TAGS: 3D Printing Part Design & Manufacturing
With vapor smoothing, 3D printed parts attain a surface finish that could otherwise only be achieved through injection molding.
The defining characteristic of modern production is the constant further development of its capabilities and capacities. For example, state-of-the-art processes and materials in additive manufacturing are continuously opening up new and previously untapped sectors and branches of industry.
At the same time, the differences between additive manufacturing and injection molding, for instance, are hard to ignore. While additive manufacturing excels in the extensive freedom it allows for product design, in particular, and is therefore especially suited to one-off or low volume production, injection molding is known above all for its advantages in the production of high volumes. However, in the past another key difference between these two processes was the surface quality, which was considerably better with injection molding than with 3D printed parts, due to the nature of the process.
Printed parts without subsequent post-processing produced via powder bed fusion technologies typically have a rougher surface, for example, and tiny gaps within it. In various industries, wherever parts come into contact with fluids or where easier and thorough cleaning may be a decisive quality feature, the possible applications of additive manufacturing and injection molding have so far diverged.
Vapor Smoothing Builds Bridges Between Additive Manufacturing and Injection Molding
In order to exploit the advantages of additive manufacturing while achieving the surface quality of injection molding, companies are relying on the vapor smoothing process. Using this technique, 3D printed parts that may have been produced using selective laser sintering and multi jet fusion, or even fused filament fabrication, are vapor smoothed and refined.
To put it simply, during the automated process, surfaces that may be rough due to the AM process are smoothed and sealed in a smoothing chamber, which can hold several components at one time. 3D printed parts made of thermoplastics and elastomers are heated first. Next, solvent is added which, through evaporation, smooths surfaces and seals even the tiniest cavities in the component's structure.
Not only does vapor smoothing enhance the part’s surface, it also improves the mechanical performance with a higher elongation at break for instance. In addition, it also seals the surface – making cleaning, dyeing and coating easy.
What's more?
The part smoothing process has no negative impact whatsoever on the parts' properties. To give some examples of use, the improved tightness attained by the vapor smoothing method gives components important properties that make them suitable for use in automotive applications, such as:
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Tanks,
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Fluid-bearing pipes and ducts,
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valve covers and oil sumps.
In addition to these possible uses in the automotive sector, parts given dirt and water repellency as well as bacteria protection thanks to vapor smoothing are also ideal for the medical sector and numerous other industrial applications where ease of cleaning of plastic parts is a major concern.
Consequently, vapor smoothing indeed takes the surface quality of 3D printed parts to the next level. The process opens up additional opportunities for 3D printing, creating advantages that were otherwise known only in the world of injection molding.
Take a deep-dive into vapor smoothing and discover real-life use cases as well as more about the economical aspects – watch the on-demand webinar of the experts at Protolabs and BASF Forward AM
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