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If there is one drawback to resin 3D printing, it is the post-processing. Between cleaning and curing with a UV lamp, you will spend a lot of time.
The Anycubic Wash&Cure machine is a 2-in-1 machine that will save you precious time and make you enjoy SLA printing more.
If you already have a resin printer, you may be using an ultrasonic tank, and a homemade UV chamber, although this is effective it may take up a lot of space.
The Anycubic Wash&Cure will allow you to both clean your prints (no need for an ultrasonic tank), and also UV light your prints on a turntable, all in one machine.
Sold on Amazon for around 180€, you can also find this machine on special offer on Aliexpress for around 150€, this price is relatively interesting, knowing that a 3L ultrasonic tank generally costs more than 100€.
When you unpack the machine, it is already assembled, and quickly operational, it is delivered with a few accessories, namely a turntable, a metal basket, a 3.5L capacity tray, a propeller, spare bearings, and supports to fix the tray of your resin printer (Photon/Photon S compatible support). If you have another machine, such as the Elegoo Mars or the Creality LD002R, you will need an adaptor that you can print with an FDM printer (or why not in ABS like resin).
As for the functionalities, nothing very complicated, you have 2 modes, a cleaning mode, and a UV lighting mode. As well as a timer with 3 possible options.
No cleaning product is delivered with this machine, you can use isopropanol alcohol in this machine, without danger, contrary to an ultrasound tank, in which it is not advised to use IPA alcohol, which is highly flammable (as a reminder, the ultrasound tank will generally heat your liquid, it generates electrical energy at high frequency).
Here is a video showing how the machine works.
During the cleaning target, the Wash&Cure will generate a vortex with the propeller at the bottom of the tank, you will have to plunge your printer tray directly with the part still attached to it (to avoid it falling to the bottom and breaking with the propeller). This vortex hitting your coin will have the same mechanical effect as if you were using a brush to clean your coin.
Important information : you could be tempted to use water with a diluted cleaning product such as Green Star (which I did for my first test), it will work, but it may damage the propeller of your machine, which according to the feedback of several users does not like this product and/or the water user too much, indeed after some time it will strongly oxidize your propeller. It is therefore preferable to use isopropanol. You can store the IPA in the tank, thanks to a completely sealed lid.
Once your part is cleaned, you can dry it with a towel, I also use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process, and proceed to the last step, the passage under the UV lamp.
The Wash&Cure is equipped with a turntable, and 16 UV LEDs, more than enough to complete the curing process of your print and cure it permanently. You can choose between 3 timers, 2, 4 or 6min, I mainly use the 6min program, except for the white if I want to avoid yellowing my piece.
This machine is simple, efficient, I did not notice any particular defect, the components of this machine are of quality, to see in time and the life of the LED ramp.
