3D Printed Things

Due to the nature of products created using a 3D printer, you are going to get some artifacts and imperfections. Products are designed, printers calibrated and quality control are in place to minimise these but they are unavoidable. Depending on the material, some of these artifacts are more prominent, glossy and shiney finishes for example.

3D printed items are made by depositing a thin layer of plastic on top of the previos layer. This means you will see 'layer lines' some materials hide this better than others and for different reasons. Another issue that is impossible to hide is where the outside surface you see is started and you might see a little 'zit' or 'scar' or 'bubble'. Finally, the top and bottom layers are also visible and these can have visible lines.

Below are some exteme examples of some of the issues. Please note that these images have been lit to make the issue much more visible. Very few objects are designed to be used or inspected close up in general use, so please refer to product images for a better understanding of what the actual piece will look like.