It's LONG overdue, but we got a post put together about vapor smoothing and

3D Printing
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1

It’s LONG overdue, but we got a post put together about vapor smoothing and polishing PLA with THF. Procedure isn’t terribly different from Acetone on ABS, but there are some different safety and handling concerns.

#3DPrinting
http://www.protoparadigm.com/blog/2013/06/vapor-smoothing-and-polishing-pla-with-tetrahydrofuran-thf/

2

I don’t print with PLA myself (because apparently I’m some sort of masochist), but I’m delighted to see some research done into this area. Great Article.

3

thanks for the article - will look into building a ventilation system first

4

Isn’t dichloromethane a carcinogenic and now banned in the UK? I’d love to get my hands on some for testing though.

5

Ready the Darwin Awards! While acetone and THF might have a similar short-term toxicity, THF additionally is a mutagen and therefore carcinogenic. It’s also generally much more aggressive towards common plastics (including rubber gloves) and has a much greater risk of explosions than acetone.

6

ok - will keep that in mind