Reusing the powder in a simple and cost-efficient way

What is the refresh rate?

It is the ratio of a minimum amount of fresh powder needed in a mixture of material used in an SLS 3D printer. A lower refresh ratio means better cost-efficiency of the material.

How it works

The amount of needed fresh powder is automatically calculated by our software and shown on the printer screen after the print job is finished. Just add shown amount of material into the mixing cycle of used material and you can start your next job with refreshed material

To start SLS 3D printing you need the powder starter pack. After that, you’ll only need to refresh the powder you own with fresh powder.

How should I store the printing powder?

• Store the powder at room conditions ( ~23°C and 50% humidity – the lower humidity the better)
• Always store the material in a sealed dry box/container.
• Do not leave the container open.
• Clean the machine directly after printing and store the material immediately after removing the print cake.
• Do not let the powder stay in the printer for more than a couple hours.
• Put a few silicone absorbers in the container (but don’t add them to the printer)

Why do I need an ATEX vacuum cleaner to clean powder?

SLS polyamide powder used for 3D printing is considered particulate matter because of its size. Polyamide powder particles are generally 40 micrometers or smaller. If vacuumed in an ordinary vacuum cleaner, the powder could cause an explosion.

Such materials are subject to labor regulations on air quality and occupational safety. The procedures call for appropriate maintenance of powder at work. Only certified industrial vacuum cleaners should be used to clean such materials. More information about the ATEX Vacuum cleaner can be found here.

Thanks to the inert-gas control system (Lisa Pro, Lisa X, NILS 480) you can also experiment with third-party powders outside of our offer, opening up a wide range of possibilities