Overview – Polishing
Our polishing service is a great way to enhance the surface finish of your parts with minimal extra cost. Parts from our SLS, MJF and SAF come off the machine with a slightly granular texture, akin to that of an extra-strong mint. Using our vibro polishing machines, we transform parts from this rough surface to a much smoother texture much like Softmint/Mentos, fastly improving the feel of the part as well as the usability as it reduces friction, and makes the parts easier to clean.
Often known as: Tumbling, polishing, vibro tumbling, polished
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
What Colours?
SLS PA12
MJF PA12 and SAF PA11 ECO
Appearance and Finish
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/Mentos.
Smooth finish – Much smoother finish, especially with undyed parts
Filleted edges – Any sharp edges will be rounded in the process
Dyed parts rougher – Dyed parts feel rougher than undyed parts
Black edges (MJF PA12/SAF PA11) – polishing creates black edges to any of our naturally grey prints.
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/Mentos.
Smooth finish – Much smoother finish, especially with undyed parts
Filleted edges – Any sharp edges will be rounded in the process
Dyed parts rougher – Dyed parts feel rougher than undyed parts
Black edges (MJF PA12/SAF PA11) – polishing creates black edges to any of our naturally grey prints.
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/Mentos.
Smooth finish – Much smoother finish, especially with undyed parts
Filleted edges – Any sharp edges will be rounded in the process
Dyed parts rougher – Dyed parts feel rougher than undyed parts
Black edges (MJF PA12/SAF PA11) – polishing creates black edges to any of our naturally grey prints.
Polishing is highly recommended for
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Smooth Finish – Much smoother finish, especially with undyed parts. - +
Affordability – Very minimal additional cost for maximum gain. - +
Wipe clean – smoother surfaces are easier to clean than rougher ones.
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- +
Paint preparation – save hours of sanding if you are planning to paint. - +
Uniform Colour – colours are more uniform when polished compared to the natural finish. - +
Friction reduction – smoother surfaces have less friction.
Examples of our Polished Finish
How it 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.
Risks
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. It is recommended to use less aggressive finishes such as shotpeen or vapour smoothing if you have these features. Filleting the base of pins can help reduce the risk as well, but does not eliminate it.
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 PA12 or SAF PA11
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.
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.
Design Guidelines, Maximums and Minimums
Max Print Size
This is the maximum size we can print a part in one piece
240mm x 240mm x 360mm
Min Wall Thickness
This is the minimum wall thickness we can guarantee to print. You are able to print under this guarantee at your own risk, however, prints under our guarantee are not covered for a free reprint if damaged.
Thickness: 2mm
Min Embossed Thickness
This is the minimum thickness a surface detail can be – this includes text and small intricate details. Note the thickness stroke width, not the width of the entire letter if referring to text.
Width: 0.5mm
height: 0.3mm
Min Engraved Thickness
This is the minimum thickness a engraved surface detail can be – this includes text and small intricate details. Note the thickness stroke width, not the width of the entire letter if referring to text.
Width: 0.5mm
Depth: 0.3mm
Min Hole Sizes
This is the minimum diameter of a hole. As a rule of thumb, the longer the hole, the larger the diameter is required to prevent them from blocking with powder. It is best to avoid long and twisting holes as these are near impossible to clear the powder from post-print.
<2mm depth: 1mm
2-5mm depth: 2mm
5-10mm depth: 3mm
10mm+: at least 4mm
*Powder may not be able to be cleared out of holes longer than 30mm
Clearance
This is the minimum gap required between two separate parts that are designed to fit together, such as a case and a lid. This is the distance between surface faces – remember that this is each side meaning that you need to double this measurement if the whole part is interlocking. e.g. if a shaft is going into a hole, 0.15mm between surfaces means 0.3mm between diameters.
Tight fit: 0.15mm
Smooth fit: 0.25mm
Flat/Warpable Parts
Flat parts are prone to warping. Warping is where the part cools at different rates causing geometrical changes in the object. It is best to try to avoid these shapes where possible, or contact us to ask for advice.
Limitation: part dependant – ask us if you are concerned.
Min Sharp Angle
This is the minium angle recommended without a fillet or chamfer. Parts with sharp angles tend to get damaged in the print or post-processing stages. Anything sharper than the minimum angle is recommended to have a fillet.
Min Angle: 60°
Sharp Angle Fillet
Anything sharper than our minimum guaranteed angle is recommended to have a filleted edge. Filleted edges are far stronger than sharp edges and are less prone to damage in either post-processing or print stages.
Min Fillet: 1mm
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 available on our service
