Cimquest’s Desktop Vapor Smoothing System the PostPro SFX from AMT is now operational. Which means that our application engineers are now capable of running benchmarks for customers who want to see how this technology and process will work for them.

What is “vapor smoothing”? A solvent is vaporized in a chamber under carefully controlled conditions. The vapor evenly condenses on the external surfaces (and internal if there is line-of-sight) of 3D printed thermoplastic parts. This reduces or eliminates the layer lines created by 3D printing by softening the surfaces and filling-in the gaps between the peaks and valleys; it also seals the surfaces. The resultant benefits of vapor smoothing are:

  1. Reduction of surface roughness – as much as 420% (comparable to injection molding).
  2. Improvement of mechanical properties – up to 3X (improvements in elongation at break and tensile strength).
  3. Seals the surfaces – great for applications that require water tightness or sterilization.

Who is AMT? (Additive Manufacturing Technologies) AMT has been producing industrial post processing equipment for nearly a decade. Their vapor smoothing technology is used to enhance and improve the surface finish, appearance as well as the mechanical properties of parts produced by additive manufacturing. While it is beneficial to organizations that want to reduce the labor involved with traditional post-processing of 3D printed parts, the equipment is also typically better suited for companies with a higher part throughput, until now…

Introducing the PostPro SFX: The SFX is a desktop chemical vapor smoothing system backed by AMT’s expertise and patent portfolio. This system was designed specifically for parts that are additively manufactured with powder-bed fusion (PBF) technologies such-as; Multi-Jet Fusion, (MJF), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF). It utilizes AMT’s cutting-edge green chemistry solvent (called PostPro Pure) which is compatible with Nylon 12 materials, while Nylon 11 and TPU are forthcoming. The solvent is delivered in 1-liter canisters which can be disposed of safely according to local municipal regulations. Each canister is good for 20 – 25 runs depending on the recipe (max part thickness, % of chamber fill and intensity of the surface finish). With each run lasting between 21/2 – 3 hours.

Furthermore, the SFX is powered by a 120V, 20A single phase electrical source and does not require an external facility exhaust. Thereby making this a perfect solution for printing labs who are ready for the next chapter in their additive journey without the need for extensive facility modifications.

Even though it has a compact design (external dimensions – 17.7” x 19.69” x 33.27”, weight – 110lbs.), the SFX has a chamber size of 11.5 liters (7.48” x 12.59” x 7.48”). Which means that can handle the types of parts that we have seen from most of our customers. The parts that we have processed in-house printed on our HP 5200 (MJF), Nexa3D QLS 230 (SLS) and Formlabs Fuse 1+ (SLS) have exceptional surface finishes.

Want to try vapor smoothing? Send us your parts for a complementary benchmark.