Automated Smoothing for Powder Bed Fusion 3D Printing

This white paper will show you how automated part smoothing and surfacing solutions from DyeMansion for a powder bed fusion 3D printer can enhance surface quality.

With the constant growth of Additive Manufacturing and its fields of application, the demands for 3D printed parts are also increasing. Today market-ready products manufactured with Powder Bed Fusion technologies such Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) must meet not only aesthetic but also functional requirements. These requirements can vary depending on the product, industry and application.

Powder Bed Fusion 3D Printing

Since Powder Bed Fusion 3D printers such as the Stratasys H350 work layer by layer the outcome are parts with rather rough surfaces compared to conventional manufacturing methods. In addition, the untreated surface is predisposed to dirt. The right post-processing helps to change these part properties. While, for example, tumbling as an abrasive method for 3D printed parts is usually counterproductive because material is removed, there are now real alternatives that are compatible with almost any geometry and do not add changes to it. Especially with 3D printed parts that are to be coloured, a previous homogenization of the surface is necessary as this is the only way to guarantee consistent results.

This paper shows how current surfacing solutions for 3D-printed parts can enhance surface quality. As a leading supplier of industrial post-processing systems, DyeMansion offers two different proprietary processes that differentiate between mechanical and chemical solutions. Based on concrete tests of different 3D printing materials (PA12 & TPU) the advantages, differences and limitations of the two surfacing processes. Download the white paper to learn more.