How to treat the surface after PLA 3D Printing

Minh Thu
Chuyển Giao Công Nghệ
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The 3D printing process usually only accounts for 70% of the production and prototyping stages. It is the post-production process that requires time and effort from users to achieve the desired appearance for the product. 3DShop Vietnam would like to guide how to treat the surface after PLA 3D printing to achieve the best 3D printing quality.

Remove support structure

Support structure is almost indispensable in FDM 3D printing, especially for 3D printing objects with complex shapes. The processing of treating support structure can be pre-calculated to improve the printing surface quality.

There are two types of support resins : soluble and insoluble.

Soluble

Some material can dissolve in water or solvent. PVA plastic often used as a support material for PLA 3D printing products. It can decay in water.

Insoluble

Insoluble support resins are common 3D printing plastic materials (PLA, ABS, …), or used with single-nozzle 3D printers. These supports must be removed either manually, by hand or with cutting pliers.

Sanding

Sanding is one of the most popular 3D printing post-processing methods which was applied to all FDM 3D printing materials at a very low cost. However, users should wear protective gear (face mask), as sanding can release very small dust particles that can be harmful if inhaled.

Coating

Coating is overlaying a 3D printed object with a base coat before overlaying the desired color. Before painting, 3D printed objects should be pre-brushed to remove 3D printing lines.

When the model has dried out, the water color can be painted up with a brush or spray.

Glueing

Some small 3D printed parts can be glued together to form a single product. This method is applied to big 3D printing objects. Because the 3D printer’s print size is limited.