i.materialise very recently introduced an upgraded finish for white polyamide 3D printed parts — full polishing, which, according to the company, takes printed designs to a higher level. This superior finish is being offered free of charge until the 21st March.
The polished polyamide finish results in parts that feel completely smooth in your hands and aesthetically it removes all visible signs of layers, one of the side effects of 3D printing. Polishing, also referred to as mechanical smoothing, is a special finishing process for polyamide that involves placing the 3D printed model into a tumbler with small stones and vibrated at a high frequency to achieve the desired effect.
Along with the news of the offer, Materialise also provides designers with guidelines to maximize the process: specifically, parts to be finished in this way need overall wall thicknesses of at least 1 mm. And it is recommended that any ‘weak points’ are supported with extra wall thickness. Indeed, product designer, Bert, at Materialise has been working on this area and has created a complete design guide to help with the design process for polished polyamide parts.
As stated, this polishing process is available until the 21st March free of charge, after which the cost for each polished model will be €2.60 extra.
Source: i.materialise
