How To Polish Pla Surface with Using Chemical Matter(sanding is not possible) | 3D Printing | Page 1

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:23 PM

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I printed an Eiffel Tower, but it seems ridiculous to sand it because there are too many surfaces. I applied the steam bath with acetone on the ABS filament to the PLA filament, but it did not work. Is there a chemical that can melt the surface of PLA filament? Otherwise, what path can I follow? Thanks.

vivid lilyBOT Jan 1, 2024, 4:23 PM

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true bronze I printed an Eiffel Tower, but it seems ridiculous to sand it because there are ...

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AI Help

Sanding can be time-consuming for objects with complex surfaces like the Eiffel Tower. Instead of using acetone steam bath, which is effective for smoothing ABS filament, there is no chemical that directly melts PLA filament surfaces. However, there is another method you can try to achieve a smoother finish on your PLA print.

One option is to use a process called "vapor smoothing" using a solvent like tetrahydrofuran (THF). Please note that THF is a highly flammable and hazardous chemical, so be sure to work in a well-ventilated area and take necessary safety precautions.

To vapor smooth PLA, place your print in a sealed container with a small amount of THF, ensuring that the vapor does not come into direct contact with the print. Leave it for a short period (10-15 minutes) while monitoring the process. The fumes from THF will help soften the surface of the PLA, resulting in a smoother finish.

Remember, safety is paramount, and it's essential to follow proper guidelines and pre...

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:24 PM

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Vapor smoothing PLA is a bit harder and the chemicals are less common. Vapor smoothing is best done with Acetone and ABS plastic.

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Just be careful with the fumes regardless

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:26 PM

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Does acetone melt the PLA surface?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:26 PM

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Acetone is significantly less effective on PLA from what I've seen

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But there are chemicals like the one the bot mentioned that can work

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Just be weary of harsh chemical fumes in a home

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Always move vapor smoothing boxes outside when you go to open them

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Just to be safe

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:28 PM

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What is vapor?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:28 PM

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Vapor is the gas that is released from the liquid chemicals

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Fumes

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You suspend the prints in a close container over a layer of chemicals that releases vapors into the air

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They break down the surface of the plastic which smooths the layer lines

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You're literally melting the surface together

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So you need to be controlled, do some test prints. Because you're physically melting the plastic. Too short won't give desired results and too long can make it very blobby and get rid of detail

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:31 PM

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I think acetone melts some color plates but has no effect on others.

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:31 PM

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Color shouldn't have much affect

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I'm assuming you meant to say PLA, not plates

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:31 PM

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can share links ?

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im can share links*

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:32 PM

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tepid linden I'm assuming you meant to say PLA, not plates

Yes, sorry, I am using translation, I forgot to correct it.

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:33 PM

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I don't have any specific links to share, a couple google searches might give you some answers. Vapor smoothing PLA is pretty uncommon and not very documented. 99% of people just use ABS for vapor smoothing since Acetone is safer and readily available

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Though ABS is still harder to print

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:34 PM

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I think I need a closed case printer to print ABS.

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:34 PM

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That or an enclosure

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:34 PM

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Can you talk about the difficulties of printing ABS?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:34 PM

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Warping is the main concern

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It needs high temps and a controlled environment to not warp

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Warping being when it bends due to uneven cooling and cooling too quickly

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So it needs an enclosure

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:35 PM

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So ABS does not like temperature changes.

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:35 PM

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Yeah, it needs a closed space to keep it warm so it doesn't cool too much

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If it cools it bends

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:36 PM

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Does the temperature change after the printing is finished have any effect?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:37 PM

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No, it's when it has an uneven cooling caused by new stuff being hot and old stuff being cold

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If it all cools together then it's fine

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A cardboard box over your printer is enough to print ABS funnily enough

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:37 PM

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I understand

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nice 😄

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:37 PM

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Just anything that can withstand a little heat and hold in the temperature

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Just it's safest to get a dedicated enclosure because they're made to be fire proof just in case

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Also make sure your printer has an all-metal hot-end so it doesn't melt the PTFE tubing

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What printer do you have?

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:38 PM

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I have received rumors that it is poisonous. Would it be a problem to sleep in the same room or breathe that air?

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:39 PM

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tepid linden What printer do you have?

bend ends 5 plus and ends 3 s1 plus var

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ender 5 plus ve ender 3 s1 plus

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:40 PM

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true bronze I have received rumors that it is poisonous. Would it be a problem to sleep in t...

Yeah, don't print ABS in the room you're in regularly. The fumes are slightly toxic and long term exposure is dangerous. when you finish a print and open your enclosure you should open your windows and fully ventilate the room

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:40 PM

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How much trouble will 1 or 2 hours of printing cause?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:41 PM

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true bronze bend ends 5 plus and ends 3 s1 plus var

So neither of those have an all-metal hotend so you might want to buy a conversion kit for them

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:41 PM

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true bronze How much trouble will 1 or 2 hours of printing cause?

