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Below is a detailed description of our available finish levels. These finish levels apply to SLA, Cast and Machined parts.
A print ready pdf version is also available for download. -Finish Levels pdf-
Engineering Finishes - Overview
- E2: Minimal cleanup for all processes.
- E3: Part is lightly sanded and/or bead or vapor blasted to minimize evidence of the build process and achieve a consistent finish.
- E4: Part is sanded to further minimize the evidence of the build process over the whole part or customer specified areas. The end result is still considered an “engineering” model.
Appearance Finishes - Overview
- A5: Part is sanded smooth on exterior surfaces, eliminating the evidence of the process and fitted if required. Part is primed and ready for final paint or rubber mold if part is being used as a pattern.
- A6: Part is sanded smooth on exterior and interior surfaces and clear coated or polished for appearance purposes.
Additional Operations:
Additional operations can be specified with the “+” sign. Those operations can include but would not be limited to adding inserts, adding helicoils, tapping, applying engineering model clear coats, applying appearance model clear coats, applying paint, applying graphics, sending out for plating, etc.
Examples would be as follows:
- E3 + (6) heli-coils: This is an engineering model where customer specifies the size and location of six heli-coils.
- E4 + Engineering Clear Coat: Part is sanded relatively smooth and a thin Engineering Clear Coat (ECC) is sprayed on to increase clarity of the colorless resins.
- A5 + paint: This is standard appearance model terminology where customer specifies paint color and finish.
- A6 + check fit: This would be a fully sanded and clear coated part for best possible clarity. Due to the process the customer would like to make sure that an assembly still functions properly prior to delivery.
Engineering Finishes - By Process
E2: Minimal Cleanup.
- SLA Parts: Positive evidence of supports is removed, prior to the ultraviolet, post-curing process. Most surfaces remain unfinished except evidence of mild sanding in areas where supports were removed.
- Machined Parts: Part is de-burred to eliminate overly sharp edges (unless advised otherwise). Most surfaces will maintain a machined finish.
- Cast Parts: Evidence of flash, gating and vents is removed. Most surfaces will maintain a natural finish, preserving the quality of the finished pattern.
E3: Engineering Model Finish.
- SLA Parts: Part is lightly sanded and bead blasted or vapor honed to minimize evidence of the build process. This results in a consistent surface quality. The E3 finish replaces the natural, semi-gloss finish and adds opacity to parts built using translucent resins to enhance surface visibility.
- Machined Parts: Part is de-burred to eliminate overly sharp edges (unless advised otherwise). Part is lightly sanded and bead blasted or vapor honed to minimize evidence of the machining process. This results in a consistent surface quality.
- Cast Parts: Part is lightly sanded and bead blasted or vapor honed for a consistent surface quality, further minimizing evidence of flash, gating and vents.
E4: Additional Cleanup
Part is sanded to further minimize the evidence of the build process over the whole part or customer specified areas. The end result is still considered an “engineering” model. This finish is applicable to any prototyping process.
Appearance Finishes - By Process
A5: Appearance Model Finish For Opaque Parts
Part is sanded smooth on exterior surfaces, eliminating evidence of the manufacturing process. The finished part is primed and then can be painted in the case of an appearance model or used as a master for rubber molding. This finish is applicable to any prototyping process.
A6: Appearance Model Finish For Clear and/or Polished Parts
- SLA Parts: Part is sanded smooth on exterior and interior surfaces and clear coated or polished for appearance purposes. An A6 finish is usually requested to yield optimum clarity for parts produced from translucent SLA resins.
- Machined Parts: To yield optimum clarity for parts machined from clear or translucent plastics, the part is sanded smooth on exterior and interior surfaces and clear coated or polished for appearance purposes. An A6 finish would also apply when finishing metal parts that require polished or reflective surfaces, or in preparation for brushed finishes.
- Cast Parts: Part is sanded smooth on exterior and interior surfaces and clear coated or polished for appearance purposes. An A6 finish is usually requested to yield optimum clarity for parts produced from clear or translucent urethanes.
