3D printed PLA finishing tests
1 side by using dremel
1 side by using hot air
Some interesting results
hot air look better but become soft and deform on complex object
dremel is very hard to do on big and complex object
if you have other way to finish with PLA ?
I have had some luck with near-boiling water (although once again the risk of deformation is high). I wonder if radiant heat would do it, but I’m not sure how to find out.
(Sometimes you want a little deformation – I’ve gotten things to fit perfectly by heating one piece and then mating it with the other one.)
I did a test with radiant heat once, with a near infrared incandescent bulb placed inside a box. The piece became very soft but no improvement in the surface. I think you need to heat very quickly the surface leaving the interior as cold as possible …
Suggestion (not tested) : you short heat surface with very hot air and drop the piece immediately in cold water before the heat propagates and soften it.