Just always treat any amount as a dangerous amount to be safe

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Printing is often passed off as "ah it's just bad smells" but even PLA and PETG fumes can be slightly toxic

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:42 PM

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tepid linden So neither of those have an all-metal hotend so you might want to buy a conversi...

Did you mean extruder or hotend nozzle part?

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:43 PM

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tepid linden Printing is often passed off as "ah it's just bad smells" but even PLA and PETG ...

It's good to be careful

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:43 PM

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The hotend has a PTFE tubing in it to reduce friction, that tubing can break down and melt over time at high temps

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Usually anything in excess of 260C for long periods of time

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So an all-metal hotend is a good idea to be safe

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If that tubing melts you may have to replace it or your entire hotend

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:45 PM

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yes I need an all metal hotend

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Should ABS filament be printed at at least 260 degrees?

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Porima brand ABS says 220-260 degrees

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:48 PM

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https://help.prusa3d.com/article/abs_2058

ABS | Prusa Knowledge Base

Basic info
ABS is a technical material suitable for printing mechanically stressed parts, thanks to its high tenacity and temperature resistance. Its surface can be smoothed with acetone. The main disadvantage is significant warping and toxic

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260 is the upper end for ABS, so you can print it with a PTFE hotend but you'd need to keep your temps way lower to prevent heat creep

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Cause keep in mind that the fan isn't gonna be blowing cool air onto your hotend, it's gonne be circulating air from a box that's upwards of 100C

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Literally hot enough to boil water

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:50 PM

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Will the nozzle cooling fan on my machine not work?

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I understand

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:51 PM

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It will. ABS doesn't really like cooling anyways so you won't be using it much

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:51 PM

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I understand

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:51 PM

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ABS likes heat, slower speeds, and hates cooling

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:52 PM

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This is pretty much a different way of heating the house

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:55 PM

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You can also just buy capricorn tubing for your hotend

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It's way more heat resistant than normal PTFE

rotund bolt Jan 1, 2024, 4:56 PM

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Acteone vapor shower works but its very inefficent on pla abs works better in that case

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:57 PM

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Polymaker decided that they wanted to try making smoothable PLA and made PolySmooth

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Which is smoothable with Isopropyl Alcohol

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But it requires an atomizer to spray it rather than just vapor

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:57 PM

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I don't know what a capricorn is

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:57 PM

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One second

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https://www.amazon.com/Creality-Capricorn-Filament-Pneumatic-Fittings/dp/B086YPDHMF/ref=sr_1_3?hvadid=651141898279&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9011770&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16139161878856288157&hvtargid=kwd-416621477491&hydadcr=952_1015116270&keywords=capricorn%2Btubing&qid=1704128281&sr=8-3&th=1

Capricorn Bowden PTFE Tubing 1M XS Series 1.75MM Filament with 2X P...

Capricorn Bowden PTFE Tubing 1M XS Series 1.75MM Filament with 2X PC4-M6 & 2X PC4-M10 Pneumatic Fittings & Tube Cutter for Creality Ender 3 V2/ Ender 3/ Ender 3 Pro/Ender 5/ CR-10/10S 3D Printer

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:58 PM

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rotund bolt Acteone vapor shower works but its very inefficent on pla abs works better in th...

thanks

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 4:58 PM

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It's a type of PTFE tubing that has less friction, a tighter inner diameter, and is more heat resistant

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So it helps with the typical short-comings of a bowden extruder

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 4:59 PM

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tepid linden It's a type of PTFE tubing that has less friction, a tighter inner diameter, and...

I understand

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Thank you

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 5:00 PM

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No problem. I'm planning on buying some myself to improve my Ender 3 V2

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 5:01 PM

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Yes, it looks like I will need it too.

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 5:01 PM

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The kit also includes a lot of it so you can use it for things like dry-boxes if you wish

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 5:02 PM

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I will think

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polysmooth filament is very expensive in my country 😦

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37 dollars 1000 TRY

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 5:07 PM

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Yeah I wasn't suggesting it

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Just mentioning it

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It's stupid expensive and the machine to actually be able to smooth it is like $150

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 5:08 PM

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yes yes i think so

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 5:09 PM

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Well glad I could help you out. Key points of ABS are a controlled enclosure to let it stay warm and making sure you ventilate well when your print is finished. Open that enclosure and leave the room immediately. Should run a fan pointing out the window to blow out all the fumes

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 5:10 PM

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I understand, thank you for informing me

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You seem to be quite knowledgeable. If I have a problem, would you mind if I wrote to you privately?

tepid linden Jan 1, 2024, 5:16 PM

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I will tell you I only have a surface-level knowledge of this stuff. I'm pretty much just saying the things a basic help-guide would. You'd likely get better luck asking more detailed questions to somebody with hands-on experience

true bronze Jan 1, 2024, 5:16 PM

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well thank you

#How To Polish Pla Surface with Using Chemical Matter(sanding is not possible)