Vapor Polishing Colorfabb XT Filament

[Benjamin_65]

Hi guys i got me some colorful colorfabb xt filament and made some small prints. I tried smoothing the prints using a cold acetone vapor finish but unfortunately it didn’t work at all. When i use this method on my abs printed parts they become smooth like butter after 40-50 min and start to melt if you leave them longer. I’m aware of the fact that the xt filament is not ABS ,but i read on forums that people did manage to get smooth prints using acetone vapor finishing. Do i need to know a special trick to get the vapor polishing method working on colorfabb’s xt filament?. Is there anyone that had the same experience ?

[MindFuLL]

As far as I know the only way to smooth XT(other than coatings like XTC) is sanding. Depending on the resolution(size of ridges), I start with 100 grit and go to 1000(wet).

-Jesse

[Modellus]

@Benjamin_65 You cannot get a “chemical” smooth surface with the XT because ix not soluble in acetone or “classical” solvent. In fact, it can be done with a mix ( dichlorométhane / Acide trifluoroacétique ) but is only avaible for labs research or industrial application.

The best way to get a smooth surface with this XT is to use waterproof sandpaper with different grit (from 240 to 800/1200) .

Best Regards

[Benjamin_65]

Thanks for the info. Kind of hard to sand down small technical parts that need to look aesthetically pleasing. Guess i will just continue using ABS for now.