So ive seen a few different articles on acetone vapor smooth, with varying results. ive sort of perfected a method, and i would like to share it with everyone.

So for those that dont know, acetone is a solvent that can dissolve abs plastic, by heating up the acetone in a controlled manner you can evenly distribute it across the surface of a part, then the acetone dissolves the outer layer of plastic and smooths out all of the bumps. basically it makes your parts look like they are injection molded. I have smoothed 0.1mm layer heights all the way up to 0.85mm layer heights to a smooth mirror like finish.

So how do you do it?

First you need a heated bed, and a well ventilated area, the vapors are comparable to printing abs i guess, that can get up to about 100c. a hotplate will do as well, but its more difficult to control the temperature.
DO NOT USE A STOVE! I saw someone on youtube using a stove, and acetone is extremely flamable, as soon as the vapor falls over the edge of the pot it will start a huge fire, dont do it.

second you need a jar or some sort of container that acetone and heat cant affect. the jar works well because its clear and it has a lid.

you also need a cover for the top of the container, and you want to make sure it is NOT air tight, we dont want to make any bombs.

you are going to need some acetone, i wouldnt bother with the "nail polish remover" that shit is weak, and it will take forever to smooth your piece, also i think it has water in it, and the steam could leave bubbles on the part.

the last thing you need is some sort of rack that you can put the piece on and remove it. i use a coat hanger, and bend it into a circle, with a handle that goes straight up. i have some extra kapton sheet that ive stapled over it, but if you can get a flat piece of aluminum to put on the ring of the coat hanger, that would work best, and you could just get it from a coke can. then you can just staple it to the coat hanger ring.

Procedure:
Heat up your bed to about 100C, put on your jar and add in some acetone, you want to make sure the acetone doesnt come up over the coat hanger rack platform; otherwise you will melt the bottom of the piece into goop...

now if you have a jar you should wait to put your piece in until you see the acetone condensing to a level above the height of your piece. if you are using like a big can or something, you might want to use a piece of glass for a lid so you can see inside.

Now at this point the acetone may be boiling, if it is, reduce the bed temperature, as this causes pitting. on the other hand if the acetone hasnt come up high enough yet, then you should either increase the temp, wait a little longer, or check to see if you need more acetone.

Once you are satisfied with the acetone height, put your piece on the rack and slowly lower it in, then put the lid on the container. if you have done everything right, the whole piece should be really shiny, and after a little while the layers of the straight walls will start to melt together, creating a mirror like gloss. the smaller slopes will take longer to smooth out. you need to be careful with which pieces you put in, the pieces should have at least 3 shells, and 3 solid layers, also there shouldnt be any hole exposing the inner structure. if the acetone gets in, the infill could get melty, and you dont want that. other than that smooth to taste! enjoy.

I will attach a few before and after pictures. in a bit, i just need to get them from my phone

heres one that i printed with my 1.2mm nozzle. and one i printed with my .35mm nozzle.




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2013 12:25AM by aduy.

There are already a number of videos on youtube with this procedure.

cool ! ><

i suppose this is the 1

http://youtu.be/bcXLJRIKGuQ

hmmm btw i googled and acetone boiling pt is only 56degree C, so prolly a boiler @ 100degree is quite high ?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2013 04:32AM by redreprap.

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__my mixed bag blog || aka --> [http] || ___ so 3D printing is everywhere ... dont worry, hospitals can now 3Dprint body parts, they will charge you $1million excluding surgical fees ... you will die paying your debts. thats their aim ___ if every patent expires tomorrow, everybody will surely get a 3dprinter and make EVERYTHING ! ____ there is a "DIY-DTG" t shirt printing forum, you can mod an EPSON printer to PRINT like a pro. ___ CNCzone? overly commercialized it seems ___ my country? they will be taxing you for every cm of road you use and track you to your grave using GPS and its government authorized, now they will fire all the traffic wardens instead.___ EEVBLOG? there is only 1 way to do things --> take it apart like a pro

I've seen several others but not that one.

ive always been a fan of PLA ... but this really changes alot of things lol

its weally sooo shineeeee !!!


waitaki Wrote:
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> I've seen several others but not that one.

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______________________________________
__my mixed bag blog || aka --> [http] || ___ so 3D printing is everywhere ... dont worry, hospitals can now 3Dprint body parts, they will charge you $1million excluding surgical fees ... you will die paying your debts. thats their aim ___ if every patent expires tomorrow, everybody will surely get a 3dprinter and make EVERYTHING ! ____ there is a "DIY-DTG" t shirt printing forum, you can mod an EPSON printer to PRINT like a pro. ___ CNCzone? overly commercialized it seems ___ my country? they will be taxing you for every cm of road you use and track you to your grave using GPS and its government authorized, now they will fire all the traffic wardens instead.___ EEVBLOG? there is only 1 way to do things --> take it apart like a pro

yeah, basically because the thermistor is so far away from the acetone, which is like a half inch or so of glass and some air, the acetone gets to about 56 degrees when the bed is around 100. ABS 1, pla 0. also abs is more springy and less brittle which is better for parts, at least i think.

i wonder, is there a similar chemical to do this for PLA?

ok nvm, tried googling, some results are carcinogenic !!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/2013 05:53AM by redreprap.

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__my mixed bag blog || aka --> [http] || ___ so 3D printing is everywhere ... dont worry, hospitals can now 3Dprint body parts, they will charge you $1million excluding surgical fees ... you will die paying your debts. thats their aim ___ if every patent expires tomorrow, everybody will surely get a 3dprinter and make EVERYTHING ! ____ there is a "DIY-DTG" t shirt printing forum, you can mod an EPSON printer to PRINT like a pro. ___ CNCzone? overly commercialized it seems ___ my country? they will be taxing you for every cm of road you use and track you to your grave using GPS and its government authorized, now they will fire all the traffic wardens instead.___ EEVBLOG? there is only 1 way to do things --> take it apart like a pro