In the increasingly mature 3D printing technology today, wood wire as an innovative printing material, because of its unique wood texture and environmental characteristics have attracted wide attention. However, when using wood wire for 3D printing, the surface roughness of the printed part often becomes a big problem that puzzles users. This article will discuss the causes of rough surface of wood wire printing parts, and provide several effective solutions.

First of all, we need to understand the main reasons that lead to the rough surface of the printed part. The roughness of the print surface is usually caused by the following factors:

Material issues: wood filament is usually made of wood fiber mixed with plastic substrate, uneven distribution of fibers in the material or high water content can lead to irregular extrusion during the printing process, which can affect the surface finish.

Setting of printing parameters: the setting of printing speed, temperature and layer height parameters has a direct impact on the print quality. For example, printing too fast can cause the material to fail to melt and cool sufficiently, resulting in a rough surface.

Equipment problems: The accuracy and maintenance status of the 3D printer will also affect the printing effect. Problems such as blocked or worn nozzles and uneven worktables can lead to rough surfaces.

For the above reasons, we can take the following methods to solve the problem of rough surface of wood wire printing parts:

Material handling: Before using wood wire, ensure that the material is dry. The wire can be dried by placing it in a drying oven to reduce the moisture in the material and improve printing stability. In addition, the selection of wire with good quality and uniform fiber distribution is also the basis for ensuring print quality. For example, the wood wire introduced by a well-known 3D printing material supplier controls the fiber distribution through a special process, which greatly improves the surface finish of the printed part.

Optimize printing parameters: Reasonable setting of printing parameters is the key to improve surface roughness. First of all, the printing speed should be properly reduced to ensure that each layer of material has enough time to melt and cool. Secondly, adjust the printing temperature according to the characteristics of the wire used, and it is generally recommended to set the temperature between 190 ° C and 210 ° C. At the same time, reducing the height of the layer (such as from 0.2mm to 0.1mm) can make the transition between layers smoother, thus improving the surface finish. In a practical test, a user successfully reduced the surface roughness of the print by 30% by reducing the print speed from 60mm/s to 40mm/s and adjusting the height of the print from 0.2mm to 0.15mm.

Equipment maintenance and calibration: The 3D printer is regularly maintained and calibrated to ensure that the equipment is in optimal working condition. Specific measures include cleaning the nozzle, calibrating the level of the table, adjusting the distance between the nozzle and the table. In addition, the use of high-quality printing supplies can also reduce the surface roughness caused by material problems. For example, one 3D printing studio significantly improved the overall quality of its prints by fully maintaining and calibrating its equipment on a regular monthly basis.

Post-processing: For rough surfaces that have been printed, they can be further improved by post-processing. Common methods include sandpaper grinding, acetone steam smoothing, PLA polishing liquid treatment. Among them, sandpaper grinding is suitable for removing large particles and obvious unevenness; Acetone vapor smoothing is mainly used for ABS materials, which can quickly dissolve surface defects; PLA polishing liquid is suitable for PLA material, which makes the surface smoother by chemical reaction. For example, after a designer finishes a wood wire printed artwork, he uses 800 mesh sandpaper for fine polishing, and then deals with PLA polishing liquid to finally make the surface of the work appear smooth as a mirror.

In summary, through reasonable selection and treatment of printing materials, optimization of printing parameters, strengthening equipment maintenance and effective post-processing, the problem of rough surface of wood wire printing in 3D printing can be significantly improved. With the continuous progress of 3D printing technology and the continuous optimization of materials, it is believed that there will be more breakthroughs in the application of wood wire in the future, bringing higher quality printing experience to users.