Shapeways to introduce FXD (Frosted Exreme Detail).

[Mark W]

Ok, the new product showcase looks a lot more impressive than the desk from earlier. 

[peteski]

Ah, the giant fingertip trick! 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, now I want to see a nice cube. All 6 sides.

[tom mann]

It kinda torques me that they refer to this as "frosted", as if it is a selling point.

[peteski]

It kinda torques me that they refer to this as "frosted", as if it is a selling point.

. . . and yet, they show the item still covered in the waxy goo which makes it look anything but frosted.  Or maybe they sprayed those figures with clear lacquer?

[sirenwerks]

I kinda like that finish.  It may work well to print vehicles as a solid, so you don't have to worry about adding the windshield and windows later.  Especially if you do the interior as a relief that you can paint from the underside.

[peteski]

Bryan (ESM) mentioned that the White Tower building he sells is printed sing the same technology.  Here is what the surface looks like after washing the waxy substance away.   Frosty!

[Chris333]

So could Bryan now put the White Tower up on Shapeways?

[C855B]

I just ordered a couple of shells in FXD; projected ship is 5/7. Fingers crossed.

As far as their astronaut figure as a sample... I tend to discount organic shapes or random art objects as representative of the quality of the process. You usually can't tell what is intentional and what is a printing artifact. Test pieces like this one, which you can no longer order, are better gauges.

[lashedup]

Will be interested to see what results you guys get from this newer print, particularly on something you previously printed the "old" way.

[peteski]

So could Bryan now put the White Tower up on Shapeways?

I have my doubts. To Quote Bryan (from the first page post) "However, orientation still matters.  So if they aren't offering the choice of orientation, the results still will be hit and miss." 

[tom mann]

I kinda like that finish.  It may work well to print vehicles as a solid, so you don't have to worry about adding the windshield and windows later.  Especially if you do the interior as a relief that you can paint from the underside.

But once you clean off the wax to prep the part for painting, the part becomes solid white. 

[peteski]

But once you clean off the wax to prep the part for painting, the part becomes solid white.

Painting the cleaned part with a clear gloss lacquer should make it translucent again.

[sirenwerks]

Painting the cleaned part with a clear gloss lacquer should make it translucent again.

Do we have proof of that theory?

[peteski]

Do we have proof of that theory?

I have not done that personally but if you take any transparent or translucent object which has a frosted surface and you wet it, the object becomes less frosted.  For I had some 5mm LEDs. They are encapsulated in a clear resin case. I had to file down the case. Filing them down frosts the clear surface. Painting that frosted-looking surface with some clear nail polish partially restores the transparency.