Stratasys FDM 2000 Manual page 53

Reference
Finishing Touches
Finishing Touches
Stratasys 3-D models which use casting wax, machinable wax, or ABS can be polished
and finished either mechanically or chemically.
Mechanical Finishing and Polishing
In mechanical finishing, the surfaces of the model are smoothed and the seams are
removed with an abrasive such as sandpaper, Scotch-Brite, or a flat file or a tool such
as a hand-held razor knife.
All work rather well. Sandpaper must be thrown away, and the flat file must be
cleaned every so often. In addition, care must be exercised because the walls of a
model are thin and may break if overstressed.
Steel wool also works well but strands of it may become embedded in the wax.
A razor knife works well, especially in removing seams.
An electric waxer also referred to as a hot melt knife is an excellent tool for removing
thin hair-like strands "spider webs" in P301 models. It can also be used to patch up
blemishes or remove supports.
User recommended:
One possible disadvantage of manual finishing is that excessive material removal may
cause dimensional changes, and also may develop flat spots on rounded areas of the
model.
ABS tends to diminish this problem.
The temperature variation between melting ABS with a hot knife and
discoloring the ABS is very small.
It is important to sand the part to specification gradually. This helps
keep the model within the design specifications.
Chemical Finishing and Polishing
Universal Electric Waxer Model B-5
Buckley Electronics
Canoga Park, CA 91306
10MAY01
A-5
Applications Manual