Chapter 13. Post-Processing Your Prints

People often claim 3D printers can “make you anything you can imagine.” Dial up the digital model you want, hit “Go,” and the machine hums to work, producing an object accurately and repeatably. But as an astute eight-year-old pointed out to me when I handed her two of my favorite printed models at Maker Faire Bay Area last year, the results don’t always match your intentions.

“That octopus is red! A TARDIS is not supposed to be yellow!” she wailed, and knocked my offerings away.

While overall shape and mechanical fit are valued more highly than surface ...

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