Sinterit printer maintenance

Sinterit's compact SLS 3D printers require minimal maintenance, but this is essential to ensure proper operation. It is important to carry out cleaning and maintenance tasks and to replace wearing components as often as necessary.

Cleaning

Cleaning of the equipment is one of the most important points to keep the equipment in good condition. The following tasks should be carried out:

• Cleaning of the laser protective glass and the pyrometer protective glass. This should always be done before (once the powder has been loaded) and after each print (once the powder has been removed). Use a microfibre cloth or optical paper combined with pure ethyl alcohol. Under no circumstances should other products or alcohols such as glass cleaner, methylated spirits, rubbing alcohol, cleaning alcohol or isopropyl alcohol be used.

Video 1: How to clean laser glass. Source: Sinterit

Video 2: How to clean pyrometer glass. Source: Sinterit

• Cleaning the recoater guide: The recoater guide, the rod on which the linear bearing runs, should always be cleaned after loading the powder, just before printing starts, to prevent clogging of the bearing.
• Cleaning the space under the cylinders: It is recommended to vacuum the powder in the space under the cylinders once a month. To access this space it is necessary to remove the front panel of the SLS 3D printer.
• Cleaning of the linear bearing: This should be done every two weeks: The following steps should be followed:
• Thoroughly clean the recoater guide.
• Lubricate it with plenty of silicone oil.
• Move the recoater from end to end 10 times.
• Clean the recoater guide and repeat the process four more times.
• Material change cleaning: When changing to a lower temperature material, all dust must be removed with the aid of an ATEX hoover and suitable nozzles, in addition to all the above tasks.

Replacement of consumables or wear parts

Sinterit's compact SLS 3D printers have three spare parts that need to be replaced periodically:

• Infrared heaters: It is recommended to replace them every 800 h of use or immediately after failure. Replacement is quick and easy.

Video 3: Cómo sustituir los calentadores infrarrojos. Fuente: Sinterit

• Recoater short cord: To be replaced every 100 h of use, when the first signs of wear are detected or, in the case of smooth and smooth Pro, before a print lasting more than 5 days.

Video 4: How to replace the short recoater cord. Source: Sinterit

• Power supply and printer base insulation: It is recommended to replace these insulations every 6 months in case of intensive use (more than 2000 h/month) or every 12 months in case of sporadic use (less than 200 h/month). 

Video 5: How to replace the print bed insulation. Source: Sinterit

Video 6: How to replace the insulation on the power supply base. Source: Sinterit

This guide discusses concepts in a general way and does not focus on a particular make or model, although they may be mentioned at some point. There may be important differences in calibration or adjustment procedures between different makes and models, so it is recommended that the manufacturer's manual be consulted before reading this guide.