Introduction
After cleaning parts from a build off of the Desktop Metal Shop system, the powder station will be quite dirty from the loose metal powder being blown everywhere inside the system. The powder station retains a lot of this loose metal powder in the nooks and crannies of the system, and much of this powder can be cleaned out and recycled. Even disregarding the benefits of recycling this powder, the system cannot be kept dirty in between jobs as it would be a hazard to any visitors to the space.
If the Desktop Metal Shop system is being used in a production environment and being used regularly, it may be valuable to only do the complete clean out after every couple jobs, but even still the system should have a base level of cleaning after every job.
These tasks should be done before the kegs are removed from the powder station!
Images by: Terrapin Works
Parts
No parts specified.
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Reaching into the powder station through the glove ports, use a brush for the first stage of cleaning
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Be sure to keep the vacuum and sieving/dosing functions on at this time (and kegs installed)
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Systematically brush any excess powder into the hopper
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Use a overlapped, sweeping motion to get as much powder as possible
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Start with the highest, furthest back surfaces
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Be sure to move and articulate any joints (eg. rear shelf and flap) since they trap some powder
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Finish up by brushing the lower surfaces and corners
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Be careful to avoid dragging powder out of the powder station through the glove port brushes
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Disconnect the vacuum hose from the powder station
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Attach the brush head to the hose
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Release the powder on door surfaces before opening the door:
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Pay attention to (read: hit) the clear, gloveport areas
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Pay attention to (read: hit) the surrounding door panel
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Vacuum any excess powder off of the inside of the door
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Be sure to vacuum in and around the crevices
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Vacuum all remaining surfaces, again working systematically
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Start with the highest, furthest back surfaces
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Be sure to move and articulate any joints (eg. rear shelf and flap) since they trap some powder
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Finish up by vacuuming the lower surfaces and corners
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If needed, use other vacuum attachments to get powder out of crevices
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Wipe down brush attachments with dry towel and return to storage
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Turn of sieving and dosing, then open the bottom access doors
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Tap the side of the sieve to encourage waste to fall into the waste jar
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Remove the metal waste jar on the right
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Pour the contents of the waste jar through the handheld sieve while holding it above the hopper
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The sieve catches small chunks of solid material, these should be thrown out in the appropriate waste bags
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Replace waste jar at the bottom of the powder station
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Remove the fines jar on the vacuum cyclone
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Pour the contents of the waste jar through the handheld sieve while holding it above the hopper
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The sieve catches small chunks of solid material, these should be thrown out in the appropriate waste bags
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Replace the fines jar
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Brush any new material into the hopper
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With both fines jars processed, sieving and dosing can be resumed
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Turn on the powder station
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Navigate the menu to enable auto-sieving and dosing
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Dosing the powder from both jars should only take a few minutes
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Once the machine has stopped sieving and dosing, press the "Off" button
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If switching between materials in the Desktop Metal Shop system, please refer to the specific cleaning guides set out by DM on the knowledge base. This level of cleaning is not sufficient for avoiding contamination of a new or different material being used in the system.
Once the powder station is cleaned appropriately, the operator can move on to mixing and blending the recycled powder with virgin powder to prepare it for the next print.
If switching between materials in the Desktop Metal Shop system, please refer to the specific cleaning guides set out by DM on the knowledge base. This level of cleaning is not sufficient for avoiding contamination of a new or different material being used in the system.
Once the powder station is cleaned appropriately, the operator can move on to mixing and blending the recycled powder with virgin powder to prepare it for the next print.
