Removing the stuff that holds 3D printed parts

Aircraft Painting & Markings
1

Any useful tools & tips to remove the stuff that holds the 3d printed parts?

2

you can use hot water to ease removal, otherwise carefully with snips

3

I use nippers and a hobby knife, the remainder is easy to sand off.

4

I use an ultrasonic knife that I got off Amazon.

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5

The joints are usually so tiny they easily snap off cleanly without any stubble left.

:grinning_face: :canada:

6

Don’t be overly hasty when removing and disposing of excess print material and/or packaging — could contain very tiny parts which can be mistaken for waste.. … Ask me how I know. :man_facepalming:

—mike :hammer_and_wrench:

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7

Thank you for all your answers. So I get, there is no “the tool to…” or a famous “set for”?

8

I used my side-cutter and a hobby knife but they are really good only when the 3D print holders are placed in areas which will be hidden after the kit assembled. When outside and visible, than those tiny joints left after cutting look nasty to me.

Did not try the hot water melting method yet but I can believe that would do a much cleaner separation.

9

Bear in mind resin can soften and warp in hot water!

Careful work with sprue nippers or a sharp knife does it for me. Sometimes it takes a two-stage approach, cutting the supports far from where they touch the part, then nipping off the remaining stub after..

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10

I would tend to clear any fragile area’s first of all, cut all the supports away too to stop those hitting and breaking the finer parts as you remove them. Just assess each part and try to work from the weakest parts first before diving in to cut the main body free, its easy to break off or lose the small parts when the bulk of the item breaks free of the support.

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11

yeah, I was working for the first time on my vacation in France with 3D parts (for a Mirage 2000D) and sometimes, the supports are dangerously close to the part, one time I did break the part itself but the company did issue 3 of those very small parts in the package as they seem to know that a) they can break and b) losing them happens… but I am stunned by the magnificent detail they have and I always hated the old resin stuff because of the huge and extremely sturdy supports one had to get rid off.
Thanks for all your advice!

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