Professional Vapor Smoothing Service for 3D Printed Parts

Home / Services / Vapor Smoothing

Superior Finishing with SLS

Enhance your Windform parts with smoother surfaces, sealed micro-porosities, improved durability, and aesthetic refinement – perfect for high-performance applications.

If you’re seeking to harness the full potential of Additive Manufacturing, while achieving the high-quality surface finishes typical of injection moulding, Professional CRP Vapor Smoothing is your ideal solution.

This post-processing technique matched to Windform materials enhances the aesthetic and mechanical properties of your 3D printed parts, making them not only visually appealing but also more resistant.

Why you should need Vapor Smoothing. Key benefits

Reduces roughness

Vapor smoothing creates a glossy, smoother surface, that rivals plastic injection molding - essential for industries prioritizing aesthetics and surface quality

Increased Durability

By sealing surface pores, the process enhances resistance to wear and tear while preserving the strength and functionality of Windform materials

Aerodynamic Optimization

In industries like aerospace and motorsport, reducing surface roughness improves airflow over critical components, enhancing aerodynamic performance

Improved Lead Times

The process is a controlled but automated one speeding up finishing operations especially for challenging areas

Enhanced Water and Liquid Resistance

Vapor smoothing seals surface micro-porosities, enhancing water tightness of 3D-printed Windform* parts and making them suitable for contact with solvents, liquids, or humid environments

Improved Mechanical Performance

Vapor smoothing enhances the mechanical properties such as elongation at break and impact resistance, making parts suitable for demanding functional applications

Vapor smoothing for SLS 3D printed parts with complex geometries

Perfect finishing even on undercuts, hard-to-reach areas and internal features that would be difficult to polish manually

Color Uniformity

Vapor Smoothing enhances the color homogeneity of the treated part, thus avoiding the need for an additional painting

* For parts manufactured in water-resistant Windform composites – Windform GT, Windform SP, and Windform RS – vapor smoothing offers an added level of reliability in surface finish. For other Windform materials, vapor smoothing enhances water resistance by sealing micro-porosities, though minimal porosity may remain.

What is Vapor Smoothing Process?

CRP Technology offers a professional Vapor smoothing, being a controlled process where the 3D printed object is exposed to solvent vapors under carefully monitored conditions.

The vapor condenses uniformly on the surface of the part, effectively eliminating surface roughness by smoothing out peaks and valleys.

This results in a polished, durable surface with enhanced strength, aesthetics and water resistance.

At the end of the process, any residual finishing substances are collected in a dedicated chamber, preventing dispersion on both the part and the environment

Take a closer look

Before: Sintered Windform part – After: manual finished and vapor smoothing

Tailor Your Vapor Smoothing Experience

Discover the ideal finishing solution that aligns with your specific needs and budget.

Direct
Vapor Smoothing

Manual Finishing +
Vapor Smoothing

This combination produces flawless surfaces, eliminating the need for painting on parts that require it, resulting in significant cost and weight savings.

Stand-alone
Vapor Smoothing

Available for your existing SLS or MJF parts.

* to ensure maximum quality our specialists will carry out a preliminary set-up testing on one of your sample

Vapor Smoothing's Process Steps

"Recipe" Selection

The process begins by selecting the appropriate parameters, based on the geometry and material characteristics of the part. Once the optimal "recipe" is selected, the vapor smoothing cycle starts automatically.

Part Processing

Solvent vapor is injected into the processing chamber, where it condenses onto the part’s surface under controlled temperature and pressure. This process enhances mechanical properties, sealing micro-porosities and creating a refined, polished surface

Part Drying

After vapor smoothing, the part is dried ensuring no residual solvent remains. The part is then ready for immediate use without the need for additional post-processing

By utilizing advanced vapor smoothing technology, CRP Technology elevates the quality and durability of Windform parts, delivering finishes that are comparable to injection-molded components while maintaining their high-performance capabilities.

Integrated Post-Process Finishing

CNC Machining: For complex geometries and precise finishing, ensuring parts meet exacting specifications, CNC machining can be applied to additively manufactured parts finished with vapor smoothing

Get Expert Consultation Now!