Resin and Solvent Storage

resin storage resins are designed to be chemically altered by uv light and must be stored properly to maintain viability temperature and exposure to certain elements may also affect resins as noted in this guide additionally, safety measures are important to contain resins properly failure to store resins as instructed can lead to compromised material properties and print defects accommodations store resins in an environment that ensures the following conditions temperature docid 1eza6pydo uctnoswpgie control in the recommended range isolation from sources of uv light docid 1eza6pydo uctnoswpgie secondary containment docid 1eza6pydo uctnoswpgie to prevent the spread of liquid resin for safety see safety hazardous waste docid\ eplnolhpoetra wxrrpjd for information on the proper disposal of liquid resin temperature standard recommendations require an area maintained at 17 25 °c (64 77 °f) exceptions 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 and rpu 130 resins are prone to crystallizing at lower temperatures carbon recommends storing these resins in a higher temperature range, especially after the cartridge has been partially used reference the protocol sheets docid\ qsoqbedcnabfdx656tly6 for each resin for storage temperature range isolation from uv light all resin containers must be kept out of direct sunlight at all times , even though sensitive containers are opaque no direct sunlight carbon recommends a dark cabinet with latching doors as an extra measure of protection for small container types secondary containment cartridges, bottles and jerry cans best practice dictates that resins are stored in the original labeled shipping box until ready for use when cartridges or bottles are removed from their box, the best practice is to keep resins in secondary containment containers ( accessories & supplies docid 95twe3ttl 5ihi6dnl4xi ) resin in secondary containment drums and totes always store drums and totes on pallets designed for spill containment to meet all local regulations spill containment of drums and totes shelf life terms of storage diagram 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 shelf 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 shelf life) minimum shelf life the amount of shelf life remaining when the product is shipped typically carbon resin products are sold with a minimum shelf life of six months, but there are exceptions ( see below docid 1eza6pydo uctnoswpgie ) storage after opening the method by which some resins need to be stored after opening the container most carbon resins have a minimum shelf life of 6 months the exceptions are dpr 10 3 months epu 44 3 months epu 46 black part a 3 months epu pro 70 expand 3 months bulk quantities of epu resins are made to order contact carbon for the minimum shelf life of these resins check the certificate of conformity https //www carbon3d com/stewardship 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 storage after opening select carbon resins require special handling after opening if they will be stored or not used up for over one month from the date of first opening once opened, air conditions inside the container can negatively impact the resin over time this empty space must be replaced with properly conditioned air to maintain printing viability either dry air (via a compressed air line) or nitrogen depending on the formulation reference protocol sheets docid\ qsoqbedcnabfdx656tly6 to view whether this procedure applies to a resin this procedure is applicable to the following container types, excluding cartridges jerry cans paint cans drums ibc totes can and drum containers must be upright, and not on their side, to accommodate these procedures once the container has be properly conditioned per the instructions below, containers may be stored on their side if that suits your containment setup using open containers within one month will negate the need for these procedures dry air select part a and one part resins require air space in the container to be backfilled with dry air , where moisture can affect the material install a desiccant dryer along your compressed air line select a unit with fittings to match your facility's compressed air hose lines choose a size to suit the size of your resin containers (see step 3) regenerate or replace desiccant per manufacturer's instructions reference accessories & supplies docid 95twe3ttl 5ihi6dnl4xi for examples and purchasing links set compressed air pressure to the the dryer's specifications use a regulator along the air line if different than facility pressure