Vapor Smoothing for
3D Printing

The left part has been vapor smoothed. The right part has a standard finish.

How Vapor Smoothing Works

After the parts have been 3D printed, they are transferred into a smoothing chamber. Using controlled evaporation, a vaporized smoothing agent condenses on the parts’ surfaces creating a controlled chemical melt.  

This process reduces peaks and troughs on the surface by liquifying and redistributing material evenly in a carefully controlled atmosphere. Once finished, the equipment evacuates the finishing agent to a collection vat so there is no residue left on the parts. 

Vapor Smoothing Design Guidelines for Printed Parts

Maximum part size

10.6 in. x 12.6 in. x 16.0 in. (269mm x 304mm x 406mm)

Wall thickness

• Radiused internal features work best for vapor smoothing
• Consistent wall thickness will yield more consistent smoothing and better aesthetics
• Minimum wall thickness: 0.030 in. (0.762mm)

Part features

Ideally, the part would have a through hole with a minimum diameter of 0.04 in. (1mm) or an exterior wall with a thickness between 0.04 in. (1mm) and 0.20 in. (5.1mm) so that the part can be easily hung from a rack. We can still smooth almost any part, regardless of its features, but we may have to add a small sacrificial feature that would be removed after smoothing, leaving a small ~2m diameter non-smoothed mark on the part’s surface.

Tolerances

For well-designed parts, tolerances of ±0.010 in. (0.25mm) plus 0.1% of nominal length can typically be achieved. Note that tolerances may change depending on part geometry.

Minimum feature size

0.03 in. (0.762mm)

Warpage

Larger part sizes (>7 in.) and parts with thin features are the most susceptible to warp. We recommend maintaining a uniform thickness of 0.125 in. (3.175mm) to ensure stability.​

Post-process finishing

Vapor smoothing can be combined with additional post-processing steps such as tapped or threaded inserts or painting.