Post-Processing & Finish Levels 
All additive manufacturing pieces require some sort of final post-processing when they come off of the machine. In some cases, post-processing is as simple as lightly sanding the areas where support structures were attached. In other cases, innovative finishing techniques are utilized to deliver beautiful end-use parts that are rugged enough to stand up to real-world impacts.
At ProtoCAM, we offer a wide variety of finishing levels and options which help to provide our customers with exactly the end product they’re looking for. If you’re not sure what post-processing is right for you, contact us and allow our experienced engineers to help guide you towards the ideal finish for your unique project.
Advanced Finishing Gallery
Does your project require special, advanced finishing not covered by our standard levels listed below? Check out some past examples of our advanced finishing work to see if our services might fit your unique project, then contact us today to get started.
Choosing Your Finishing Level
Not all finishing options are available for all additive manufacturing techniques, so process and finish level selection should be two parts of the same decision-making process.
1. Research Your Options
ProtoCAM offers a variety of finishing options including a proprietary crystal-clear bottle finish—a technique developed in-house and available only to ProtoCAM customers. Read on to learn more about all our available options.
2. Consider Budget and Timeline
The more intense the finish, the higher the cost, and the longer it will take to deliver. Assess the look you want versus the look you really need and balance it against your available budget and target deadline. For example, if you are on a tight budget or under time constraints, you may want to skip the higher-finish levels.
List of Polymer Finish Levels and Options at ProtoCAM
Finish Levels
Natural 
This is the most basic finish. The support structures that hold the part in the machine are removed and those areas are thoroughly cleaned or sanded depending on the material. Neither part details nor geometry are touched in any way.
Results: Nice, sharp details; excellent for parts with smaller features
Available for: SLA, SLS, PolyJet 3D printing, FDM, MultiJet Fusion (MJF)
Standard
The Standard finish is the most commonly chosen option. It starts with removal of the supports as with the natural finish, but the entire part is then bead blasted for a uniform matte look.
Results: Fairly uniform smoothness for good aesthetics
Available for: SLA
Standard + Exterior
Standard + Exterior (Std + Ext) begins with the standard finish and adds another level of finishing. The entire exterior surface is sanded to remove any build lines or stair stepping, and to create an exceptionally smooth surface for the final product. For parts that need to slide against another surface, Std + Ext ensures the exterior surface of the part is much more like that of the final product.
Results: Exceptionally smooth outer surface for superior aesthetics
Available for: SLA, PolyJet
Standard + All
Standard + All (Std + All) also begins with the standard finishing, and adds a full, exterior, and interior sanding process. This finishing technique is most often used when creating master patterns for investment casting or some other type of foundry mold. Getting a completely smooth surface allows the manufacturer to easily remove the master pattern from the mold without get hung up on any build lines or stair stepping.
Results: Completely smooth surface inside and out; essential for foundry patterns
Available for: SLA, PolyJet
Primed 
The Primed finish takes a part that has been through the Std + Ext process and adds primer. The first layer of primer often highlights any flaws that may still be evident post-sanding; a second round of light sanding takes place, and a final coat of primer is applied. Primed parts are typically going to be painted by a customer’s own in-house paint department. Our goal is to deliver a part that is smooth and fully prepped so it can go straight to painting, saving the customer precious time.
Results: Exceptionally smooth, paint-ready part
Available for: SLA, SLS, PolyJet
Presentation 
The Presentation finish delivers a complete, ready-to-show part that can be taken to a trade show, presented to a customer, or used for marketing photos with no additional work on the part of the customer. Professional painting is completed by the ProtoCAM team in-house in order to get the part as close to a final production look as possible. Mixing automotive grade paints in-house allows for fine-tuning of the color matching process.
Results: Ready-to-show, fully-painted display part with exceptional aesthetics
Available for: SLA, SLS, PolyJet
Clear 
Stereolithography offers a clear material for prototyping. The standard Clear finish involves removing the supports, sanding those areas smooth and applying a coat of professional-level clear urethane to counteract the matte look of the sanded areas. Clarity is on the lower end, as some areas are clearer than others. Build lines and stair stepping are not addressed.
