Like ironing clothes, ironing for 3D printing involves using heat to smooth out a surface. This is achieved on a 3D printer by moving the nozzle back and forth over the top layer.
Some 3D prints may need a perfect top layer to add a better look to it. Then the ironing feature can come in handy. You can enable this feature in your slicer, like Simplify3D or Cura.
The ironing feature is most suitable for flat objects, like nameplates for example. Note that it takes more time to finish a 3D print when you use this feature.
You may think, i always want that! But that’s not recommended. When you 3D print curved models, it has no point to turn the ironing feature on. The ironing feature is most suitable for flat objects, like nameplates for example. Note that it takes more time to finish a 3D print when you use this feature.
How an ironed surface can look like
So ironing is a nice feature when it comes to flat objects, like nameplates. But for a lot of models, it only takes a lot of time with not much result. Want to know more? Then check out my YouTube channel about 3D printing by clicking the button below. Thank you!