Vibro Polishing
Polish your parts for that extra smoothness over the natural finish.
3D Printed Vibro Polishing Service
Our polishing service is an excellent way to enhance the surface finish of your parts with minimal extra cost.
Parts produced using SLS, MJF, and SAF technologies typically have a slightly granular texture, similar to that of an extra-strong mint.
By utilising our vibro polishing machines, we transform these parts from a rough surface to a much smoother texture, akin to Softmint or Mentos. This process significantly improves the feel of the part, reduces friction, and makes the parts easier to clean. This service is often known as tumbling, polishing, vibro tumbling, or polished.
Vibro Polishing: Prices, Sizes, and Materials
How much does it cost?
+ 2%
This covers the process of sorting and removal of polishing stones from the parts.
Maximum Part Size
240mm x 240mm x 360mm
(Economy, Trade & Scheduled orders)
Materials Available
Finishing Colours Available
SLS PA12
Natural White | Black | Red | Blue | Green | Yellow
MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 ECO
Grey | Black
Appearance and Finish of Vibro Polishing
The results from the process are a great improvement on the rougher natural finish. The best way to describe it would be taking the surface from a similar texture to that of an Extra Strong Mint, to that of a Softmint or Mentos.
MJF PA12 - Natural
Smooth Finish - Achieves a much smoother surface, enhancing the tactile feel and appearance.
Rounded Edges - Sharp edges are rounded off, improving safety and aesthetics.
Enhanced Paint Preparation - Provides an excellent base for painting, reducing the need for extensive sanding.
SLS PA12 - Natural
Satin Finish - Results in a smooth, satin-like finish that is soft to the touch.
Reduced Graininess - Eliminates the grainy texture typical of SLS prints, making the parts look more refined.
Increased Dirt Resistance - The polished surface is more resistant to dirt and easier to keep clean.
Filleted edges – Any sharp edges will be rounded in the process.
SLS PA12 - Dyed
Unique mottled texture – The polishing chips give unique appearance to the part than many of our customers love as it is unlike what people consider the “norm” for finished products.
Slight roughness – Despite the polishing process being the same for the parts with no colour dye, dyed parts tend not to be as smooth as undyed parts.
SLS Nylon PA12 (PA2200) is the only material we offer that can be dyed different colours. This is mainly down to the fact that SLS PA12 is white in its natural state, meaning other colours can easily dye into the white base material.
How Vibro Polishing Works
Vibro polishing is a rough and highly abrasive finishing technique where polishing chips compact and smooth a part’s outer surface.
The process works by placing parts into a large vibratory doughnut-shaped bowl. This bowl is filled with thousands of ceramic cone-shaped chips and with the addition of water to wash the parts as they process.
The circular motion of the bowl creates a helical/vortex movement for the chips around the bowl. This movement drags the parts around the bowl, allowing them to rotate, submerge and resurface hundreds of times over a few hours. The edges of the chips combined with their mass, create abrasive forces on the parts’ external faces, whilst the bowl’s motion allows for uniformity of the application.
Benefits of Vibro Polishing 3D Printed Parts
Examples
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.
Risks of Vibro Polishing 3D Printed Parts
Damage
The process is very abrasive, meaning that fragile, thin, intricate or vulnerable geometries will be at high risk of damage.
Pins/Pegs
Small pins, or other protruding elements from the surface of parts can easily get damaged in the process. Filleting the base of pins can help reduce the risk as well, but does not eliminate it. We recommended to use less aggressive finishes such as shot peen or vapour smoothing if you have these features.
Crispness
The polisher will wear down sharp edges. The result will be similar to a fillet of around 0.1mm. This means that any angular parts will have a small radius on them. This can affect surface details too, such as text or logos.
Trailing Edges
Trailing edges can get damaged easily in the process. We do not recommend any print to have an edge that trails to zero regardless of finish, but if parts do have a trailing edge below 2mm, then damage is likely and not covered for a free reprint.
Holes/cavities
The polishing stones can easily get caught inside holes and cavities. These can be tricky to remove and can cause damage in some cases. This can cause either defects to the parts or delays to an order dispatch date.
Small Parts
Small parts below 10-15mm can easily get lost in the polishers, especially if MJF or SAF as they are the same colour and size of the polishing stones. This can cause a delay to an order if we have to reprint.
Undyed MJF or SAF
Parts printed from the MJF of SAF machines with no dyeing tend to feel smoother, but look visually worse. Any layering or crisp edges will be filleted and highlighted in black. This is due to the core of the part being black, and the outside being grey. SLS parts do not have this problem.
Vibro Polished Parts – Get an Instant quote using our online system
Grab a quote for our smoother 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% | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |