Flame Polishing PLA

I have a butane flame torch. This model is used in dental labs to flame polish mouth guards and bleaching trays. You can get it from Amazon for about $50, but there are probably cheaper options.



http://www.amazon.com/Blazer-ES1000-Angled-Butane-Micro/dp/B000NCW0GC

I tested it out on a few of my projects.

WARNING - PLA CAN CATCH ON FIRE AND IT WILL DROP FLAMING MOLTEN BALLS OF PLASTIC.

If you're going to try this, be outside in a fire-safe environment and use appropriate protective gear.

This torch allows you to set the flame intensity. I found that the focused, high intensity setting was amazing at instantly removing the travel webbing left after a print.



They low-intensity setting is what I used to try and polish.



Lightly passing the flame over the surface left a glossy finish, but the layer lines are still visible...so all it really did was make the surface a little more shiny, but not smooth.

I couldn't really capture it on camera, but basically the surface went from a matte finish to a semi-gloss.

I tried to get a little more aggressive to see if I could smooth out the layer lines. This is where I ran the risk of setting the whole thing on fire.

I succeeded in eliminating the lines, but I don't think I succeeded in improving the look. The surface became glossy and the lines were gone, but the surface was a little uneven and got mottled in areas where the plastic got too hot.

Here are some before and afters:





Also, the plastic got very soft and several of my hollow pieces started to warp or bend.

I don't really think this is an effective way to finish the surface, or I need to practice more.

Any suggestions?



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sanding should work,
i'm still in calibration phase as i'm having a few problems here and there
but u can sand almost anything it just takes time
use high grit, the higher the grit number the finer it gets

watch out for friction heat as it may melt your printed item if you're using power sanding

 

I'll give that a shot! Thanks.


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It works okay on solid pieces if you take your time. The hollow pieces start to deform pretty quickly. But even just a quick polish that leaves the layer lines can be a nice finish.


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what grade sand paper are you using ?

 

I'm not. Sorry for the confusion, that other reply was to tomlinson's response to the flame polishing.

I do want to try sanding some models, though. I may be able to sand out the layer lines then quickly add a shine with the flame polisher. It might be easier than trying to get a polish from a high grit paper...or maybe I'll set fire to another model


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It really does look good. I need to keep trying it out on other colors. I didn't love what it did on the black, but I can really see its potential on this piece. What did you use?


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I use a heat gun instead of an open flame. It's safer (although still a risk of burning yourself if you touch the business end!) but still provides enough heat to soften PLA and get rid of some granularity or re-stick some stray strands.

It's also cheaper. The one I got was $15: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/jobmate-heat-gun-0546502p.html#.UvLcpBCwJcQ