Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
skimp on the earlier papers, to their detri-
ment: these coarser grits are capable of strip-
ping away the peaks of the layer lines. Go too
fine too fast and you'll just round over the
peaks
without
flattening
them
(see
Figure 13-20
).
Figure 13-19.
Dremel sanding and polishing kit
Figure 13-18.
Sanding 3D prints
Still, well-sanded 3D-printed projects seem
few and far between, for two good reasons.
First, ABS and PLA are softer than the wood
we're used to sanding. Second, the tricky
horizontal “grain” created by 3D printing re-
flects light differently than sanded surfaces
or the glossy heated base (in ABS printing),
and this grain cannot be tooled back into the
surface easily—encouraging an all-or-
nothing approach to sanding the object.
Figure 13-20.
Rounding over the peaks
After you've sanded a surface to your satis-
faction, you can use a heat gun to gently
warm the surface (
Figure 13-21
) until it melts
slightly, which will erase many of the smaller
scratches and restore the original printed
color. Practice on scrap until you get the feel
of it.
You can also can use the Novus plastic pol-
ishing system to get a remarkably smooth,
polished surface on ABS prints, but most 3D
The basic rule of thumb is to sand 3D-printed
pieces like you'd sand a gummy hardwood.
Focus on “sanding” and don't rush toward
“sanded”: start with 100- or 150-grit papers
or Dremel wheels (
Figure 13-19
), then 220,
then 320 fine, then 500 super fine, and then
tackle the micron-grade grits to eliminate
sanding marks. Many 3D makers tend to
