Currently I’ve began sketching out the room in our facility where our Fuse setup will be used. We did this previously with Form4 and ended up with a very comfortable setup, where everything was thought of - from storage to processing to disposal. I’ve already done the homework of compiling the technical requirements and going through Formlabs materials - space, power, compressed air, relative humidity, temperature, UPS. However, those are just plain requirements and the moment you really start using a machine, you figure out things you couldn’t have thought of before.
If anyone is interested in showing their setup by sharing a picture or just sharing any tips to set up an awesome and comfortable work space, I’d be very grateful!
For example, from seeing SLS machines in their natural state elsewhere, it has become clear that the machine will be in a completely separate room to prevent the powder from coating the rest of our workshop. Definitely planning to put sticky mats in front of the entrance.
Stick with the recommended spacing between fuses and sift, the wall, etc. You will need the space to service the machines properly.
Strongly consider adding the Delfin cyclone setup to your vacc system. Its properly grounded and will extend your filter life. Its too bad you cant source this from Formlabs but the Delfin USA rep is easy to deal with.
I run sift, fuse, and blast in the same room with no issues of powder getting everywhere, but I am also cautious when moving powder from sift to fuse, and when loading sift with fresh powder. Some powder will accumulate on top of the fuse but this is unavoidable when lifting the cartridge away from the hopper. I vacuum them off every few weeks or so.
Sounds like you’ve got a good setup idea already, but my one recommendation is to make sure you’ve got convenient storage for the many cleaning materials and boxes of powder!
For the Fuse and the Sift: a hook for the duct cleaning tool, a hook for a miniature vacuum accessory, shelf space for storing: a couple larger vacuum attachments, cleanings swabs, PEC pads, ethanol, alconox, distilled water, handheld mirror, and polishing agent. You will use most of these before every print so it’s nice to have them handy. It sounds like a lot, but all of this easily fits on a ~2’x2’ shelf for me.
The boxes of bagged powder take up a good chunk of space too so make sure you’ve got a good spot for these. I like to tightly roll the bag up after using it and tape it shut, then I put it back in the box and close up the cardboard flaps.
I’d also recommend an anti-fatigue mat for using the Sift.
I collected some pictures of SLS workspaces (recent LinkedIn sales post) and while UPS are recommended by Formlabs for Fuse and Sift, I didn’t see a UPS in any of those pictures. I suppose that this could mean it is either done centralized (perhaps using a larger single UPS out of frame) or I’m missing something.
How have you guys approached the UPS question? Do you use them? Do you have an UPS per each machine?
We needed a UPS because we deal with frequent power flickers/short outages due to being based in a rural area. I’ve also seen posts on this forum of people operating in areas with dirty power and it seems like it can cause all sorts of problems with their equipment. This problem doesn’t seem very common, at least in the US.
We use the UPS suggested by Formlabs, the APC 2200VA, but we got one for much cheaper off Ebay and it just needed a battery replacement. Important to note that the UPS only lasts for ~40 minutes when a print is running or ~20 minutes if you’ve just started a print. This is for 1 Fuse per UPS as well, so I would expect that duration to get cut in half if you add another Fuse. It has saved a few prints so I would definitely say it was worth it!