ABS Print Stress Whitening Fix - ABS Stress Melt

[Demosth]

When printing ABS, sometimes the parts adhere so well that removing the parts from your build plate can cause white, or light colored stress marks on your parts. I first attempting to sand away these stress marks before doing some research and finding out that they can easily be removed with just a little bit of heat.

While any heat gun should suffice, I opted to use my Soldering Rework Station heat gun, then set the temp to just above the ABS melt point, I landed on 300C as a happy medium between speed and control. If the the heat is too hot, you could easily warp you part, especially for thinner parts. Slowly moving the heat gun over the surface of the part made all the marks magically disappear!





White Stress Marks


White Stress Marks Gone!

[danielson761729]

I’ve found a very careful rub with some Acetone does exactly the same trick.

 

i just use some kitchen roll and wipe the part over the messy bit, within seconds it’s looking great.

 

thanks for the info :-). 

[Demosth]

Great idea! - Although I am sure my wife appreciates not having the smell of acetone in the house!  Either way, this is a fantastic additional idea to have in the arsenel!

[GalvanicGlaze]

I use a kitchen style blowtorch at a distance as I couldn't be bothered getting the heat gun and plugging it in

[YaaJ]

For the white marks, I tested a few automotive sprays for plastics rejuvenating. Works. More or less. Depends on the product. One of them worked really well. I imagine these products contain some solvents. Definitely worth testing, if some sprey is by hand. But wouldn't use one containing silicone.

[ken226]

I use the same method GalvanicGlaze mentioned above.  A little butane torch I picked up for 6$ at a gas station. It takes a few seconds and works great.

 

 

[mvdveer]

7 hours ago, ken226 said:

A little butane torch

That butane torch is like speedy gonzales,

I have been using a small heat gun purchased on Amazon for $AUD10 with good effect - not as fast though!

 

[YaaJ]

Today I wanted to get rid of the white marks on textured surfaces.

Had a wire brush by hand, the one that came with the LDO Voron 2.4 kit.

It is magic. No smell, no chemistry, no flame ! Worked instantly on all the parts, with a gorgeous shiny sparkling surface finish..

Also tested on parts printed on smooth PEI. Results are not as good, but it also works : have to brush along the lines, meaning that it will not be very efficient if the first layer was printed with a concentric pattern.

This being said, I probably reinvented the wheel (one of my hobbies). Been printing on textured PEI very recently.

 

[mvdveer]

3 hours ago, YaaJ said:

Been printing on textured PEI very recently

I have gone off textured surfaces. I find with Voron Tap, I get a more consistent first layer across the smooth plate, than I would with a textured surface. Remember the days we printed on glass? I know a lot still do. 

 

3 hours ago, YaaJ said:

I probably reinvented the wheel (one of my hobbies)

That's what this hobby is all about, isn't it

[claudermilk]

I've run into the same. Printing on textured, and even Tap is a little less consistent with that. What are you gonna do? 

So, @YaaJ, what kind of wire brush? I have several parts I've printed that I've been reluctant to hit with the heat gun because they are rather thin. I am worried that I'll get warpage and shrinkage doing that which will turn them into trash.

[YaaJ]

Just the brass wire brushes we use for nozzle cleaning.

(this being said, I don't use wire brushes for nozzles anymore because they ruin the nozzles : been using cheap toothbrushes for a couple of years)

I'm about to print a pair of symmetrical parts (v2.4 X carriage) : will post a before/after picture, side by side, same lightings, with the brushes. Hopefully I can show the difference, black being the most difficult "color".

[YaaJ]

The result after brusing 10 seconds. One can see I was holding the part by its left lower corner.