WSF (White, Strong & Flexible) Polished



  Click to better see the polished shine
  Click to enlarge
Chain Maille by stop4stuff
  Click to better see the polished shine

  Click to see SLS (left) vs. Polished SLS (right)
iPhone Cases by C Westbrook Designs

"With the new smooth finish, White Strong & Flexible material has the same feel as a molded plastic part.  It doesn't feel like a 'prototype' anymore and the smooth surface stands up much better to daily use." -Jessica Rosenkrantz, Nervous System

"The quality exceeds my expectation! It feels the same as injection moulded nylon, like for example the plastic part of a car key...With this quality level it makes the product perfect for selling in a store... I am really enthusiastic about this new SLS treatment!"-- Gijs de Zwart, studiogijs

"The finish is silky smooth, and even gives glints of reflections! The surface feels almost as if the model has been injection molded...My wife has just has a feel of the polished SLS, she says, Ooo... they feel like Mentos!" -- Paul King, Stop4stuff

We even have a video testimonial.. from Oskar van Deventer, Oskar Puzzles

Lead time & price

  • Price $0.25/cm3 extra (in addition to WSF, bringing the total price to $1.50 startup + $1.75/cm3) 
  • Lead Time: 14 business days

Polishing Process

After printing the White, Strong & Flexible parts, we put the parts destined to be polished inside a vibratory tumbler. Inside, little bead-like media rubs against the plastic parts very quickly. Soap and water are also added to prevent too much abrasion. The vibrations are quick, but gentle. You can even stick your hand in the tumbler while the tumbler is running. These beads polish the parts from all sides, ensuring a smooth and even finish. The entire process can take around 5 hours, and sometimes can take multiple iterations.

We are currently still experiment with different types of media. So far, we've been pleased with the results, but as we experiment more, our results will get even better!

Design Rules

Minimum wall thickness: 0.7 mm
Minimum detail: 0.2 mm
Minimum wire supports/sprues: 1.5-2 mm (see below)
Interlocking parts: OK
Maximum bounding box: 150x150x150 mm
Minimum bounding box: 10x10x2 mm

Fragility: If you can apply a bit of pressure and break your strong & flexible piece, then it will probably break in the polishing process. If you apply a bit of pressure and bend, but do not break your piece, then it will survive the process. As you can see from above, some fairly thin frames have been polished just dandy.

Details: details will be a bit faded, and the upper most surface (so far with our tests, up to .1 mm) can be rubbed off. See below for a comparison between the details on a 3D file, and details on a polished model.


  Click to enlarge picture


White Strong & Flexible Polished wires supporting larger items (eg sprues): When you have a thin wire supporting a larger item, try making the wire at least 1.5-2mm thick for White Strong & Flexible Polished

When designing for WSFP, try to avoid support larger masses with small wires.  This is the helicopter problem, where the propellers are supported by a tiny wire that connects to the body of the helicopter.

Why? When put in the polishing machine, it is very easy for these types of structures to snap.


Suggestions? We recommend making the base supporting wire thicker. Right now, it looks like things around 1.5-2 mm would be strong, but we will be making some tests so to get a better understanding of what the ratio should be.

Thanks for your input and understanding as we refine these processes to ensure we can produce your designs reliably, at the highest quality detail.


All rules for White Strong & Flexible still apply. 

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Quick Info about WSF Polished

Min Wall: 0.7 mm
Min Detail: 0.2 mm (sharp corners will be rounded slightly)
Max Bounding Box: 15 x 15 x 15 cm
Min Bounding Box: 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.07 cm
Interlock Parts: OK
Accuracy: up to 0.1 mm can be shaved off (we're still experimenting on this)
Lead Time: 14 business days
Pricing: $1.50 startup + $1.75/cm3

Rule of thumb on fragility of parts is: if you can bend your model in White Strong & Flexible without breaking, then your part will survive the polishing process. If you apply a little pressure and your part snaps, then your part will not survive.