Additive manufacturing post-processing: Finish what the printer started

Yes. The wet blast slurry is a pressurised liquid, which means it flows into and through complex internal channels rather than compacting material within them. When the slurry exits the channel, it is visible - providing a direct, physical confirmation that the channel is clear. This is a reliable and repeatable method of depowdering that dry blasting and chemical processes cannot replicate with the same confidence.

Wet blasting suits titanium because the abrasive and the removed material stay suspended in water, so no combustible dust cloud forms and there is no static discharge to ignite one. Dry blasting titanium requires explosion-protected equipment and strict controls. Fines collected by the filtration system should be kept wet and disposed of in line with NFPA 484 or your local requirements: see our guide to health and safety in wet blasting.

This depends on the material, the AM process, and the media selected. DMLS metal parts typically have as-printed Ra values of 15 to 20 microns. Wet blasting can reduce surface roughness significantly and achieve Ra values below 1.6 microns on metal AM components. Vapormatt's R&D facility, equipped with an Alicona surface measurement system, can quantify achievable Ra values on your specific material and geometry through a sample processing programme before machine investment.

Yes. Vapormatt machines are in daily use at aerospace OEMs and medical implant manufacturers operating under AS9100, ISO 13485 and customer-specific specifications. The machine supports your validated process: repeatable slurry delivery and Vapormatt 4.0 digital monitoring give you the documented process data an audit requires. Certification remains yours, against your own process.

Yes. Wet blasting can complete powder removal, surface finishing to a target Ra, and surface preparation for coating or bonding in a single operation. For AM tools or components requiring both surface finishing and coating pre-treatment, this multi-stage capability reduces handling time, eliminates transfer between separate processes, and lowers the risk of inter-process contamination.

No. Vapor blasting (wet blasting) is a mechanical process: a slurry of water and abrasive media cleans, depowders and finishes the part. Vapor smoothing is a chemical process: solvent vapour melts and reflows the outer surface of polymer parts such as SLS or MJF nylon. Vapor smoothing works on polymers only, doesn't clear powder from internal channels and adds no compressive stress. Wet blasting works on both metal and polymer AM parts. It's often used before vapor smoothing so the part goes in clean and powder-free.

Wet blasting removes very little material. The water cushions each impact, so it smooths layer lines and partially sintered particles without eroding edges or fine features. Pressure, media type, concentration and dwell time are all adjustable, so material removal can be kept within your tolerance. For critical dimensions, a sample processing trial will measure the effect on your own parts before you commit.

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No. Supports still need to come off by cutting, machining or wire EDM, as they do today. Once the supports are removed, wet blasting blends the witness marks they leave, clears any remaining powder and brings the whole surface to a consistent finish in the same operation.

It depends on the part's size and complexity, the material, the starting roughness and your target Ra. Simple parts can take minutes. Complex parts with long internal channels take longer, because every channel must run clear. A sample processing trial on your own parts will give you real cycle times to base your production planning and ROI on.

Media choice depends on your material and the finish you need, and Vapormatt machines run all the common types without modification. As general starting points:

• Glass bead: a smooth satin finish on titanium and Inconel.
• Aluminium oxide: more aggressive roughness reduction and coating preparation.
• Softer or finer media: polymer parts.
• Non-ferrous media: for titanium and medical parts, to avoid contamination. Biocompatible calcium phosphate media is available for implants.

The best choice for your parts is confirmed during a sample processing trial.

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Learn more about wet blast media

Yes. Manual machines such as the Vapormate and Puma suit R&D, trials and lower volumes. The Puma+ automatic machine delivers consistent, repeatable batch processing, with a barrel option for tumbling batches of small polymer parts. Parameters proven on a manual machine transfer directly to automatic production, and Vapormatt 4.0 digital monitoring records the process data regulated industries need.

Vapormatt machines use a closed-loop system as standard. Filtration captures removed powder and worn media, while good media and the water are recirculated. Because the powder is held in water, it never becomes airborne. Collected residue should be handled according to your material's safety requirements, particularly reactive metal fines such as titanium. See our health and safety guide for more.

Cost depends on the machine size, the level of automation and your options, so we quote for your specific application. Payback typically comes from:

• Fewer process steps: depowdering, finishing and coating prep happen in one operation.
• Less secondary machining: in our Anubis 3D case study, wet blasting removed the need to finish DMLS parts on a CNC machine.
• No explosion-proof equipment: you avoid the cost of explosion-proof dry blasting kit.
• Fewer rejects: a controlled, repeatable finish means fewer rejected parts.

Talk to us for a quote and ROI estimate based on your parts

Dry blasting delivers force without control. The absence of water means no cushioning effect, no lubrication between media and surface, and a genuine risk of media embedment in the component. On titanium, it carries an additional hazard. Fine titanium powder is a combustible dust, and dry blasting generates both the airborne cloud and the static discharge that can ignite it. It can be done safely, but only with explosion-protected equipment and strict controls under standards such as NFPA 484, DSEAR and ATEX, which add cost and complexity. Dry blasting also struggles to clear internal channels reliably. In our Anubis 3D case study, dry blast residue settled on top of powder already trapped inside the channels. It is possible to compact loose powder further into a channel rather than remove it, creating a blockage with no visible indication of the problem.

These processes can achieve low Ra values on external surfaces. Treating specific surface regions selectively requires masking, which adds cost and process steps. They require hazardous chemistry and the associated handling, storage, and disposal costs, and they provide no compressive stress benefit. For parts with complex internal geometry, uniformity of treatment is difficult to verify and difficult to achieve.

Effective for simple external geometries and batch processing of small polymer parts. The media flow cannot reliably reach and treat complex internal channels. It delivers no controlled, measurable peening intensity. And for high-value, low-volume metal components, batch processing introduces the risk of part-on-part contact damage.