Resin 3D Printing - Ultra Sonic Cleaner Safety Warning

I had a major issue with the heater within my new large Ultra Sonic Cleaner. Please make sure to check and see if your heater automatically shuts down when not actively in use.

Technology can be fun but please be safe and take the proper precautions when working with any of this technology.


Thanks for watching!

UJ

[ChandlerCollins]

Hey Jesse! Have run into this before because it's so easy to leave your cleaner on when you're getting ready to cure a print-- a good way of avoiding this in the future is to have something like a lamp wired up on the same power strip as the cleaner so that if the lamp is on, the cleaner is too.

You can then use the power strip as your cleaner's power switch and if you see the lamp on before you leave, you've messed up :)

[Muhfynmann]

Best way to use one of these is to always put your part in a secondary container with your cleaning solution and then place that in a bath of water. You can then use IPA this way.

[jimaudette]

Here is a tip. I have multiple ultrasonic cleaner's and what I've learned is to place my parts whether it's resin 3-D parts, motor sport carburetor type parts, or firearm parts and there specific cleaning solutions into either a stainless steel or plastic container. The container is then put into the ultrasonic cleaner that has water in the tank. The water will transfer the frequencies directly to the solutions in the isolating container. After you're done cleaning the containers are easy to clean and or store. I've even used red plastic cups. Oh and you can use several smaller containers with different solutions at the same time. By the way make sure the level of the cleaning solution with the parts is just a little higher than the water level in ultrasonic cleaner.

[JohnsonArmsProps]

I just bought one for 50% off because the heater component didn't work. Saved me the time of disabling it and I got an awesome deal. Thanks for the video!

[ethansdadd]

Thanks for the PSA. Next video: how to disable the heater on your ultrasonic cleaner?

[michaelvognild]

I'm always extra nervous about my printer and Ultrasonic. After I take my prints off the build plate, unless I'm IMMEDIATELY printing something else, I turn off the power on the printer.

When I take my parts out of the ultrasonic, I turn off the power because I don't want the LED display or other indicator lights to burn out prematurely.

Shut the machines down before leaving the room, and it's all good. Thanks for making these videos! Uncle Jessey's recommendations were what set me over the edge to buying an SLA resin printer, and I don't regret my decision!

[vd]

I got the smaller 3L one. I wanted to know if the heater turn off after the timer. After getting mix answers on Amazon, mostly people saying yes. After trying it for myself, I can confirm that it does NOT *NOT* turn off by itself after the timer expires. Anyone using this while away should purchase a outlet timer or smart outlet.

[agepbiz]

Darn! Thank you for the PSA! I am glad nothing serious happened

[BLBlackDragon]

Glad to hear you caught it in time, and that no one was adversely effected.

Always, safety first and know your gear, right?

[xm]

Thanks for the info. One solution might be to connect the power cord to a switch and only turn it on when needed, rather than letting the unit have continual power and the heater be on.

[DTyrannosaurus]

FYI, I got the Mean Green cleaner based on Uncle Jessy's cleaner test, and I found it less effective than IPA. My first few resin prints didn't seem to cure quite right, and I thought it was my UV light. So I got a new one, and the prints were still sticky. So I tried cleaning with IPA and the same UV light, and I got solid prints. Don't know why my experience differed.

[amaltheasprintshop]

I'm trying to set up my ultra sonic for resin cleaning and am more than happy to get some of these tips

[ModDAspectPrinting]

So, I have the same Ultrasonic Cleaner that you have and it stays plugged in. The power switch is not flipped on unless it is in use. For the heater to be on, you must set the temp and push the "On/Off" button and the heater comes on with an indicator light just to the right of the digital display (on the left) showing it is either on or off. It sounds like you had the heater enabled, ran the ultrasonic function for some prints and forgot to turn off the heater. Getting used to new pieces of equipment is part of the process and I have enjoyed your videos and reviews, but; this video should be more orientated towards "Don't forget to turn the heater off".

[brandonstone]

What did you have the heat set to? The sun? For it to boil off all the liquid in the green cleaner over night must of had it on 80C. I run mine at 40C and never have this problem even weeks at a time. Don't blame the unit for user error.

[mvm]

So I bought this ultrasonic cleaner after watching this so what I do is turn the heating element below the default setting. I have the ultrasonic cleaner on a power strip so I just turn it off after each cleaning session. So props for this video because it spurred the idea to put the cleaner on a switch.

[RaulNguyen]

Glad to hear and wish you all well.
Thanks for sharing too!!

[kerseyfabs]

Thanks for the update Jessy! Stay safe!

[CeresOutpost]

Thank you for posting about this. I just bought the 6L version of this cleaner. I may just put the plug on a timer as a backup or open it up and just disable the heater completely. They should have had timers for both elements of the cleaner, but these are cheap, so we get what we pay for.

[KaelumYodi]

You got extremely lucky. There is a warning that comes with all heated ultrasonic cleaners:

MAKE SURE THERE IS LIQUID IN THE CLEANER WHENEVER POWER IS APPLIED

The ultrasonic transducers will literally burn up if they are turned on w/o liquid in the tank. The heater is located on one side of the tank, and the thermistor is located on another side of the tank. If there isn’t enough liquid in the tank, the heating element will stay on indefinitely. The cleaning solution will be exposed to extreme temperatures, which can create toxic fumes/cloud, which is what happened to you. Normally it won’t catch fire, but it could.

[DMonZ]

if you do want to save this one you could use a smart plug to set cleaning programs with a timer, from your phone. it'll cut the power completely when its done.