Onulis, a maker of 3D printing systems, has released industry-first equipment that can convert expired UV resin into a solid plastic that can be securely disposed of.
The W7500 is based on Onulis’ WRAP (Waste Resin Axial Printing) technology, which allows users to recycle spent or expired UV feedstock into materials that don’t require specialized end-of-life disposal.
The completely automated machine’s ability to reuse resin allows it to “run at essentially zero cost,” according to its creators,
while also producing polymers with potential product prototyping uses.
‘WRAP’ technology is being unravelled.
Onulis’ new launch addresses one of resin printing’s most challenging issues: waste material management.
The company was founded with the stated goal of inventing technologies that help resolve 3D printing’s main pain points.
Currently,
disposing of spent or expired UV resin forces producers to either employ “messy do-it-yourself methods” or pay for expensive services,
which are compelled to “just bury sealed barrels of hazardous material in landfills” to handle the problem, according to the firm.
If producers opt to go it alone, the time-consuming process of resin disposal begins with manually exposing tiny layers of old material to the sun, followed by swirling partially-cured polymers to disclose uncured underlayers.
In a workflow that may involve exposure to caustic agents, this laborious process must be repeated until the material is entirely cured.
Furthermore, if a hazardous waste business is hired, the manufacturer will be required to register as a waste generator with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Users are therefore forced to hold huge drums of trash on-site until sufficient quantities have been collected for pickup in circumstances like this.
The W7500 eliminates these issues while allowing for faster, safer, and more environmentally conscious recycling.
The plastic manufactured by the printer is effectively zero-cost stock, making it perfect for CNC machining and product creation.
W7500 resin recycler from nulis
The W7500, Onulis’ first WRAP technology-powered machine, has a space-efficient form factor that allows it to be small while maintaining a 7.5-litre capacity, and its broad compatibility means it can also process waste and expired resins from SLA, DLP, PolyJet, and MultiJet 3D printers.
The W7500 can run unattended thanks to its automatic timing capabilities and axial printing architecture, and it also has built-in carbon filtering.
As a result, the technique helps to protect adopters from the hazardous fumes produced, when UV resins are manually cured.
The machine is also extremely efficient, allowing users to process thirty days’ worth of waste resin in only six hours.
An industry-tested Innovation
Early adopters of the W7500 include users from a variety of industries, including universities, medical device manufacturers, and 3D printing service providers, with early customers emphasizing the W7500’s material efficiency advantages.
“Our new W7500 has saved us a lot of time and money,” says Matthew DeGroat, Service Bureau Manager at Purple Porcupine, a Californian part provider and Onulis adopter.
“We’re ecstatic that, in addition to saving money, we’ve been able to reduce our team’s exposure to hazardous trash and refocus our efforts on higher-value duties.”
Specs and Pricing
Compatible Resins: SLA, DLP, PolyJet, MultiJet
Vat Capacity: 7.5 Liters
Throughput: Cures 30 days’ waste resin in 6 hours
Printed Plastic Stock: 14″ (D) x 8″ (H) Tube
Machine Size:26.5″ x 16.5″ x 28.7″
Operating Temperature: 65 – 95°F (18 – 35°C)
Power Requirements: 100 – 120 VAC, 50 – 60 Hz
Optional Extras: 28″ x 17.5″ x 22″ Storage Stand
