Processing Epic Prints
Now that you have taken the time to print a quality product, preserved your design detail, and it's time to process.. it all comes down to what you do next!
Processing Prints.. let's change how we process
Not long ago, sand blasting printed ceramics off the print bed was the standard, and you could clearly see imbedded aluminum oxide within the print. We compromise our 3D surfaces and then go looking for the best new primer, without asking if we should use one in the first place.
When I state, “change how we process”, we aren’t adding anything to the process, we are simply using less alcohol.
More specifically, our prints are air cleaned while on the plate and spritzed a few times with IPA to remove residual resin only.
Thicker resins require a little more alcohol, while thinner resins require less processing to clean residual resin from the print.
Most important; preserve each Oxygen Inhibition Layer, (OIL) as this is our chemical bonding surface and our canvas. Preserve the OIL on all 3D restorations for optimum results in staining, and the final bonding/curing of the completed restoration. The OIL consists of a layer of uncured chemicals that will be present in all printed restorations and light- cure products, until sealed with a final nitrogen cure. For optimal results:
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Clean the new print with limited alcohol use by removing residual resin by air or with tissue and spritz with 99% IPA. Alcohol use should be minimized and restricted to the final cleaning of the print.
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Immediately dry the print of all alcohol before proceeding, as alcohol left on the surface will continue to degrade the print binders and OIL surface.
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Do not steam, sandblast, or excessively wash in alcohol, as all 3 of these processes severely degrade the working surface, the OIL, the canvas.
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If prints have a chalky appearance, the binders have been washed out by over-processing and the OIL has also been removed.
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If the OIL has been removed, it can not be recovered or repaired, and we are now relying on a less optimal mechanical bond.
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Do not seal the OIL with nitrogen until all characterization steps have been completed, as characterizing over a sealed OIL is not possible.
Meeting Combined Cure Times
The Otoflash is a full spectrum light with specific number of cure flashes for each product, while other cure units use a specific spectrum over time. Only with the Otoflash can we calculate cure flashes and meet the cure requirements for multiple products combined into a single restoration.
Structures such as dentures require different times to cure. For instance, if we have a 4500 Rodin Sculpture cure cycle and a 4000 Base cure cycle, we will need to cure our Sculpture at 500 flashes before bonding to our base with a final 4000 (total remaining) flash cycle. Light cure stain characterizations can be made in this initial 500 flash cycle, and any time after welding the two products together.
The two products can be welded together with base resin and held in place with a hand-held light cure. Clean any residual resin from the print before welding the two components together. OIL preservation of both prints will ensure an optimal chemical weld between the two dissimilar print products.
Characterizations of both base and teeth can be done at this point with the outlined techniques in the Palette Manual.
It is very important to keep track of flashes during layering and reserve a minimum of 1500 flashes for your final nitrogen sealing cure.