Simple starting point if you are looking for ideas on how to finish your

3D Printing
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Simple starting point if you are looking for ideas on how to finish your parts 3D printed or otherwise. More detailed posts to come.

Originally shared by Adam Poetter

Check out my newest blog post for Proto Labs
http://blog.protolabs.com/a-proto-labs-perspective/finishing-touches.html

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Looking forward to more, in particular the rubberized coatings.

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@Brian_Low Thanks Brian! Normally we just used simple stuff like “Plasti Dip” and the Plasti Dip spray on
http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip
But on occasion we would use silicone and urethane products from a company called smooth on.

We would first create some fixturing for the part using a simple wood or plastic CNC cut fixture to simulate the overmold mold and pour in the silicone let it cure and finish it by hand. Sometimes we would just immerse it in silicone so it forms a block around the part and sculpt it by hand. If you have a steady hand it is a lot faster than building a overmold setup for one part.
Let me know if you have any more questions!

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Thanks. Does Plasti-Dip give that slightly rubbery, smooth, matte black finish you see on some phones and motorcycle helmets?

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@Brian_Low I mainly know if for the smooth finish you naturally get when you dip a part and leave it. But if you dab it with sandpaper(grit as you would like) as it “dries” you should be able to simulate a more matted textured finish I seem to remember doing that for a few projects in the past but it was a while ago. Let me know how it works if you try it though, it should work well!

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Thanks for the tips!