The following equipment is needed to clean parts produced on the printer:

1. Plastic containers with lids, which are included with the printer. If it is your preference to use other containers, be sure they are large enough to accommodate the parts you will print.
2. Digital timer
3. Solvent, as prescribed in the Cleaning Chart
4. Optionally, you could have an an ultrasonic cleaner, which agitates the cleaning solvent using ultrasonic sound waves. If this is the best solution for you, your ultrasonic cleaner should have:
   
   1. Digital Timer
   2. Volume big enough to accommodate the parts you will print, along with:
   3. Stainless-steal or glass rinse tanks big enough to accommodate the parts you will print. Plastic containers (like the ones included with the printer) will not have a good enough transfer of energy to be effective in an ultrasonic cleaner.

NOTE: Some materials require the use of an ultrasonic cleaner for part cleaning to achieve certification as a medical device for its printed parts. Please read your material's Instructions for Use to determine if you must use ultrasonic methods.

always wear 100% NITRILE gloves when cleaning printed parts.

For information on the different methods for drying build parts, please see the section Air-Drying Parts. For any drying method, please use the following guidelines:

1. If using compressed air, dry the part until there is no discernable liquid on it. Then let it sit out for 30 minutes on a paper towel before proceeding to UV curing.
2. If air drying only, let the part sit out for 60 minutes on a paper towel before proceeding to UV curing.
3. Always dry printed parts over a tub, lab paper towel, or absorbent cloth. Do NOT dry the part over a sink or tub that drains to normal wastewater.
4. Discard any disposable towels used in the drying process according to all local, state and federal regulations. These towels have been in contact with uncured material and solvents, and must be treated as such.
5. On a regular basis, have a professional cleaning service wash any absorbent cloths used in the drying process.
6. If you dry the part over a tub, periodically empty/clean it, discarding its contents according to all local, state, and federal regulations. The tub has been in contact with uncured material and solvents and must be treated as such.
7. If using an air compressor in the same room (as opposed to shop air), wear ear protection when it is in use.
8. Always wear 100% nitrile gloves and safety glasses when handling green printed parts. When drying with a high-pressure method, uncured material or solvent may splash.
9. If you come into contact with uncured material during part drying or at any time, wash the affected area with soap and COLD water. Any clothes contaminated with uncured material or solvent must be dry cleaned promptly.

NOTE: For NextDent® materials, it is necessary to use the LC-3DPrint Box as your UV oven in order to meet medical certifications. Ideal, tested curing times for materials are outlined in the section Material Stirring and Curing Times.

After the part is completely dry, insert the part into your UV oven in the same orientation it was printed in, as if the bottom of the curing oven is the print platform. Please see the image below for reference. CAUTION: Use nitrile gloves whenever touching or operating the LC-3DPrint Box. Normal usage of the oven will most likely get uncured material on the box handle, buttons, and screen; so it is always best to take this precaution.

2. Follow instructions in your UV oven instruction manual to begin the post-curing process. If you have the LC-3DPrint Box, the instruction manual can be found both in the packaging or by downloading the link here: NextDent LC-3DPrint Box Instructions for Use.
3. Please see the Material Stirring and Curing Chart for a quick reference of curing times for different materials. Do not open the curing chamber door until the curing process has been completed. The LC-3DPrint Box has a sensor that will turn the machine off during curing if the lid is open. Please see the Instructions for Use of the material you are using for full post-curing instructions.
4. Once the printed part has been fully cured, remove the part from the UV oven, using nitrile gloves when opening and closing the oven.
5. Inspect the part for surface tackiness and/or areas of discernable liquid material. If either condition exists, clean the part with recommended solvent once more and put it back in the UV oven until there is no more uncured material on it. The printed part is now safe to touch without nitrile gloves.
   

   CAUTION: Be careful not to over-cure the part. Over-curing can cause discoloration and part warping.

6. You may now wish to further refine the part's shape with fine-grit sandpaper or dental tools, removing any remnants of supporting architecture that remain on the part.

CAUTION: Do not clean the print platform or print tray in a sink or tub that drains into wastewater. These components must be cleaned in a self-contained tub and the solvent/material mix must be discarded according to all local, state, and federal regulations.

WEAR GLOVES: always Wear 100% nitrile gloves whenever handling a printer component that has been in contact with liquid material, even if you have cleaned the component. If the component must be handled without gloves, you must first place it in a UV-Curing oven for the time specified for the material it has been in contact with.

Clean Print Platform

You must clean the print platform after each use. Use a putty knife or something similar to scrape away the excess cured print material on the print platform. If a greasy residue still exists, pour recommended solvent onto a nonabrasive cloth and gently clean the print platform until the residue is removed. Place the print platform into an ultrasonic bath, if available, with recommended solvent. Or you may manually clean the platform in the rinse tanks included with your printer. Completely dry the platform of any solvent, using any of the same techniques used to dry a printed part.

Pigmentation on the Print Platform

If you use any print materials with pigmentation in them, you may observe that they slowly stain the print platform after repeated use. This is okay and has not been shown in testing to adversely affect the build quality of future parts, even when using different materials. If you wish to remove as much of the pigmentation as possible, the best way to do this is to soak the platform in IPA overnight. This might not remove all pigmentation.

Remove and Clean Print Tray

You must remove the print tray periodically to clean it and inspect it for damage.

NOTE: The elevator must be at its upper limit and the print platform must not be in the printer during this procedure. This will ensure that: 1. The elevator arm are out of the way; and, 2. No material drips from the print platform onto the glass print base.

Wearing nitrile gloves, release all four toggle case locks that connect the print tray to the chassis.
Lift the print tray up and out of the printer, careful not to spill any material that is inside.

Clean Print Tray

If you are not building again for a long period of time, it is best to empty the print tray and clean it to prolong the life of the tray.

1. Pour material out of print tray and into storage bottle via a funnel. Seal the bottle and store it in a cool, dark place. Clean the funnel with the recommended solvent for your material.
   

   CAUTION: Be sure that you are pouring the material back into a bottle of the same material. Mixing materials causes both materials to become ineffective.

2. Pour recommended solvent into the print tray and let it soak for a while.
3. Discard solvent/material mix according to local, state, and federal regulations.
4. Use a microfiber cloth or lint-free paper towel to softly wipe the bottom of the print tray.

CAUTION: Do not put pressure on the print-tray film when cleaning. Doing so could damage the film and render it unusable.