Automated Cleaning for Additive Manufacturing
Cleanliness for new Manufacturing Worlds
Innovative 3D-printed components unlock new freedoms in geometry, materials, and functionality. And require a cleaning approach that meets this complexity – from bionic structures to demanding internal contours.
MAFAC develops this process for you: water-based, adaptable, and powered by patented technologies. For reproducible cleanliness and secure integration into your AM process chain.
- Completely remove residues. Including powders or deposits from binder, extrusion, or laser-based processes – even in deep channels or lattice structures.
- Clean surfaces with variable roughness with confidence. Such as porous, topology-optimized, or additively generated functional surfaces.
- Handle geometric complexity with stability. Consistent cleaning results in internal contours, microchannels, and functional cavities.
- Safely manage material diversity. For titanium, Inconel, stainless steel, aluminum, polymers, and combined AM material systems.
- Support AM process chains reliably. From depowdering and support removal to part handling and downstream manufacturing steps.
- Ensure validatable and audit-ready process control – when required. With fully documentable and verifiable process parameters.
- Achieve the required drying level with confidence. Up to absolutely dry and ready for downstream processes and logistics.
Your AM components. Consistently clean.
Whether dental technology, aerospace components, tools, or function-integrated lightweight structures – we ensure reproducible cleanliness across all relevant AM applications, today and in the future.
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Understanding processes. Shaping cleanliness.
Additive manufacturing enables components that were previously unimaginable – with bionic structures, internal functional channels, variable roughness, and entirely new material combinations. This creates a production reality that cannot be addressed with conventional cleaning methods. For this new world, you need a partner who is ready – not by adapting old concepts or standard processes, but by developing solutions that genuinely fit.
MAFAC meets this expectation. Our water-based technologies can be precisely aligned with the specific characteristics of AM components, and the cleaning and drying process integrates seamlessly into digital manufacturing environments. For reproducible cleanliness in a highly dynamic AM market.
MAFAC Cleaning Expertise. For Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing.
Reproducible cleanliness for advanced AM structures and surfaces results from the right process: water-based, solvent-free, and built on our patented technologies. Precisely tailored to the target applications of your additively manufactured components.
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Verifying Cleanliness. Aligned with Target Industry Standards.
3D-printed components must meet the requirements of your target industries. Our cleaning solutions are precisely aligned with the relevant standards as well as with your internal and customer-specific test procedures – and meet these requirements reliably and reproducibly.
Do you have questions about meeting specific cleanliness requirements for your products?
We’ll be happy to support you!
| Target area | Standards and Requirements |
|---|---|
| General AM requirements | Limits for powder, particulate, and process residues per customer specification; requirements for coating, heat treatment, sealing integrity, and functionalization |
| Aerospace | EN 9100 / AS 9100, Nadcap AC7108 / AC7101, OEM specifications, requirements for functional surfaces and coating capability |
| Automotive | VDA 19 / VDA 19.2, ISO 16232, OEM specifications, requirements for assembly cleanliness and process cleanliness |
| Medical Technology | ISO 10993, ISO 19227, ISO 13485, documented cleanliness for biocompatible applications |
| Microelectronics / Microsystems | IPC standards (e.g. IPC-A-610), ISO 14644 cleanroom requirement; standards for surface cleanliness and contact-critical microfeatures |
| Tooling / Mold Making | Requirements for functional tool surfaces, coating readiness, polishing and texturing specifications |
| Energy / Turbomachinery | Material- and process-specific requirements for high-performance alloys, documented functional surfaces |
FAQ Additive Manufacturing. Your Questions, our Answers.
How can powder and process residues be reliably removed from complex AM geometries?
Powder and process residues are removed through the coordinated interaction of spray, spray-flood and flood processes combined with kinematic motion of parts and the resulting turbulence. Ultrasonics and the MAFAC VAP pressure-change technology also reach deep internal structures, ensuring a reproducible cleaning effect.
Which cleaning processes are suitable for bionic structures, internal channels, and lattice-like regions?
For complex internal geometries, we rely on the combination of MAFAC VAP and ultrasonics, as both technologies act deeply within fine structural details. Directed flow and pressure variation allow residues to be removed reliably, delivering stable, reproducible cleaning performance also in bionic contours and lattice-like areas.
What role does material diversity in AM – metals, polymers, hybrid structures – play in process design?
Metals, polymers and hybrid structures differ in density, porosity, surface energy and residue types. All of these factors influence process design. A precisely aligned strategy involving mechanical action, cleaning media and temperature ensures that cleaning remains reproducible across materials while protecting sensitive surfaces.
How does MAFAC design water-based cleaning for components with variable roughness and porous surfaces?
Defined process windows ensure stable results even on rough or open-porous surfaces. Combined spray and flood processes together with kinematic motion provide targeted flow into complex regions. Ultrasound and, where required, MAFAC VAP support controlled ingress and egress of the medium into pores and micro-roughness.
Which residues from additive processes are critical for downstream steps such as heat treatment or coating?
Residual powder, embedded particles, partially sintered deposits and filmic contamination are particularly critical, as they affect wetting, adhesion and overall process stability. A targeted and reproducible cleaning process is therefore essential to ensure downstream steps run reliably and meet quality requirements.
How does MAFAC integrate cleaning into digital AM production environments and automated process chains?
MAFAC integrates cleaning seamlessly into your automation and MES structures via standardized interfaces. Process parameters and quality data are digitally traceable and can be monitored inline. Through digital monitoring, stable process profiles and robot-assisted material flow, a fully connected, Industry-4.0-ready process chain is created.
Are MAFAC cleaning processes validatable and audit-ready when target industries require corresponding proof?
Yes. MAFAC cleaning processes can be operated in a validatable and audit-ready manner when your target industries require documented proof. Clear parameter control, reproducible process sequences and complete documentation provide a solid basis for meeting industry-specific cleanliness and quality requirements.
How is stable and reproducible cleaning ensured across different geometries and production series?
Stable, repeatable results arise from defined mechanical principles, precise kinematics and clearly defined parameter windows. Spray, flood and ultrasonic processes, together with MAFAC VAP, interact in a controlled manner to deliver consistent cleaning performance regardless of geometry variations or batch fluctuations.
What options exist for targeted drying of complex internal structures and porous areas?
Warm airflows and pulse blowing support targeted drying of hard-to-reach areas. Vacuum drying is particularly effective in internal cavities and porous zones. With precise kinematics, a reproducible drying performance is achieved – mirroring the stability and reliability of the cleaning process for demanding AM geometries.
Can test cleanings be performed with original AM components to validate strategy and process design?
Yes. Test cleanings with your original AM components enable a reliable assessment of geometry, powder behavior and residue types. Based on these insights, we develop a robust process strategy with suitable technologies and parameters – providing a dependable foundation for future series production.