Jul
SHINING 3D’s FabWash and FabCure 2 automate the two steps that quietly decide whether a 3D printed part succeeds or fails: washing and curing. It’s easy to assume the printer does all the important work, but a freshly printed crown, model, guide, or splint is only half finished. What happens after the print, how thoroughly it is cleaned and how completely it is cured, determines its strength, surface quality, fit, and biocompatibility. This article looks closely at how these two units work, why automating post-processing matters, and how to get the best from them.
The Step Most Labs Underestimate
A part coming off the build platform is coated in sticky, uncured resin and is only partially polymerized. It has to be washed to remove that excess resin, then cured to reach full hardness and biocompatibility. Skip or rush either step and the consequences are immediate: brittle parts, staining, poor marginal fit, tacky surfaces, and appliances that are not safely biocompatible.
Done by hand, these steps are surprisingly inconsistent. Wash times drift, solvent gets saturated, cure cycles are guessed, and the person doing it is exposed to solvent fumes. The result is variability that shows up as remakes. Automating washing and curing with dedicated units is how a lab turns an error-prone manual chore into a repeatable, hands-off process that produces the same quality every time.
FabWash: Automated Washing and Drying
The FabWash unit handles the first post-processing step. Instead of hand-dipping and swirling parts in a jar of solvent, it automates the release, washing, and drying of resin printed parts in one enclosed unit, with consistent agitation and timing on every cycle.
That consistency solves several real problems. It protects detail and margins. Manual washing tends to be inconsistent, and over-soaking swells the resin and rounds off the fine features and crisp margins that restorative work depends on. A controlled, timed wash removes uncured resin without over-exposing the part. It improves workplace safety. Automated, enclosed washing sharply reduces the operator’s contact with cleaning solvents such as IPA or a dedicated 3D cleaning liquid, which is a genuine health benefit in a busy lab. It removes trapped solvent. By drying the part after washing, FabWash prevents the residual solvent that would otherwise cloud or weaken the surface during curing. A clean, dry part is the only correct starting point for the cure.
The one habit that keeps FabWash performing is solvent management. Even the best automated wash cannot compensate for a saturated bath, so replacing the cleaning liquid on schedule keeps every cycle as effective as the first.
FabCure 2: Controlled UV Curing with Heat
Washing removes excess resin, but the part still needs post-curing to reach its true properties. The FabCure 2 curing unit finishes the job with controlled UV light and chamber heating, and both of those matter.
UV light completes the polymerization that the printer only started, cross-linking the resin into a hard, stable solid. Heat is what many people overlook: warming the chamber during curing helps the resin polymerize more completely and evenly than UV alone at room temperature, which is why a heated cure produces stronger, more stable, more thoroughly biocompatible parts. This is especially important for permanent and biocompatible materials, where a complete cure is not optional.
Getting the cure right is a balance. An undercured part is the most common cause of fractures, residual monomer, and staining, while overcuring can leave a part brittle. Because FabCure 2 delivers a controlled, repeatable cure cycle rather than a guessed one, it takes the biggest source of post-processing variability off the table. The key discipline for the operator is simple: always use the validated cure cycle for the specific resin, not a generic setting.
Why FabWash and FabCure 2 Work as a Pair
Washing and curing are two halves of one job, and FabWash and FabCure 2 are designed to be that pair. Run in sequence, they take a part from the printer to finished with minimal handling: FabWash cleans and dries it under controlled conditions, then FabCure 2 cures it under a matched, repeatable cycle.
Their real value shows within the wider SHINING 3D ecosystem. Used together with the AccuFab printers and AccuWare software, wash and cure settings can follow validated, resin-specific parameters, so the post-processing matches the material you printed instead of being set by hand each time. Accuracy, strength, and biocompatibility depend on the whole chain behaving as one validated system, and a matched printer, wash, and cure removes the mismatch and guesswork that creep in when equipment and settings are stitched together from different sources.
The Business Case for Automating Post-Processing
Automating these two steps is not just about quality, it changes the economics of a lab. Fewer remakes. Consistent wash and cure cycles mean parts come out the same every time, which directly reduces the remakes, wasted resin, and lost chair time that inconsistency causes. Less labor. Hands-off washing and curing free technicians from repetitive manual work to focus on design and finishing, the tasks that actually need their skill. Better safety. Enclosed, automated washing reduces solvent handling and fumes. Faster turnaround. A low-touch, reliable post-processing flow is a major part of what makes same-day delivery realistic, turning post-processing from an overnight bottleneck into a step that keeps pace with the printer.
Best Practices for Reliable Post-Processing
The units do the heavy lifting, but a few habits keep results excellent. Keep your wash solvent clean and change it on schedule, because a saturated bath leaves a film no cure can fix. Dry parts fully before curing, which the FabWash cycle handles, so trapped solvent never clouds the surface. Always cure with the validated cycle for the specific resin rather than a one-size setting. Handle delicate parts and supports carefully between steps. And treat the printer, resin, wash, and cure as a single validated system: when you change one part of the chain, confirm the others still agree. Followed consistently, these habits let FabWash and FabCure 2 deliver their full promise of strong, accurate, repeatable parts.
FAQ
Can I wash and cure printed parts by hand instead? You can, but manual washing and curing are inconsistent and expose you to solvent. Automated units keep wash times, agitation, and cure cycles repeatable, which protects detail and reduces remakes.
What exactly does FabWash do? It automates the release, washing, and drying of resin printed parts in one enclosed unit, with consistent agitation and timing, so parts come out clean and dry and ready to cure without manual dipping.
Why does FabCure 2 use heat as well as UV? Chamber heating helps the resin polymerize more completely and evenly than UV alone at room temperature, producing a harder, more stable, fully biocompatible part. Complete curing is essential for permanent and biocompatible materials.
Do FabWash and FabCure 2 only work with SHINING 3D printers? They are designed and validated to work within the SHINING 3D ecosystem alongside the AccuFab printers and AccuWare, which is what lets wash and cure settings follow validated, resin-specific parameters and stay consistent across the whole chain.
What is the most common post-processing mistake? Undercuring, usually from a rushed or guessed cure cycle, and washing in saturated solvent. Both are exactly what automated, controlled units are designed to prevent.
Bottom Line
Post-processing is where a good print becomes a good part, and FabWash and FabCure 2 automate the two steps that decide it. FabWash delivers consistent, enclosed washing and drying that protects detail and reduces solvent handling, and FabCure 2 delivers a controlled, heated UV cure that gives parts their full strength and biocompatibility. Together, within the SHINING 3D ecosystem, they turn an error-prone manual chore into a repeatable, hands-off process that cuts remakes, saves labor, and supports same-day turnaround.
🛒 Automate your post-processing with the FabWash unit and the FabCure 2 curing unit, and see the full SHINING 3D range at Articon.