Sanding is one of the simplest ways to ensure a quality finish for your 3D part. However, always consider the material used. PLA and ABS are materials that welcome the action of sandpaper. Harder materials such as polycarbonates and PMMA should not be sanded. With Printer 3D this is essential now.

• To sand an ABS or PLA part, patience is required. In PLA parts, for example, it is not recommended to apply too much force and speed. This is because the material melts at relatively low temperatures and the use of excessive force can make the part sticky.

Choose sandpaper of different grades, from the finest to the most abrasive. Initially choose thicker sandpaper and then move to thinner sandpaper. Sand the workpiece in a circular motion without applying too much pressure. Harder materials, such as ABS, can be finished when wet with waterproof sandpaper. This removes imperfections without damaging the part with the heat of the friction.

Steam polishing parts

If you do not want to sand the 3D printed parts, you can polish them with solvent vapor. For this you will need to place the solvent in a container and suspend the part above the solution. The container should then be covered and the solvent should be heated. Steam acts to make the piece smoother, dissolving chips and excess.

Reinforcing: Also in the case of solvent polishing, it is important that the part be relatively robust. To create a home vaporization chamber, you can use objects such as a wide-mouth glass with a lid or a pan. The support can be made with aluminum foil. The heated table of the printer can be used to heat the solvent.

Attention: In addition to being careful about the temperature the table may reach, be aware of the toxicity of solvents. Some solvents are extremely toxic. Avoid contact of vapor with skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Never inhale these products. Also, beware of flammable solvents. Follow these tips wisely and in controlled environments.

Last month we published our experience with a 3D printer, commenting that 3D printing is amazing, but not easy at the moment. Now a day we are getting better and better in this expensive game and that has been a great trend in technology.

Printing in two colors

Printing in two colors with a 3D printer is not easy, Inventor printer vendor, which we use here, comments that it is difficult to find the point to make printing perfect. This is because when a printer works with two filaments they end up mixing in the process.

But before we knew it, we printed the Adrenaline group logo, to which the Connected World is a part, which resulted in something very badly finished although it can give a good disguise in the photos taken on Instagram.

And that’s how we found that two-color printing is poorly indicated and that most 3D artists end up printing the parts separately and then pasting the parts or doing the proper treatment. This also enables a better finish. You can sand, paint or do some other more complex work giving the desired feature to each piece. Plus, you don’t have to have the ideal color filament for the parts you’re looking to print, so this is another facility.