What Do I Need For Prepping 3D Parts?

[oldcarfan]

I ordered some parts for my Cannonball contender, in fact I just received some wheels from Jay's Resin Wheels. The parts from him are great, with no cleanup needed. I know some parts will need to be deburred, but do they also need to be wiped down before painting? Does the 3D print generally have anything on it that will cause a reaction with paint like traditional resin casting mold release does?

[stitchdup]

I would give it a wash to get rid of any dust its picked up on it travels but it shouldn't need it if the printer has cleaned it properly. It shouldn't be necessary but its generally a good to habit to be in with most kits. On the larger parts I like to give them a gentle rub with a 600 grit sanding sponge (the soft ones, not the polishing ones) to knock back the print lines then usually, if the parts are good a couple layers of automotive filler primer has you ready to proceed as you normally would. The only time you should get a reaction is when the parts aren't fully cured but you would know before putting any paint on if thats the case as it would be soft or not quite hard feeling. Theres no mold release just resin for the print and water or alcohol for cleaning it. And MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A GOOD MASK that seals around the mouse and nose. The dust is bad for you. I've also taken to painting hidden areas with old paint just to seal them off as its a uv protection. If you are going to drill parts for mounting/painting go slow and step up the drill size slowly, parts can break just from drilling when you make too big a jump in bit size or if your saw has too coarse teeth. printed resin seems to like less aggressive tools better.

[bobss396]

I soak them in warm soapy water, nothing else. Rinse, repeal, lol.

[peteski]

It depends which technology was used for printing.

The SLA prints (usually but nor always gray resin) don't have any residue, but I would rinse them in alcohol just to make sure they are clean.

If the parts came from Shapeways and are printed using one of their FUD, FXD (or whatever they call those) resins nowadays, they will be somewhat whitish translucent color.  Those often have traces of wax which is used during printing process as support for overhanging details.  Alcohol does not dissolve that wax well. I would give those a good rinse in Heptane (Bestine rubber cement thinner) or Naphtha (Ronsonol, or VM&P Naphtha) to remove all the wax.  In a pinch they can be rinsed in lacquer thinner, but don't leave them in it for any prolonged period of time.  Just a quick rinse should be safe.  Once the wax is removed some parts of the items which were in contact with the wax during printing will turn really frosty white.

[Texas_3D_Customs]

Usually nothing is needed if they didn't do a good job cleaning then maybe an alcohol wash but even then it's just going to be the quality that suffers because any residue that was left behind will cure. It's never a bad idea to wipe it with alcohol if there's any oil or grease from your fingers it gets on it it'll remove it we get the best results when painting