Surface-treatment method for rapid-manufactured three-dimensional objects

A method for forming a surface-treated, three-dimensional object, the method comprising:

• building at least a portion of a three-dimensional object from a thermoplastic material with a layer-by-layer, rapid manufacturing technique, the three-dimensional object having an exterior surface that includes surface effects due to the layer-by-layer, rapid manufacturing technique;
• placing the built three-dimensional object in a vapor smoothing chamber;
• vapor smoothing the exterior surface with a solvent-based vapor smoothing process in the vapor smoothing chamber to reduce or eliminate the surface effects;
• monitoring a specular diffusivity of the exterior surface;
• discontinuing the vapor smoothing process when the specular diffusivity of the exterior surface reaches a first predetermined level, wherein the resulting smoothed three-dimensional object has a solvent-smoothed exterior surface with a higher glossiness than the exterior surface prior to the vapor smoothing step;
• placing the smoothed three-dimensional object in a media blasting system;
• media blasting at least a portion of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface while the smoothed three-dimensional object is disposed in the media blasting system;
• monitoring a specular diffusivity of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface;
• and
• discontinuing the media blasting when the specular diffusivity of the smoothed exterior surface reaches a second predetermined level, wherein the burnished exterior surface has a lower glossiness than the solvent-smoothed exterior surface prior to the media blasting step.

A method for forming a surface-treated, three-dimensional object, the method comprising:

• providing a three-dimensional object at least partially built with a layer-by-layer, rapid manufacturing technique using a thermoplastic material, the three-dimensional object having an exterior surface that includes surface effects due to the layer-by-layer, rapid manufacturing technique;
• placing the three-dimensional object in a vapor smoothing chamber;
• reducing or eliminating the surface effects of the exterior surface with a solvent-based, vapor smoothing process in the vapor smoothing chamber to provide a solvent-smoothed exterior surface having a higher glossiness than the exterior surface prior to the solvent-based, vapor smoothing process;
• monitoring a specular diffusivity of the exterior surface during the solvent-based, vapor smoothing process;
• discontinuing the vapor smoothing process when the specular diffusivity of the exterior surface reaches a first predetermined level, wherein the resulting smoothed three-dimensional object has a solvent-smoothed exterior surface with a higher glossiness than the exterior surface prior to the vapor smoothing step;
• media blasting at least a portion of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface;
• monitoring a specular diffusivity of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface during the media blasting step;
• and
• discontinuing the media blasting when the specular diffusivity of the solvent-smoothed exterior surface reaches a second predetermined level, wherein the burnished exterior surface has a lower glossiness than the solvent-smoothed exterior surface prior to the media blasting step.