And Why Other Major Machines Can’t Last 20 Years Without Major Maintenance.
The short answer
The ACE SLA wash tank from Pivot AM has the lowest lifetime cost of ownership of any large-format SLA wash system because there is almost nothing in it to break. It is a fully pneumatically controlled and actuated metal tank: no electrical power, no software, no proprietary chemistry, and only a handful of moving parts. That means no electrician or power drop to install or certify, no ignition source near flammable solvents, no annual service contract, and a purchase price roughly half that of comparable automated SLA post-processing systems. Over 10 years, a typical automated washer costs its purchase price + 50% (ie. $60,000 + $30,000 in maintenance over 10 years); an ACE costs what you paid for it.
- Power required: none (compressed air only)
- Software required: none
- Solvent: fully open, your choice (IPA, ACE Wash, or other SLA solvents)
- Build platforms: 254 x 254 mm up to 850 x 850 mm, including 3D Systems SLA 825 Dual, ProX 800, iPro, Stratasys Neo800, NEO850, and Formlabs Form 3L, Form 4L
- Ongoing maintenance: virtually zero
What happened to simplicity?
Regardless of what the industry has been preaching for years, complexity is NOT free. Not long ago, equipment was built to be understood. When your car acted up, you could pop the hood, find the problem, and pick up the part at the store down the street. When the lawn mower quit, you replaced the plug, cleaned the carburetor, and had it running by lunch.
Simple design kept costs down twice: once for the manufacturer, and again for the person who owned it.
Today, a lot of equipment is cost-engineered in the other direction. It is cheaper to build but more expensive to own. Systems are packed with sensors, control boards, and software. A minor fault now means an OEM diagnostics kit, a proprietary board, a service call, and downtime waiting on a technician while you do the work manually.
SLA post-processing has followed the same path. And the bill shows up long after the purchase order is signed.
Why a maintenance company is arguing for less maintenance
Pivot AM has serviced additive manufacturing equipment for decades, including 37 years of SLA service experience. You might expect us to love complicated machines. We don’t. We believe in empowering the people who run the equipment, and that belief is the starting point for the ACE SLA Wash Tank.
The ACE SLA wash tank: it’s just a metal box
The ACE is a metal tank with a clam-shell lid, a pneumatic lift and agitation system, and a pneumatic timer. That’s it. Every design choice removes a cost you would otherwise pay for years.
No electricity: no electrician, no power drop, no spark
ACE runs on shop air. There is no plug, so there is no electrician to hire, no dedicated power drop to run, and no wiring to bring up to code in a solvent room. Just as important, there are no motors, relays, or control boards sitting next to a tank of isopropyl alcohol. A fully pneumatic, non-explosive design removes the ignition source instead of trying to engineer around it with interlocks.
Any solvent you choose
Because there is nothing inside the tank to protect or calibrate, ACE works with whatever SLA wash solvent fits your resin and your shop: 100% IPA, our lower-volatility ACE Wash, or another solvent you already trust. You are never locked into one supplier’s proprietary chemistry, and you can switch whenever the price or the process makes sense.
Built for big parts
ACE accepts build platforms from 254 x 254 mm up to 850 x 850 mm and washes parts while they are still on the build platform. Adjustable locks hold different platform sizes, the tall lid clears large Z parts, and smooth tank walls keep loose parts and small parts from getting damaged. The closed lid cuts solvent evaporation and fumes, and parts can be raised out of the solvent to drain with the lid shut. It is also listed by 3D Systems as a wash option for the SLA 825 Dual.
A handful of moving parts means near-zero upkeep
There is no circuit board to fail, no firmware to update, and no software license to renew. With only a few moving parts, there is very little to wear out, and what does wear is simple to see and simple to fix. Your own team can maintain it. Load the solvent, set the timer, and let the agitation clean your parts. The proof: Agile Manufacturing, Canada’s largest 3D printing service bureau, has run an ACE for five years without a single problem.
