Proper cleaning / steel colors

Hi Shapeways team,

I have two issues with the latest couples of 3D print orders I have made.... which were a collection of men's rings.

1) I have ordered various different ring designs in stainless steel, Polished Bronze steel and matte black steel. Almost all of the rings were improperly cleaned. Small stones were sitting all ofer the products. A special pointy tool was required to move the stones. First of all many potential clients won't have such a pointy strong tool at hand which can remove the stones. 2nd the customers should not be asked to clean their products themselves. 3rd som stones are so hard to get out that one could be afraid to damage the product with the tool used for removing the stones. I would GLADLY pay an extra 1$ or even $2 to have the products properly cleaned. Shapeways prodly talks about (in the annual report) how many hands a product is passing until it reaches the buyer. However some of the last set of hands (and eyes) should make sure that the customer is receiving a quality product properly cleaned.

2) The stainless steel product I have received varies a LOT in colors. I have received some successful products that have the real stainles steel color... however many of the steel prints vary from quite yellow to normal stainless steel (NO yellow). What is the reason for the steel products to vary so much in color that you can never be sure if the product you receive is yellow or steel grey???

Mike

1. Do you have one product left in that condition with stones ? Land take a photo of it and land it to service@shapeways.com

2. Steel it is infused with bronze and vary in color due that bronze ...

Many of the 3D prints I have received in steel (about 1/2 of them) looks like this when I receive them!

Mike

OMG!

We are seriously talking about 1/2 the prints I have received looks like this... I can't expect a customer to receive a product like this and then they have to clean it. I would say some part of the EXIT team (before shipment team) seriously needs to quality control the cleaning to prevent this from happening. I can't understand how Shapeways can ship products like this. Then they should charge more money and then deliver a properly cleaned products. Nobody can run a shop if this is what the customers are receiving!

Mike

Both problems are mentioned on the materials page for steel, but the color variation really REALLY needs pictures that show the expected range of variation (for both the plain infused material and the gray-to-black finish) , and the stuck polishing material looks a bit excessive. What is the dimension of the detail features trapping them ?

The details that are entrapping the polishing material is about 1,0 mm for most of my designs where this has happened. However one design had even quite more space in the details but still entrapping the polishing material. Since the designs are printable and has gone to final products I don't think it is fair to ask designers to change their designs to more rough details. It is fair to say it should leave the Shapeways factory completely cleaned... and then shapeways asking a few more bucks for cleaning properly. I'd be happe to pay more for products that I can sell with good knowledge that my customers are receiving a properly cleaned product. Otherwise they will think this Shapeways business is not serious business if they will have to clean the products themselves. This may go for true Shapies but not for the general customer that we shop owners wants to attract!

Mike

Work with it. Call it, The Ring Of The Earth! HAHA!

Nah, just kidding. Perhaps you can increase the clearance a little to make it less likely that the polishing media will become lodged. I don't think Shapeways does any cleaning of the polishing media. This has been a known issue for years.

If I were Shapeways I wouldn't use that polishing media. I'd use something a lot larger and with a consistent size. Then I'd use something like a 400 grit abrasive to do the cutting. Or if I wanted to stick with that media I would switch to centrifugal barrel polishing machines rather than vibratory machines since they would be less likely to pound the media into crevices.

I had the same problem with some products I received yesterday. The cleaning wasn't really hard, I just used a sewing pin. I prefer to do it myself than to pay (indirectly) for manual labor of Shapeways employees.

I personally dropped Steel materials from my "jewellery" list and I`ll only use at the lowest , Raw Brass for rings that will look more antique / Polished brass for the whole precious family production.

Steel to me looks more for decorative arts , sculptures (that need manual polishing extensively and ever over paint ) , artistic door knobs ... other non "jewellery" stuff...

That it is the way I chose WSF Black Plastic as last resort material for fine things and prototyping . I rather have a failed WSF Black Plastic in my hand than ... a silver ring.

But that is I guess if you don't let your customers buy directly from Shapeways? Would you let your customers buy a non-cleaned product? Well as in any other matters there are individual opinions about this... BUT then I would appreciate if 'manual cleaning' was an option when buying!

Mike