Additive Post-Processing Services
Many manufacturers don’t offer post-processing services for the parts they produce – or severely limit your finishing and assembly options. We offer a comprehensive set of finishing services that can be customized to meet your needs and the capacity to get it done quickly and efficiently. How can we help you?
Got a special request? Bring it on! Talk to our experts about your needs now.
No More Compromises.
Get Exactly What You Need!
Our finishing and assembly services will skyrocket your parts to production quality for a complete and finished look. We offer complete finishing and final assembly services in-house—creating turnkey finishing services that are flexible, quality-driven and cost-efficient.
- Fully finished parts include the following:
- Painting single stage and base coat/clear coat
- In-house color-matching and paint mixing using the Sikkens system
- Adding textures
- Applying graphics and labels
- Resin impregnating
- Final trimming and machining
- Assembling, including embedded electronic components, threaded inserts and more
Model Car // This model was printed entirely using our in-house additive technologies and finished by hand by our Fathom post-processing division.
A Commitment to Craftsmanship
Our craftsmen and women go the extra mile to ensure that all your post-processing and finishing needs are met, quickly and efficiently, at the level of quality you expect.
During the last 20 years, the range of services they provide has expanded to meet a growing range of non-traditional customer needs. For example, they have built fiberglass layup body panels for prototype farm tractors, sleek landing light assemblies for private jets and much more.
Bring us your unique finishing and post-processing needs. We’ll work with you to figure out the best way to meet them – or alternate methods that can help you achieve a similar end result at a cost-effective rate. We’re problem-solvers!
You can count on Fathom to offer turnkey solutions to meet your custom requirements. We’ll tailor a solution to your specific needs, time constraints and budget.
Benefits of Fathom’s Post-Processing Services
Why utilize Fathom’s high-quality post-processing services to enhance your 3D-printed parts? Here some valuable benefits:
A Cut Above the Rest // You won’t find this level of post-processing craftsmanship anywhere else. We have decades of experience finishing and assembling parts to meet our customers’ strict requirements.
Engineering Insights // As part of our DFM process, our experienced engineers can walk you through finishing options to help you select the approach that delivers the best results.
Simplify Your Supply Chain // Having us handle these steps in-house saves our customers time and money. Why dedicate precious factory space to finishing your parts when we can do it for you?
Only From Fathom // Many of our competitors don’t offer post-processing and finishing services. They prefer “print and ship” additive projects. We’re committed to meeting your needs, from design and prototyping to production and post-production.
Available Post-Processing Services
Sanding
Sanding is used to remove material left over from support structures and to remove layer lines that may appear on the surface of some 3D-printed parts.
Vapor Smoothing
AMT’s PostPro3D technology is a smart and automated post-processing solution for smoothing thermoplastic polymer 3D-printed parts. It provides a smooth finish that makes it easier to paint, coat or dye parts. It can also eliminate surface porosity and enhance their mechanical performance.
Coating
Coatings can provide corrosion resistance, enhanced adhesion qualities, surface protection, as well as improved visual and aesthetic properties.
Polishing
Certain types of 3D-printed parts can be processed in a tumbler with abrasive media to provide a smooth, highly polished finish.
Painting
Many types of 3D-printed parts can be primed and painted in a variety of colors to match your needs. Depending upon the additive technology used to build the parts, cleaning and surface preparation may be required before painting.
Dye
Dyeing is a preferred finishing method for complex part geometries where painting may be impractical. In this post-processing method, parts are submerged in a water-based, colored dye, which is absorbed into the surface of the material.
Plating
Electroplating can significantly boost the tensile strength of 3D-printed parts, making them almost as strong as metal parts.
Decals
Press-on, adhesive decals can be used to add company logos, safety warnings and other graphic treatments to your 3D-printed parts.
Pad Printing
Pad printing uses an etched pad coated with a thin layer of ink and a flexible silicone pad to transfer a design from the etched design onto the surface of a part. It’s often used to add labels, logos and other simple information to the surface of parts.
Machining
Post-machining may be used for applications where a part must meet tolerances that are tighter than 3D printing can support. The part is first designed with a machinable surface that is slightly larger than needed. It is then machined to achieve the desired size and tolerance.
Inserts
Often, 3D-printed parts are assembled with other components. To attach them, threaded inserts are often added to 3D-printed parts during post-processing. These may be heat staked or press fit into the part at the desired location and depth.
Assembly
In addition to 3D printing your parts, Fathom can assemble them for you, saving you valuable time and labor.
Case Studies //
Conformal Cooling
A leader in industrial closures and packaging components was having assembly issues in the field due to warping of a particular part feature, which limited its functionality. Fathom identified the source of the issue and engineered a solution using DMLS and CNC machining post-processing to deliver results that saved the customer valuable time and money.
VSi Parylene
When Fathom’s Denver location built a stylish enclosure for VSi’s new vapor deposition machine, it not only condensed its product development cycle in half, but also provided extensive post-processing services, including sanding and grinding, powder coating, screen printing and mechanical assembly.
Post-Processing Services
by Additive Technology
Here’s a breakdown of the post-processing and finishing services we provide for each of the seven additive technologies we offer.
| PolyJet | FDM | SLS | MJF | SLA | STEP | DMLS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanding | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tumbling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Media Blasting Options // Glass bead, AL Oxide 100g, steel shot (shot peen) |
✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Vapor Smoothing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Polishing | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Electrochemical Polishing | ✔ | ||||||
| Painting | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Coating | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dye | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Plating | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Decals | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Pad Printing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Screen Printing | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Inserts Press-fit only for PolyJet and SLA; no heat inserts for PolyJet |
✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Machining | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Assembly | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Abrasive Flow Machining (Extrude Hone) | ✔ | ||||||
| Heat Treating | ✔ | ||||||
| Passivation | ✔ | ||||||
| Hot Isostatic Pressing | ✔ |
Talk to an Expert
It’s time to stop compromising. Why not get your parts finished the way you want? Our craftspeople are ready to meet your post-processing needs.
