Seeking Advice on Responsible Disposal of Used Resin Washing Solution (France)

Support & Troubleshooting
1

Hello,

We are the model-making workshop of an architectural firm, based in France. As part of our daily activities, we use several Formlabs printers and post-processing equipment.

We are currently looking for a responsible and compliant solution for the disposal of used Formlabs Resin Washing Solution contaminated with photopolymer resin residues.

Our current waste stream consists of:

  • Approx. 20 L of used washing solution
  • Contaminated by uncured SLA resin residues
  • Stored in a sealed 20 L container

I have found several discussions on the forum concerning the recycling of resin cartridges, tanks, and other consumables, which shows that many professional users are facing similar environmental and regulatory challenges. [forum.formlabs.com], [forum.formlabs.com], [forum.formlabs.com]

For members located in France or elsewhere in Europe:

  • How do you manage your used washing solutions and contaminated solvents?
  • Do you work with specialized hazardous waste collection companies?
  • Has anyone identified a recommended disposal route or official guidance from Formlabs for this type of waste?

We would appreciate feedback from other professional workshops, fabrication labs, design offices, or model-making teams looking to reduce the environmental impact of their 3D printing activities.

Thank you in advance for your advice and shared experience.

2

I am not in Europe, but I care about taking good care of my disposal.

I currently use IPA for washing my models and when the IPA gets too dirty, I do the following steps:

  1. Transfer the dirty IPA to a different, clear container
  2. Set a UV light over the container for a few minutes to cure it
  3. Wait 24-48 hours for all cured resin to settle to the bottom
    1. At this point, the IPA at the top of the container should be “clean/filtered” and the only the bit at the bottom is dirty
  4. Pour/pump out the clean IPA carefully (a 1 micron mesh cloth might help you save more IPA)
  5. Set the container outside for the remaining “dirty” IPA to evaporate, leaving behind only the cured resin.
  6. Scrape resin and seal in a bag
  7. Throw it out appropriately

Hope this helps.

3

We call a waste disposal company and the come take it away we had three full waste barrels (55 Gallon Drums) and cost only around 3000 I believe for pick up and disposal.

4

How quickly do you fill up those drums?

$3000 seems too much for me to not just filter and dispose of it myself. Just curious!

5

We maybe fill one once a year itll probably be more likely 18 month now since we are getting rid of our SLA-5000 only reason we had 3 this time is because it was filled with Glycol as well that was part of the SLA-5000 Cleaning process. you can do smaller containers to your local hazardous waste drop off locations

6

Hi @NRubio ,

I’d like to get you connected with the Formlabs Support team for additional assistance. I’ll be reaching out in a direct message.

7

We keep a few jars up on the window ledge to let the resin settle to the bottom. In a few weeks, the resin has hardened up enough to keep from re-mixing. We’ve recovered most of the IPA and ONLY reused it for washing resin parts. But we have to be extra careful Some of our students get confused in the difference between methanol, ethanol and IPA. You would think a major university could educate it’s students better.