Vapour Smoothing
Friction reduction, high chemical resistance, anti-bacterial properties, even smoother finish.
3D Printed Vapour Smoothing Service
Our vapour smoothing service offers the highest-quality finish for SLS, MJF, and SAF technologies.
In just one step, your parts are transformed from a natural, granular texture to a sleek, high-gloss finish, resembling the look of injection-moulded parts.
Our machine, the Dyemansion PowerFuse S, uses a powerful yet eco-friendly vapour-based chemical to melt and smooth the part’s outer surface. This process refines both the interior and exterior, resulting in smoother, stronger, and lower-friction parts that are easier to clean.
This service is often known as vapour fused, vapour surfacing, vapour polishing, PowerFuse, chemical smoothing, or chemical surfacing.
3D Vapour Smoothing: Prices, Sizes, Materials and Colours
How much does it cost?
25p per part + 10%
This covers the process of hanging the individual parts plus the cost of the process.
Maximum Part Size
260mm x 260mm x 310mm
(Economy, Trade & Scheduled orders)
Materials Available
Colours Available
Black Only
Appearance and Finish of Vapour Smoothing
The result from the vapour smoothing process are the most premium on offer for SLS, MJF and SAF 3D printed parts. Notable points about the finish are as follows:
Gloss finish – Parts have a super smooth gloss finish all over.
Light reflective – Light bounces off the parts nicely to give them a sheen.
Textured – There is a slight texture to the surface making them visually more interesting.
Smooth touch – The surface is the smoothest to touch of all of our offerings.
Part sizes - Larger parts show the texture much less than smaller parts.
Witness mark – All prints will have a witness mark somewhere discrete from the hanging process.
How Vapour Smoothing Works
Parts are individually hung on a frame with either a wire through a hole in the part or a hook. The parts are then automatically loaded into a sealed chamber and heated up.
The chamber’s ambient temperature is hotter than the outer surface of the parts. Vapour is then released in cycles into the sealed chamber. With the surface of the parts being colder than the atmosphere they are in, the vapour condenses on the surface of the part. This contact with the vapour on the surface of the part causes a chemical reaction that melts the surface of the part. This melting creates a smooth and homogeneous surface to the parts.
After a set period of time, the vapour is expelled from the chamber and the parts are automatically unloaded from the machine.
Benefits of Vapour Smoothing 3D Printed Parts
Examples
Advantages of Vapour Smoothing
Talk to Andrew, our Head of Technical Sales, and discover how our services can save you time and money while achieving the highest quality prints.
Vapour Smoothing Hanging Requirements
Every part needs to have a hanging hoop, so that we can hang the parts in the machine. We add this ourselves – there is no requirement for you to model the hoop in. The hoop is then removed by us before the items are shipped.
We aim to make them as discrete as possible and away from “A” surfaces or datum faces. We may communicate with you about the best location for the hoop, however, you are also more than welcome to communicate with us where you would like us to put it.
*Please note that the hoop will leave a witness mark where it was removed.
Risks of Vapour Smoothing 3D Printed Parts
Warping
Thin walls or large flat surfaces are at risk of warping. Aim to keep wall thicknesses above 1.5mm where possible.
Blistering
Parts with narrow grooves or recesses risk blistering as the vapour condenses more in these geometries. Try to avoid deep recesses with narrow openings where possible.
Gap Fillings
Narrow gaps (below 1mm) can fuse together if the vapour bridges the gaps between the surfaces during the process.
Mixed Finishes
Different materials react differently in this process – try to stick to one single material where you can to avoid varying surface finishes on a multi-part product.
Layer Lines
Minor imperfections, blemishes and layer lines can be highlighted visually due to the reflective nature of the gloss finish. Little can be done to avoid this sadly, so you must be aware of what you are purchasing.
Witness Marks
All Vapour polished parts will have witness marks on them from where the hooks used to hang the parts are removed.
Vapour Smoothing – Get an Instant quote using our online system
Grab a quote for our smoothest finish. Our Uploading System takes price breaks into consideration for higher quantities and is the fastest way to get a quote for your project.
Other Finishing Options
Finish Options
| Finish | Min Thickness | Cost | SLS PA12 | MJF PA12 | SAF PA11 | SLS TPU | Express | Economy | Trade | Scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural | 1mm | Free | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Vibro Polished | 2mm | +2% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Shot Peened | 1.5mm | +7% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Vapour Smoothed | 1.5mm | 30p +10% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Colour Options
| Colour | Min Thickness | Cost | SLS PA12 | MJF PA12 | SAF PA11 | SLS TPU | Express | Economy | Trade | Scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 1.5mm | +10% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Standard Colours | 1.5mm | £10 +10% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Custom Colours | 1.5mm | £60 + 10% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |