It looks like we will see more 3D refiners in the upcoming future.

3D Printing
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1

It looks like we will see more 3D refiners in the upcoming future.
http://www.3ders.org//articles/20130402-transform-any-3d-print-into-a-high-quality-finished-part-with-3d-refiner.html

2

Now if they’d come up with an option for PLA

3

I don’t like this one bit. They say how amazing a refined Yoda is, but do not show it. They claim to refine PLA, and yet no one has found a solvent for PLA in the community so far. Something is fishy,

4

Acetone will work on PLA just not very well. Methylene chloride will apparently do a great job but its significantly more dangerous than acetone.

5

Acetone destroys PLA parts, kinda eats them from within without smoothing anything. Methylene chloride is nasty toxic and you don’t want it in your house in any concentration. I’ve seen people experiment with Methylene chloride and PLA, and the results are very poor.

6

Chloroform works on PLA…

7

The FAQ section at the bottom of the kickstarter page claims that it works with PLA, but I find this claim highly dubious.

8

@Sparr_Risher I could not find any information about using Choloroform to refine or smooth PLA prints. Can you provide some references ?

9

I sent them a query regarding refining PLA prints.

The designers are recommending Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK or Butanone) in solution with their refiner for PLA.

What ratio of solution they didn’t say buy I suppose they’re not going to give everything away :wink:

10

I guess they exagurated their project to get more refunding on Kickstarter. The system doesn’t look complex. It wouldn’t take long for someone to setup a similar setup and test it.

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@Shachar_Weis I don’t know that anyone is using it in this way.

12

Chloroform is interesting, You can anesthetize yourself while processing :slight_smile: My idea would be to develop a system which would airspray such solvents, maybe one after the other like in car painting in factory.

13

Do not use industrial chloroform as an anaesthetic. Impurities that are (were) removed from medical chloroform are left in the industrial solvent at levels that would be fatal.

14

If I were someone trying to find prior art for that patent, I’d look into anyone using solvents on 3d milled objects in the 60s-80s.

15

I don’t really see the advantage to this over a steamer and vapor. However it might be great for quickly dissolving HIPS support material if you fill the tank with limonene