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The polishing process not only softens the surface of the object, the fumes also penetrate into the body of the object. Depending on the period of exposure, you will need to ‘air’ the object for a period of time that is commensurate with the time that the object was exposed to acetone vapour. Finally – you need to have somewhere totally dust-free to place the polished object while the surface hardens. If you don’t, any dust that falls onto the surface will become embedded in it. Permanently. Polishing You will walk away, forget it, only to return later to find that amazing print that you were once so proud of has now turned into a hideous misshapen lump of plastic, or at worst some kind of acetone ABS mess. Water seems to be a perfect medium for this purpouse. It can hold temperature from 56 to 100°C/133 to 212F quite a long time.
Other filaments are simply unaffected by acetone or are prone to get damaged by it. If you are working with PLA, then head on over to our detailed guide on how to finish or paint your PLA print. How does an acetone vapor bath work? The hole in the center at the bottom is supposed to be round, and the lower edges are all supposed to be straight. This is definitely our preferred method when we’re asked how to finish 3D prints – there’s just no better way to easily smooth ABS prints. Safety WarningDepending on the size and complexity of your print, the whole process of removal of acetone can take several hours to a few days. Just be patient – all the hard work is over, and you only need to wait. Important tips The ambient temperature affects the speed of the process – you are evaporating a volatile liquid after all. Polishing materials: ABS, ASA, PMMA, HIPS, and Polycarbonate are some of the common thermoplastics that can be polished using acetone in a kitchen oven at different temperatures and durations. We want to melt the surface of the object just enough that the surface tension of the molten plastic smooths out any surface inconsistencies and then halt the process at that point before any structural damage occurs. Remove the object from your dust-free chamber without touching it, and put it somewhere that has good ventilation to allow the acetone to further leach out of the object. The object at this point has little to no structural integrity so be careful how you do this.
Be careful that you do not spill any liquid onto surfaces that might be damaged by acetone – most common household plastics are susceptible to some kind of damage from liquid acetone Stuff the paper towel on the bottom of the drinking glass, ensuring a snug fit, so it does not fall off when you turn the glass over. Pour the acetone into the paper towel, just enough so that the paper towel is completely wet but not soaking. Turn the drinking glass over the plastic tray, completely enveloping the print atop the metal platform. This is the most important thing to keep in mind once the acetone vapor bath has started: you need to stop the bath when you think that the smoothing process is about halfway done. Even when you remove the print from the container, the residual acetone that remains on the surface of the print will continue to melt away the ABS. Wiping it off is not an option, as you are bound to make marks on the print’s surface. The smoothing process will only stop once all the acetone in the print’s surface has vaporized away. Acetone vapor baths are one of the most popular and reliable ways to get a smooth finish in 3D prints. What is the principle behind this process? How is it done? Read on for our comprehensive guide on acetone vapor baths. What filament materials can be smoothed using an acetone vapor bath? Acetone smoothing: A safe and easy method of 3D print finishing for smoothing out surface inconsistencies without causing structural damage.
Final thoughts
To hold the kitchen roll sheets in position, place your metal support (plinth) onto them. Make sure that you arrange the kitchen roll in such a way that when it gets wet with liquid acetone it cannot fall down onto your printed objects, as that will destroy any chances of achieving an acceptable finish. Once you are satisfied that the polishing is almost complete, carefully remove the object to a totally dust-free environment that has good ventilation. This stops most of the ever-present dust particles that are suspended in the air from falling onto the semi-molten surface of the object. Acetone bath is a great way to make your 3D-printed models look awesome. However, since we are dealing with acetone vapours the whole process is quite dangerous to perform. Finishing your 3D print to get a smooth finish takes it from good to great. Learning how to finish your prints is a useful addition to your set of skills, especially if you’re aiming to use your 3D printing abilities professionally. Usually, this takes a few days. However, in some cases, the full mechanical strength of the object may not be realized until a significant time has passed – for high-density objects, this can take weeks, or even longer!
Find somewhere to work that has surfaces and materials that will not be damaged by acetone or the fumes. Acetone is a superbly-powerful solvent – you don’t want it dissolving things that you’d rather keep. It is a low-density liquid that has very little surface tension, so it splashes and ‘wets’ surfaces very easily. Depending on the solidity and size of the object, the process of removing the acetone can take from a few hours to many weeks before the full strength of the object has been regained. To recap, the filaments that can be polished using this process are:ABS,ASA, PMMA,HIPSandPolycarbonate. Smoothing ABS prints using an acetone vapor bath is a relatively easy method because it’s mostly passive, but you will be handling somewhat hazardous chemicals. Don’t be complacent, and always practice proper safety precautions. 1. Do it in a well-ventilated area This procedure assumes that you are working with a print that is small enough to fit into a drinking glass. Should your print be bigger, then you are going to need a bigger, acetone-proof container. Glass is recommended so you can keep an eye on your print as the vapor bath proceeds. In any case, you only need to scale up the whole process for larger prints.Not only do the finished parts look better, they now have a higher resistance to water ingress, and they can often be stronger than their non-polished earlier selves once fully hardened. There is ALWAYS a trade-off between the required surface finish and the loss of fine details. Only you can decide what is acceptable.
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