10 Finishing Technique Advices: a Glimpse of our Third Meetup 3D Printing Paris

Posted By Sculpteo on May 18, 2012 | 0 comments

Thanks for coming up to our third meetup in Paris. We had a great time!

Benjamin Renaud and Oliver Tate, co-founders of the model making studio Work and Progress, gave an excellent talk about finishing technique for 3D printed pieces.

For those of you who couldn’t come, here are some of the advices they shared with us:

#1: Wear safety gloves and mask before to start.

#2: Before to apply the finishing, you always need to sand your 3D printed piece. For the most precise pieces that are already very well printed: sanding one layer (can be as thin as 28μ) is usually enough to polish the object.

#3: Depending of the 3D printing material you chose, the surface will not react the same to the finishing. ABS or resins are less good to fix a painting finish. Polyamide, composite materials or alumide give the best results.

#4: Primer coating is necessary before to apply anything. It polishes the object by filling small holes and defaults. It gives a better grip to the painting as well.

#5: It is advisable to use the same brand for primer and final coating. It will ensure compatibility between finishing products.

#6: Aerosol or spray are better than brush to apply the painting. You will avoid to leave trace. Think about protecting your room when you do it.

#7: Use acrylic painting to be sure it won’t damage your object.

#8: Always follow drying time indications. Otherwise, you would have to start everything again from scratch.

#9: You will need to apply at least 2 coats of painting to get good results.

#10: Matt painting is better to hide little painting defects but your object will get dirty faster than with glossy painting.

Thanks a lot to La Mutinerie for hosting the meetup in their very cool co-working space!