ABS Smoothing Bath Using Vaporized Acetone
Bryan Dierking
The first useful page:
- Jar placed on heating plate
- 3-4 mm of acetone in the bottom of the jar
- Heat plate to 120 C initially
- Once the jar is visibly filled with vapor, drop plate temperature to 90 C for treatment
- Smoothing takes several hours
- Once smoothed, place a lid on the jar and cool the plate, condensing and conserving acetone
- Allow part to sit for 10 minutes while residual acetone evaporates
The second useful page:
- 70 - 90 C for plate
- Sealed metal container
- Fan inside to "ensure uniformity of treatment"
- 10 minute bathing period
The third page:
- Rice cooker is used
- Custom pin board goes into bottom of heating vessel to allow for part placement while smoothing
- Part is cooled in fridge beforehand to ensure acetone condenses onto the surface
- Smoothing takes several minutes
- If part gets too hot, condensed acetone will boil off and create pit marks in surface
- Test if filament is pure ABS by dissolving a small clipping completely in acetone beforehand
- Part must be printed from pure, high-quality ABS to smooth well