Vapour smoothing adds finishing touch to 3D printed parts

Vapour smoothing, or vapour polishing, involves a heat and chemical treatment that smooths out minute cracks and blemishes in the surface of 3D printed parts.

Following production of the parts using selective laser sintering (SLS) or multi jet fusion (MJF), Protolabs transfers the parts into a smoothing chamber which heats them and introduces a finishing agent. This agent then evaporates, with the vapour spreading across all surfaces of the part, melting and redistributing surface material to even out microscopic peaks and troughs, seal tiny cavities, and leave a polished, sleek finish.

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“Whilst 3D printing allows an engineer to design and produce complex parts and is ideal for low production runs when compared to injection moulding, the surface finish of the latter is far smoother,” said Andrea Landoni, Protolabs EMEA’s 3D Printing product manager. “Now, using vapour smoothing, we can bridge that gap for additive manufactured parts to smooth and seal even the smallest cavities on the surface.