requirements blow the dry compressed air into the empty air space of the resin container to evacuate all ambient air open the resin container both the main opening and vent opening estimate the volume of empty space in the container run the dry air to evacuate the volume of empty space 3 times , per the flow rate of the dryer for example if you have a 180 l drum that is 10% empty, the empty volume is 18 l if the dryer has a flow rate of 170 l/min, then you need to run the dry air for 20 seconds (3x18/170 = 0 3 min) close the container tightly immediately to contain the dry air store the container until ready to use nitrogen select part b resins require air space in the container to be backfilled with nitrogen gas to replace oxygen, where oxidation can affect the material nitrogen cylinder must be properly secured to prevent tipping follow all local safety regulations nitrogen diagram set nitrogen pressure to the the tank's specifications blow the nitrogen gas into the empty air space of the resin container to evacuate all ambient air open the resin container both the main opening and vent opening estimate the volume of empty space in the container run the nitrogen to evacuate the volume of empty space 3 times , per the flow rate using the calculator below bore diameter is the inside diameter of the hose pressure in units of bar, convert as needed 1 bar = 100,000 pa ((10^{5}) n/m²) 1 bar ≈ 14 504 psi for example if you have a 180 l drum that is 10% empty, the empty volume is 18 l if the flow rate is 22 l/min (12 mm bore ⌀, 5 pressure bars, 2 m of hose length), then you need to run the nitrogen for 2 5 min (3x18/22) close the container tightly immediately to contain the nitrogen store the container until ready to use only use nitrogen gas to evacuate the air in applicable part b resins never use nitrogen gas with part a or one part resins, which could cause the material to gel and/or lead to printing problems for containers with only one opening , use the same opening for both input and outlut containers with one versus two openings resin container specifications resin products less than or equal to 5 l are packaged in boxes in the following sizes container type boxes dimensions (l x w x h in) dimensions (l x w x h cm) 800 ml cartridges 6 x 4 x 8 15 24 x 10 16 x 20 32 1 6 l cartridges 7 x 6 125 x 13 25 17 78 x 15 56 x 33 66 3 2 l bottles 7 x 6 125 x 13 25 17 78 x 15 56 x 33 66 5 l jerry cans 9 25 x 9 25 x 11 5 23 5 x 23 5 x 29 21 see the table below for the dimensions of the resin containers dimensions noted are for a single container be aware that 2 part resins have both part a and part b components, so your storage needs to accommodate 2 containers when storing cans, drums, and totes container volume dimensions (l x w x h cm) cartridge 1 1 375 ml 8 9 × 4 4 × 22 9 cartridge 2 1 375 ml 9 5 x 5 1 x 22 9 cartridge 10 1 400 ml 8 9 × 7 0 × 22 9 bottle 800 ml 12 6 × 15 7 × 31 4 bottle 3 2 l 17 x 15 x 29 can 5l 19 x 15 x 23 drum 180 l 60 x 60 x 90 ibc tote 1000 l 120 x 100 x 116 solvent storage always follow local regulations for solvent storage requirements and reference safety data sheets (sds) provided by the manufacturer see also safety hazardous waste docid\ eplnolhpoetra wxrrpjd for information on proper disposal flammable solvent storage flammable solvents commonly used in dls production ipa | 99% isopropanol | cas 67 63 0 acetone | 100% | cas 67 64 1 reference accessories & supplies docid 95twe3ttl 5ihi6dnl4xi for purchasing links these solvents are widely available and may also be purchased at the supplier of your choice use a self closing and self latching flammables storage cabinet to store all flammable solvents storing washtubs with solvent inside a secondary container is also advised within the flammable cabinet flammable storage cabinet choose a cabinet size to fit your production capacity reference accessories & supplies docid 95twe3ttl 5ihi6dnl4xi for purchasing links low flammability solvent storage solvents in flammability class 3 can generally be stored outside of a flammable cabinet always verify local regulations these common solvents used with dls processes have low flammability values vf 1 | ms 767 3d 13 previously referred to as custom vertrel™ solvent blend dpm | 99% di(propylene glycol) methyl ether | cas 34590 94 8 daa | 99% diacetone alcohol | cas 123 42 2 reference accessories & supplies docid 95twe3ttl 5ihi6dnl4xi for purchasing links store all solvents and washtubs with solvent inside a secondary containment vessel always reference your resin's protocol sheet for the specific solvents used in your production workflows