How SLA post-processing got complicated
Many other automated SLA wash systems on the market today are sophisticated machines in their own right. They clean parts well. But every added feature is something you pay for again after the sale, and components that can break eventually do. When the do, your parts sit unwashed while you wait on a technician.
Common features in other large-format SLA washers, and what each one costs you over time:
| Feature | What it costs you over the life of the machine |
| Software, stored recipes, programmable cycles | Updates, licenses, and a technician when the controller faults |
| Electrical pumps, heaters, spray systems | A dedicated power drop, an electrician, and explosion-proof (EX) electrical design to run near solvents |
| Fill-level sensors and automatic refilling | More parts that drift, fail, and need OEM replacements |
| Proprietary cleaning chemistry | Locked-in consumable pricing from a single supplier |
| Annual service plans | Maintenance that adds about 50% to the purchase price over 10 years; some plans exceed $10,000 per year |
And before any of that, the purchase price: comparable automated SLA post-processing systems retail at roughly double the cost of an ACE.
None of this is a knock on engineering. It’s a question of what you actually need to get resin off a part. For most shops, the answer is solvent, agitation, and time.
10-year cost of ownership: ACE vs. a typical automated SLA washer
Over 10 years, a typical automated SLA washer costs about 1.5x of its purchase price. A $60,000 machine with $3,000 a year in maintenance costs $90,000 by year ten. ACE needs no maintenance, so its 10-year cost is essentially what you paid for it.
| Cost over 10 years | ACE SLA Wash Tank | Typical automated SLA washer |
| Purchase price | Talk to us | $60,000 to start, often more |
| Installation | Compressed air line | Electrician, dedicated power drop, EX-rated electrical near solvent |
| Annual maintenance | $0 | $3,000-$10,000+ |
| 10-year maintenance | $0 | $30,000-$100,000 |
| Downtime | None: nothing to break | Parts wait unwashed while you wait on a technician and OEM parts |
| Solvent | Any SLA solvent, any supplier | Can be proprietary chemistry |
| Who can fix it | Your own team | OEM technician |
| 10-year total | Purchase price | Purchase price x 1.5 |
Other washers need maintenance because they break. ACE doesn’t break, so it doesn’t need maintenance. Simple is cheaper to buy, and far cheaper to own.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest-cost SLA wash tank to own?
The ACE SLA wash tank from Pivot AM has one of the lowest lifetime costs of ownership for large-format SLA post-processing. It needs no electricity, no software, and no annual service plan, and it costs roughly half as much as comparable automated washers.
Does the ACE wash tank need electricity?
No. ACE is fully pneumatic and runs on compressed air. That removes the need for an electrician, a dedicated power drop, and electrical components near flammable solvents.
What solvents can I use in the ACE?
ACE works with any common SLA wash solvent, including isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and Pivot AM’s lower-volatility ACE Wash solution. You are not locked into proprietary chemistry.
Which SLA printers is the ACE compatible with?
ACE fits build platforms from 254 x 254 mm to 800 x 800 mm. That includes 3D Systems printers such as the SLA 825 Dual, Stratasys Neo800, and Formlabs Form 3L.
How much maintenance does an SLA wash tank need?
It depends on how complicated the tank is. Automated washers with software, sensors, and pumps typically add about 50% of their purchase price in maintenance over 10 years: a $60,000 washer with $3,000 a year in maintenance costs $90,000. ACE has only a handful of moving parts and no electronics, so ongoing maintenance cost is virtually zero. Agile Manufacturing, a service bureau with high SLA throughput, has run one for five years problem-free.
Is a pneumatic SLA wash tank safer with IPA?
A pneumatic tank has no motors, relays, or circuit boards that could act as an ignition source near flammable solvent vapors. ACE is CE certified, and its closed clam-shell lid also reduces solvent evaporation and fumes.
It’s just a box. And that’s a good thing.
The best equipment does its job and stays out of your way. ACE doesn’t need a power drop, a software update, or a service contract. It needs solvent, air, and your parts.
If your SLA post-processing budget is going to service plans, proprietary chemistry, and downtime, it’s time to go back to simple.
Get an ACE quote · Talk to our SLA team
