Almost any project should include automotive primer, don’t limit yourself to “3D printing” labeled materials. Once you have vapor treated, sanded, and or coated your model with epoxy or resin, you’re ready to paint. What paint can you use on 3D printed objects? … For FDM printers, when painting PLA or ABS 3D prints with large layer heights, sanding the entire model might be necessary before painting to make sure that that the layer lines aren’t visible. The goal of priming is to create a pristine print surface before painting. MakerBot PLA Filament is easily painted with cellulose spray paints or oil paints, though acrylic paints are considered to be the best choice.ĭo you need to prime PLA before painting? For best results, choose a primer and paint that are plastic compatible and from the same brand. Brush-on primers are available, but they are tricky to work with and better for fine touch ups. We would love to see what results you get, please post them below.Likewise, Can you paint on 3D printed objects?Ī spray-on primer is the best way to paint your printed parts because it quickly covers a surface with an even coating. The finished result with dark areas in the recesses and the silver metallic paint on exposed surfaces. You can leave this looking a bit weathered and messy (we like this look), or you can clean it up a bit more to achieve a more polished finish. The final result with the black paint removed from surface areas but remaining in the recesses. Recessed areas painted black and immediately wiped off with a rag and some thinner You may need to use paint thinner and work quite fast to avoid the black paint drying in areas you don’t want it. We painted all the recessed areas with black enamel paint then, while still wet, immediately wiped off the black paint from the surface areas with a rag. The next step is optional, but makes a big difference to the look of the model if you are going for a convincing look. You can easily move the model to a corner of your workshop to dry without making a mess of the wet paintwork. This is also where the cardboard box comes in handy. Some patience here and building up little by little will really improve your results.
Also make sure you spray from different angles to get coverage in all the corners and recesses. For best results, apply multiple thin coats with a spray can, and do not allow paint drips to form. Once you are happy that you have taken care of any rough spots, holes and blemishes, time to apply the top coats. Primed with white base coat Further touch up, primer coat makes any flaws more visible Ready for top coat
If you are applying filler, make sure it dries properly and give it a sand with some fine-grade sandpaper. We were short of model filler, but had some decorator’s filler lying around. Now is the time to sort any issues out before applying the final paint coats.
You will find that the primer will make any imperfections in the model surface more visible. Using a cardboard box as a mini paint-shop.Īfter drying, sand down any rough spots or paint drips in the primer layer. The hook also let us turn the model to spray the other side without getting in a mess or leaving finger-prints on the paintwork. We also used a piece cut from a wire coat-hanger inserted through the top and formed into a hook to hang the model from during spraying. We cut a flap in a cardboard box to create an enclosed space to contain the spray-paint. Next, we prepared to spray a white base-coat. We did a bit of light sanding with a fine grade sand paper, but thanks to the high quality settings for the print, the amount of initial clean-up was minimal. Printed Clan MacKay crest Reverse of clan MacKay crest Clan MacKay crest showing comparative scale However, we are pressing ahead with our “chunky” version. Although we are happy with the result, for this model, the proportions would have looked even better if the model had been scaled so that it was proportionally thinner front-to-back. The material is a blue PLA filament and we used high quality setting to ensure a smooth surface.įirst thing to note here is that it often does not work to simply scale a model to create a larger version.
Clan Mackay crest printing on our Flashforge Creator Pro in blue PLA We started with our clan MacKay crest and scaled it up to print on our 3d printer. We thought we would walk you through the process we use to give plastic printed models a nice metallic finish.