How to get the best finishes after 3d printing an object

[storm4077]

Hi,

Im a product design student who recently bought a cube 2nd gen. It works great. Only problem is that I dont know how to finish my 3d product in a professional manner.

I mean this in the sense of
1. best way to get rid of a raft
2. best way to get rid of supports
3. how to make the model smooth after a print
4. how i should prepare my model before spray painting

I have access to a workshop at uni and have sandpaper, sanding machines, dremols, spray booth, saws etc.

Could you please help me out and tell me what works best for you in terms of getting a clean result.

Much appreciated,

Thanks

[jimc]

for the painting aspect of it you want to sand as much of the layer marks out as you can. 180-220 girt will work. you need to prime the parts with a good primer/surfacer. this will build up on the surface so you can come back with 400 grit and sand it all smooth. there should be no evidence of any layer marks at this point. a perfectly smooth 400-600 grit finish is what your looking for. now its ready to paint however you want. automotive paint materials will always work better and faster than anything else. if it comes in a rattle can or doesnt require catalyst its pretty much junk. not saying that it wont work but if you want professional results you need to use professional products.

[richardphat]

My thought of Cube 2 was able to print ABS?

In that case minimum sanding where the supports are spotted, then you throw in a vapor chamber of acetone.
The polish is smooth and shiny. But then it is up to you if you want to deal with acetone that smell strong.

[Geoff]

Check this finisher out... looks pretty slick (I have not tried it yet but am inclined to give it a go)

http://www.reynoldsam.com/product/xt...campaign=XTC3D

[jimc]

We have a thread going on that stuff geoff on another forum. Some guys have tried it. Its made by smooth-on. It is basically just a clear brush on epoxy. Its not some special wonder coating that makes you part look like a sheet of glass or anything like that. It takes multiple coats to fill layer marks then to get the glassy smooth look you sand it and put on another coat. I know you paint all your parts so you would be far better off putting on a few heavy coats of primer, sanding that then painting your usual way. Primer will always sand and build up way better than epoxy

[Marm]

I've been getting good results with 5m Quik-Cure Epoxy from Hobby Town. Mix it quick, brush it on, not too much but thick enough it covers all the areas i want, and let it smooth itself out, but not let it run. Creates a hard, glossy, smooth finish on the parts, and reinforces them. If it starts to set before you're down applying, make a new batch, the clumpy stuff just doesn't spread well.

[joealarson]

Hi,

Im a product design student who recently bought a cube 2nd gen. It works great. Only problem is that I dont know how to finish my 3d product in a professional manner.

I mean this in the sense of
1. best way to get rid of a raft
2. best way to get rid of supports
3. how to make the model smooth after a print
4. how i should prepare my model before spray painting

I have access to a workshop at uni and have sandpaper, sanding machines, dremols, spray booth, saws etc.

Could you please help me out and tell me what works best for you in terms of getting a clean result.

Much appreciated,

Thanks

1. Needle nosed pliers.
2. Needle nosed pliers.
3. Lots of ways. I use mostly ABS so I can use acetone vaporized in a steamer pot to smooth my prints. I hear for PLA (what you're using) there's a stuff called M.E.K. substitute that works the same way, though I haven't tried it myself. Besides that there's sanding and heat guns, there's some brush on epoxy, though I don't know what that does to small details or your tolerances.
4. With paints? I don't know. Abs likes spray paint just fine but I don't know about PLA.

[Geoff]

We have a thread going on that stuff geoff on another forum. Some guys have tried it. Its made by smooth-on. It is basically just a clear brush on epoxy. Its not some special wonder coating that makes you part look like a sheet of glass or anything like that. It takes multiple coats to fill layer marks then to get the glassy smooth look you sand it and put on another coat. I know you paint all your parts so you would be far better off putting on a few heavy coats of primer, sanding that then painting your usual way. Primer will always sand and build up way better than epoxy

Cheers, yeah it actually did look a little thick for what I wanted - light matte primer actually doesn't do too bad a job at filling in the lines. Just a few light coats generally does it for me, I think i'm over sanding parts... got really complacent and stopped wearing a mask when sanding... not good.

[RaySuave]

3. Lots of ways. I use mostly ABS so I can use acetone vaporized in a steamer pot to smooth my prints. I hear for PLA (what you're using) there's a stuff called M.E.K. substitute that works the same way, though I haven't tried it myself. Besides that there's sanding and heat guns, there's some brush on epoxy, though I don't know what that does to small details or your tolerances.

I was looking for pointers on this specific question to help with mating multiple printing parts. Thanks for the tip on MEK Substitute, will try to grab some at home depot to test out.

[bmminc]

If it is a one time thing or just a one time production I don't think you will find any better way then old school, just get some different grain sandpaper, some tweezers, and an air hose!