Argon vs Nitrogen in the Shining 3D FabCure N2: Choosing the Accessible, Reliable Option
- Stuart Anderton
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Shining 3D FabCure N2 curing unit is engineered to work with nitrogen, creating an oxygen-reduced environment during resin post-curing. This allows printed parts to achieve a fully hardened surface, free from the tacky layer that appears when resin reacts with air.
In reality, argon is often the more practical gas for dental labs and even some clinics.
Why Argon Makes Sense in the Lab
If your lab already runs a laser welder or TIG (dental phaser) welder, you’ll already have argon on site. It’s the standard shielding gas used in welding, and it performs the same essential job in the curing unit: displacing oxygen so that resin can polymerise completely.
Nitrogen was originally chosen for the FabCure N2 curing unit because it’s non-toxic, non-flammable, and cheap to source for medical use. However, argon, a noble gas that’s completely inert and heavier than air, forms a stable, oxygen-free layer over your prints during curing, giving equally good or even better results in practice.
Why You Can’t Just Pick Up Nitrogen
Although nitrogen makes up about 78 per cent of Earth’s atmosphere, you can’t simply pick up a cylinder from Bunnings, Total Tools, or Sydney Tools. It’s only available through specialist gas suppliers.
Argon, however, is widely available from major hardware chains. The system is simple: you pay once for the cylinder, then just swap and pay a refill fee when it’s empty, just like a BBQ gas bottle.
So while nitrogen is abundant in nature, argon is far easier to source commercially, making it the obvious and convenient substitute for most labs.
What the Gas Is Actually Doing
During post-curing, the goal is to keep oxygen away from the outer surface of the part. Oxygen interferes with polymerisation, leaving a thin, tacky layer even after long exposure to UV light.
Some users coat parts with glycerin, glycerol, or detergent before curing to block oxygen, but that adds unnecessary cleaning steps. Flooding the chamber with argon achieves the same result instantly, with no mess.
Clinic vs Lab Accessibility
In a clinical setting, you can easily add nitrogen to your existing O2 and N2O gas orders.
In a lab, it’s simpler to use argon, especially if it’s already connected to a welding system. If not, just pick up a cylinder from your local hardware store, choosing the largest bottle that’s safe for one person to get in and out of the car and to and from the store.
In the End
The FabCure N2 curing unit isn’t concerned with chemistry; it’s concerned with oxygen exclusion. Whether you use nitrogen or argon, the result is the same: a smooth, fully cured, and glossy surface finish.
Use what’s available, keep it simple, and let your resin cure in peace, dry, hard, and free from oxygen interference.
To learn more or check out the FabCure N2 and our full Scan. Design. Manufacture. workflow, click HERE.
To attend our Scan. Design. Manufacture. hands-on workshops, click HERE.
Each session offers 8 CE credits and is packed with practical information, skills, and the tools you need to manufacture restorations and appliances accurately, affordably, and reliably.
