Almco’s New Wash Tank Accelerates Support Removal for FDM Parts

Over the past few years, additive manufacturing has surged ahead, thanks to larger, faster printers and breakthroughs in materials science that open new application avenues. Yet, one routine step in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) has lagged behind: the removal of soluble support material.

In typical FDM builds, a model material such as ABS is printed together with a soluble support—commonly SR20 or SR30—that scaffolds complex geometries. Once printing finishes, the support is dissolved in a heated sodium hydroxide (NaOH) bath. The duration of this soak depends on part size, complexity, and the amount of support, often stretching into several hours and creating a bottleneck for high‑throughput production.

Almco has engineered a solution that marries the proven NaOH dissolution process with a spin‑wash system, effectively turning the bath into a high‑speed dishwasher for 3D parts. Instead of floating, components rest on a rotating base and are blasted by multiple sprayers of sodium hydroxide, dramatically accelerating the support removal.

For example, a part that would traditionally require roughly 10 hours of soaking can now be cleaned in just 90 minutes. The spinning action also shortens drying time, allowing manufacturers to move quickly from support removal to final inspection or post‑processing.

We’re excited to see how innovations like Almco’s wash tank will reshape the FDM workflow, delivering tangible throughput gains for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing teams worldwide.

Tags: Almco, FDM Parts, Stratasys, Wash Tank