-6
- Propylene glycol is a general availability solvent that may be purchased from your supplier of choice.
- VF 1 is a custom solvent blend that must be purchased through the supplier provided in Accessories & Supplies.
- This blend was previously referred to as custom Vertrel™ solvent blend, MS-767-3D-13.
Dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPM)
99% Dipropylene glycol methyl ether | CAS: 34590-94-8
- DPM is a general availability solvent that may be purchased from your supplier of choice.
Diacetone Alcohol CAS 123-42-2; 99+% purity
- DAA is a general availability solvent that may be purchased from your supplier of choice.
