If you don’t have a washing station for post-processing your resin prints, you can get an ultrasonic cleaner, such as the Vevor. Read our Vevo Ultrasonic cleaner review to find out what to expect of this 3D printer accessory.
When it comes to post-processing resin 3D printed models, you will need a washing station. If you don’t have a washing station, a good ultrasonic cleaner will do. This is especially if your models are printed from water-washable resin or with a special cleaner for all resins.
There are many industrial quality ultrasonic cleaners on the market. Some of them, like the Vevor, are cheap. In this guide, we’ll provide an overview of the ultrasonic cleaner, and our experience with it.
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Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner Review
Introduction
About 3 years ago, I bought my Emag HC12 ultrasonic cleaner. You can see on the left in the picture. The cleaner still works today and we’ll use it to get an idea of how the Vevor performs.
The HC12 is Emag’s entry-level model in the industry series, costs around $250, has a capacity of 1.2l and features a 45KHz oscillating system with 80W and 200W heating power. The ultrasonic cleaner has built-in heating, an egg timer (doesn’t switch off) and the strength of the ultrasound can be set to 3 levels: 50%, 75% and 100%.
This unit’s controls are analog and very mechanical. A small basket and a lid are included in the accessory. One thing always bothers me about Emag: when you use the basket, you can’t put the lid on it.
For what I wanted it to do back then (shake up self-mixed e-liquids, it’s worked great so far. It was usually simply too small for cleaning resin prints. Of course, glasses, cutlery, circuit boards and jewelery can also be cleaned with it.
I also do the basic cleaning of my airbrushes with the mag. This is done after about every six months or when my airbrush dries up because I forgot to clean after using it in a project.
Before I bought the Emag, I had a small eyeglass cleaning device. However, the item didn’t last long, wasn’t powerful and wasn’t heated.
The Vevor 3 liter Ultrasonic Cleaner
The Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner is available in different capacities. The one we’ll be testing is the 3liter capacity one. This is a cheap unit (see price on Amazon) that is also of “industrial quality”.
The Vervo Ultrasonic Cleaner is a lot bigger than the Emag. The machine’s basket dimensions are 230 x 100 x 700 mm (LxWxH). While this is definitely not the largest size, it is enough for prints made with the small Photon, Mars and the related 3D printers.
There are other large Vevor Utrasonic Cleaner, which are sold at a more expensive price. I mostly print minis, so the 230 x 100 x 700 mm size is enough for me. If necessary, you can place resin prints in the cleaner without a basket. However, don’t attempt to do this with metal items.
When I use the ultrasonic cleaner without the basket, the tub gets extremely hot in places. Thus, I have to switch it off. The same thing also applies with the Emag.
I like that I can use the basket and still put the lid on it. However, when the lid is on, the cleaner makes louder noise.
The housing and the tub of the Vervo Ultrasonic Cleaner are made of stainless steel. The tub is non-removable and sealed at the edge with an official silicone joint. You don’t want water to come so close to the stream. A drain cock would have been more convenient, but the Vevo lacks it. But for its cheap price, you have to make compromises.
Inside the package is a brief instruction sheet. The instructions indicate that you should not fill the tub higher than the max mark. However, there is no such mark. There is also no marking for the minimum filling quantity.
There is also a tea egg that you can hang in there to wash very small parts. Honestly, I’ve never used it.
Vervo indicates that the ultrasonic cleaner has a sound source of 40KHz and 120W. The heating output is 100W, and the maximum temperature is 80°C. However, the machine takes quite a while to reach the temperature. The target and actual temperature are displayed. However, the measurement is not particularly accurate.
The ultrasonic strength cannot be adjusted on the Vevor. The control panel is digital, the membrane keys react pleasantly, but the keystroke is followed by a loud, somewhat strange-sounding ‘Fieeeep!’ acknowledged. I would have liked a different tone better.
The timer can be set from 0 to 30 minutes in 1-minute increments. When the timer expires, the heating and sound are switched off and the timer returns to the last setting.
So far so good.
Application of Water-Washable Resins
There is no need for expensive special cleaners for ultrasonic devices. To clean prints with water-washable resin, I use normal tap water and a regular dishwashing liquid. In some instances, I have used liquid neutral soap. However, the soap is more expensive.
I heat the washing water at 35°C. The machine can take 5-10 minutes to heat up. After that, I leave the prints in there for 3-4 minutes. The prints are then scrubbed in a second bowl with warm water and a soft toothbrush. I use the water in the ultrasonic cleaner several times and then collect it in an old canister for hazardous waste disposal.
I think the water from the second step is harmless, but since we don’t need much of it, I also drain it to the canister.
Application witg Standard Resin
You can also use the ultrasonic method with normal resin. However, in this case, the cleaning won’t be the best with detergent not due to the device, but because of the resins.
Special resin cleaners from the 3D printing accessories work better here, such as Monocure Resinaway (Amazon), which smells of roses, and the IPA Based 3D Resin Cleaner. I was extremely satisfied with the Resinaway in the ultrasound. However, special resin cleaners are not cheap and disposal is also difficult.
Conclusion
A good ultrasonic device can be used for many cleaning jobs. Therefore, having one in the workshop is never a mistake. The Vevor 3l ultrasonic cleaner makes a very good impression, is quite comparable to cleaners by top brands, but costs less than half the price
One can argue about the sense and benefit of using the ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning 3D prints. With water-washable resins, the cleaner is a viable alternative. However, with a Wash & Cure station, your prints will also get for the same price. An ultrasonic cleaner does not harden the resin print.
On the other hand, you can also use an ultrasonic cleaner for other things, not just for cleaning resin prints.
I like the Vevor and would recommend it for anyone that is into resin 3D printer. However, I would still have liked it to have had a drain cock.
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