Hi my name is Sean with MakerBot Learning.
If youre looking for a way to smooth your prints after you remove them from the build
plate, or you're looking to paint or create a silicone mold around your parts, sanding
is a really great alternative.
So today in this video, we're going to cover some of the best practices associated with
sanding your 3D prints.
In order to use these sanding techniques to completely smooth your model, you'll need
the following supplies: 80, 120, and 240 grit sandpaper for sanding, 400, 1000, 1500 grit
sandpaper for wet sanding, handheld electric sander or sanding block, x-acto knife or putty
knife, needlenose pliers or flush cutters, a bin to hold water, a respiratory mask, eye
protection and gloves.
When printing, you can select certain print settings to minimize work later on, we printed
our model with standard settings of 0.2 mm layer height, 10% infill and 2 shells.
Once your part is free from the build plate, remove rafts and support material from the
model.
Be sure to wear eye protection.
Remove large pieces of support first, and then approach smaller pieces and fine details.
Take care around edges and seams.
Clinging the edges will ensure better alignment of components if you plan to glue them later
on.
If you plan to glue the model, be careful not to remove too much material or you'll
increase the size of your seams and will need to use filler in order to hide them after
gluing.
Now that all support material has been removed, you can begin the sanding process.
Sanding will produce small particles of filament so wear a respiratory mask.
Start with 80 grit sandpaper.
When sanding with coarse sandpaper, you're creating the surface you will later refine.
This stage of sanding should remove the most material and create a fairly uniform surface.
Clean and inspect your print under good lighting.
If you've missed any spots, sand and inspect again.
You can move to the next grit when you notice that your model surface is fairly even and
has changed from glossy to matte.
When you approach higher polishing grits, the shine will return.
Sanding curved surfaces and small features can be a challenge.
Use smaller strips of sandpaper or electric sanders with different attachments to reduce
sanding time.
In tough areas, sand both with and against the grain as well as in circular patterns.
Once you have sanded through 80, 120 and 240 grit sandpaper, we suggest wet sanding with
400-1000 grit sandpaper to achieve a completely blemish-free surface.
If you have properly wet sanded your model, it should feel almost like glass, which is
the perfect surface texture if you choose to paint your model.
Here we have an example of the same model with various stages of sanding.
You can see noticeable changes in surface quality at each grit level.
If you followed these steps, you should be left with a model completely free of layer
lines and blemishes that's ready to be painted, molded, you name it!
You just learned how to take your prints beyond the build plate.