Spectacular results with Smartfil GLACE filament

“3D smart materials” or whatever “Smartfil” is a brand of Spanish origin, which presents itself to us with a wide range of different filaments both in terms of characteristics and colour.

One of the Smartfil filaments is the GLACE filament, which is part of the category of special filaments and has characteristics that make it usable in different areas. It is a filament with excellent mechanical characteristics, similar to ABS filament, but with greater impact resistance, and what is most interesting and spectacular are the results that can be obtained by printing with this filament.

GLACE filament by Smartfil it is found in only one color shade and that is NATURAL, a slightly transparent shade of white, therefore the printed piece also has a white, opaque and slightly transparent surface, but by working the piece it can become completely transparent.

Let's see what the process is by which the piece must be finished to achieve a completely transparent surface.

After the part has been printed, it must be finished and treated with alcohol, which depending on the amount and how it is applied will generate different results.

For a completely transparent surface the piece must be treated with alcohol on both sides (inside/outside). The alcohol must have a concentration above 70%, the higher the concentration of the alcohol, the faster the transparency process will be.

The printed part can be completely immersed in alcohol and then left to dry, but it must be taken into account that this method is very aggressive, if the alcohol penetrates deep into the part, this can alter the geometry of the part.

Another method of treatment with alcohol is by evaporation, you can insert the piece into a container, together with a wipe soaked in alcohol, taking care that the two components do not come into contact, then close the container and let the alcohol vapors act on the piece until the desired result is obtained. After the piece has reached the desired transparency, it is removed from the container and left to air dry. Don't be afraid if the piece has softened a little due to the alcohol, once dried it will return to its normal state.

So the Smartfil GLACE filament offers us two options for finishing the piece, it can be perfect in product design applications and beyond.

Watch the video below where the entire process described above is completed.