Results: Basic see-through finish for clear parts; some opacity
Available for: SLA
Improved Clear 
The Improved Clear finish also begins with an SLA clear part, but is generally selected for projects that require a higher level of surface consistency and clarity. Build lines and stair stepping are removed and smoothed, the entire piece is sanded, and a urethane clear coat is added.
Results: Good clarity on most parts
Available for: SLA
Clear Bottle 
While a good, clear surface can be achieved on most prototypes with the improved clear finish, bottles and other parts with large internal surfaces and small entries have always presented a particular challenge for rapid prototyping companies. Inside surfaces remained somewhat matte resulting in a rather cloudy finished product. ProtoCAM customers can achieve exceptional clarity on even complex pieces. The clear bottle finish addresses both the interior surface as well as the exterior surface, replicating a production bottle almost perfectly and creating truly clear, transparent parts.
Results: Exceptional transparency on even complex parts and bottles
Available for: SLA
USP Class VI 
This finish is specific to medical-grade parts and prototypes that need to conform to USP Class VI certification. It ensures parts are safe for in vivo use.
Results: USP Class VI certified part; acceptable for in vivo use
Available for: SLA
Dyeing 
This finish includes the dyeing of a part black for a matte finish. More color options coming soon.
Results: Black-dyed part resulting in a clean, matte look.
Available for: MJF, SLS
Smoothing 
Smoothing may be accomplished by hand, or chemically, to achieve a smooth and clean product feel.
Results: Chemically or hand-smoothed part with smooth surface feel.
Available for: MJF, FDM, SLS
Other Post-Processing Options
Plating 
ProtoCAM also offers plating options; plating helps to enhance the strength, visualization, and overall value of your project. The design and build phases are critical when plating is desired to allow room for the additional plating and to create a structure that will be strong enough in the end product.
Various materials will be affected by our plating processes differently, so it is very important to choose an appropriate material type and technology to build the plated parts. Our engineers are always available to assist you in choosing the correct technology and materials for your desired end product. Our available plating materials, which can be utilized for both SLA and MJF parts include:
- Nickel – ideal for strength and aesthetics
- Vacuum Metalized Aluminum – ideal for aesthetics (replicates a chrome finish)
Thickness of the metal plating is also a factor to consider and will depend on the desired end product. Our engineers work with each customer to determine the appropriate thickness that will achieved their ideal final piece.
Please contact us to learn more about what options are available for your additive manufacturing project.
Metal Inserts 
We utilize professional thermal inserter equipment to offer the option of including metal inserts in thermoplastic parts to our customers. Our inserter equipment has accurate control of temperature to prevent damage to plastic parts and provides a strong, permanent installation of inserts with high resistance to rotation and pull-out. Our equipment also allows for inserts of many different sizes and is available for use with any of our technologies.
Please contact us to learn more about what options are available for your additive manufacturing project.
Polymer Finish Levels at a Glance
| Finish | Description | Use | SLA | SLS | PolyJet | FDM | MJF | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural | Remove supports | Crisp clean details | X | X | X | X | $ | X | |
| Standard | Remove supports; sand and bead blast | Typical model with consistent finish | X | X | $ | X | |||
| Std + Ext | Sand exterior surface to improve finish | Aesthetic model | X | X | $$ | XX | |||
| Std + All | Sand interior and exterior surface to improve finish | Part used for foundry patterns | X | X | $$ | XX | |||
| Primed | Sand, reduce build lines and paint with primer only | Customer may want to paint or a basic primer finish is sufficient | X | X | X | X | $$$ | XXX | |
| Presentation | Sand, reduce build lines, prime and paint | Aesthetic models used for presentation or show samples | X | X | X | X | $$$$ | XXXX | |
| Clear | Remove supports and clearcoat | Looking into a part | X | $$$ | XXX | ||||
| Improved Clear | Remove supports, reduce build lines and clearcoat | High clarity level is needed | X | $$$$$ | XXXXX | ||||
| Clear Bottle | Special finish | Used for bottles only; replicates a production bottle | X | $$$$$ | XXXXX | ||||
| USP Class VI | Special finish | Medical use | X | $ | X | ||||
| Dying | Special finish | Matte black finish | X | X | $ | X | |||
| Smoothing | Special finish | Smooth surface finish | X | X | X | $ | XX |
For more detail on choosing a finish, click here. Or, contact us and discuss with one of our engineers what might work best for your particular additive manufacturing project.
