3D Printing Surface Finishes for Mass Production 3D Printing

If you've ever wondered what your 3D-printed parts will look like, this is a must-watch. We explore the standard surface finishes for FDM-type 3D printing and how you can achieve the desired look for your products. Discover the effect layer thickness has on linear surface finishes, and the different ways you can add subtle textures that will transform your creations. Say goodbye to expensive tooling and post-processing methods as we reveal how to unlock amazing textures for little to no cost.
Make sure to subscribe to the Slant 3D KZbin channel for more design tutorials, printer farm tips, and the latest 3d printing news.
#3dprinting #layerlines #additivemanufacturing #printfarm
00:00 What Will Your 3D Printed Part Look Like?
00:17 Layer Lines Define Surface Finish
01:20 Eliminate the Need for Post-Processing
01:48 Cost-Effective Textures with 3D Printing
02:06 Utilize "Fuzzy Skin"
03:03 Easily Add Patterns to Your Parts
03:24 Closing
We have a
🔗 IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗
Get a Quote for Your Production Project: www.slant3d.com/
Slant 3D Etsy Plugin: www.slant3d.com/slant3d-etsy-...
Get Our STL's: www.angled.xyz/
Get Affordable High-Quality Filament: www.tangledfilament.com
Try Shapr3D (Use Code: Slant3d): www.shapr3d.com/download?utm_...
Our Favorite Products: www.amazon.com/shop/slant3d
About Slant 3D
🏭 High-Volume 3D Printing: Scalability Meets Flexibility
Slant 3D's Large-Scale 3D Print Farms utilize 1000's of FDM 3D printers working 24/7 to offer limitless scalability and unparalleled flexibility. Whether it's 100 or 100,000 parts, our system can handle it reliably, while still allowing for real-time design updates, ensuring products evolve with the times. This adaptability is key in today's fast-paced world.
🌿 Sustainable Manufacturing: Eco-Friendly Efficiency
Embrace a system that drastically reduces carbon emissions by eliminating carbon-intensive steps in the supply chain, such as global shipping and warehousing. Our approach minimizes this footprint, offering a more sustainable manufacturing option.
⚙️ Digital Warehouses: Parts On-Demand
Think of print farms as a "Digital Warehouse", meaning we can store your parts digitally on a server rather than physically on a shelf. parts are available on-demand, reducing the need for extensive physical inventory.
Produced by Slant Media
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.

[@wafflecart]

Few other things I find useful for great finishes: - use a matte filament - print at lower temps it takes away the shine you get with filaments and gives a more matte effect - use textured bed - ironing on top - experiment with different infills on top and bottom - when designing parts make perimeters a multiple of the nozzle size so no ugly infill. - use archane setting for infills - use input shaping to remove ghosting etc

[@conorstewart2214]

Doesnt printing at lower temps or using matte filament reduce layer adhesion though?

[@menacingdonutz]

I’m embarrassed how long it took for me to realize that my infill was showing through my walls because my dimensions clashed with my nozzle size.

[@makebreakrepeat]

I love seeing all of the ways we can rethink manufacturing with 3d printing. It's ushering in a new era of production 🤖

[@slant3d]

That era is already here.

[@daliasprints9798]

If you're taking advantage of the full capability of your machines, texture isn't no- or even low-cost. Surface detail takes a part whose print time would otherwise be flow-bound and makes it partially or fully acceleration-bound (kinematics-bound). I'm not sure if Slant passes this cost to the customer or lets less-detailed customers' orders subsidize the more-detailed ones, but in principle this should be a significant cost difference.

[@slant3d]

That is incorrect

[@daliasprints9798]

@@slant3d I'm not sure which part you mean, whether you object to the basic principle (which is easy to demonstrate) or are just running your printers with enough margin below capability that it doesn't affect print time significantly for you.

[@Welcome2TheInternet]

@@daliasprints9798 He means he doesn't have a detailed rebuttal.

[@daliasprints9798]

Another related issue is that texture adds surface area, and, without manual tweaking to compensate, this increases material usage/cost. This is because, roughly, print material usage for a part can be approximated as a large constant times surface area plus a small constant times volume. For "fuzzy skin" is makes no difference because the fuzz just distributes the material in the outer perimeters differently, leaving some micro gaps between them and the inner perimeters. But actual textured geometry does make a difference. Usually this is a *good difference* that increases your part strength, but it is a difference you pay for.

[@kzalesak4]

I would expect this a minor detail compared to things like spray painting

[@scotta1725]

Loving this series, some great tips and ideas. Thanks

[@slant3d]

Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed.

[@beeda503]

Thank you for the rundown man. Something that I found making round containers with a lid at a .3mm layer height and a tight tolerance the lid will lock in place almost

[@slant3d]

Yes. The layer layers can serve as a velcro-like locking system

[@jonathansgarden9128]

This was a great positive spin that has helped me, as a noob to this hobby, believe it’s possible to make money with my machine

[@JanKrummrey]

I'd love to see how you add the more advanced textures, especially in a slicer. But also in CAD.

[@dekurvajo]

Ideamaker has a built in texture feature, and i use it time by time, because its way better than messing with the original mesh or model. I also heard that Cura 5.6.0 engine is prepared for texture, but nobody made a plugin to use it since.

[@KRGraphicsCG]

I might mess around with fuzzy skin later tonight, but the one issue i might run into, is using fuzzy skin on parts that need to insert into another. I would have to sand it a bit so it will lock together. It could also make gluing easier too

[@logicalfundy]

Been getting a bit more into patterns and textures on my own prints at home. Not only do they improve the look, they can help the quality a bit as well. Had some problems with large top surfaces on my prints, but I broke it up with a pattern which really helped. I probably need to tweak the speed, but tweaking the speed didn't help as much as I expected..

[@ddfanani]

Which patterns did you make? I'm having a bit of a muse shortage

[@2mitts]

In previous videos you've mentioned how adding supports in CAD instead of the slicer is a good idea. I'd like to see what that process actually looks like, either in fusion or another similar application.

[@SianaGearz]

I think thicker layers (0.33 and up) + thicker nozzle/e-width is something that needs to be actively pushed as a feature. Due to lower linear speed and better relative alignment, it can actually look better than 0.2 finish. The problem with that though is the seam, as it starts becoming more apparent. Ideally you have a corner feature that you can just push that into. Unlike injection moulded parts, the seam will never be really felt in a bad way, it will never cut into your hand or catch on your skin, it can merely be seen. Though tall fuzzy skin is great at hiding randomised perimeter starts, so there's that. And you can design the prints such that your assembled multi-print item will have perimeter ends hidden on the "inside".

[@zwurltech9047]

I like the surface when using PLA-CF

[@stefanjindra8092]

I am aware this is company know-how but is there any change you could make the part shown at 3:03 public. This seems to be such a cool benchmark test, and I agree, printing a benchy doesn't cut it

[@stepander007]

Which bed surface are you using? And which tolerance you think is critical. 0.3 mm curviness diff for a bed is fine or 0.1 is fine.

[@slant3d]

Depends on the part

[@dmon670]

With TPU’s low coefficient of friction, does fuzzy skin really make that much of a difference?

[@chuysaucedo7119]

I accidentally got fuzzy skin finish on a TPU print, and it was still relatively low friction.