3D Printing Materials

VeroClear

At a glance

Process

Polyjet

Lead Time

24 hours (rush)2 days (standard)

Colors

Clear

Resolution

0.016 mm

Price

$$$

Applications

Light pipes and prototypes that need optical transparency

About the material

VeroClear (previously “Transparent”) is one of our quick-turn translucent materials, fabricated using Polyjet 3D printing technology. It works great to replicate clear parts or create light pipes which need to diffuse light over a distance. With a little elbow grease, we can also sand VeroClear parts to get a higher level of clarity through manual sanding and painting.

Material Properties

Tensile Strength

58 MPa (8400 PSI)

58 MPa (8400 PSI)

6%

Modulus of Elasticity

2200 MPa (320000 PSI)

Flexural Strength

58 MPa (8450 PSI)

Material Finish

VeroClear has a translucent finish. The part printed as-is prints clear enough that light and the shape of objects can be made when looking through the part, but is not ideal for glass-like clarity. This is a high resolution print, however, so you won’t see build lines when looking at the part directly on the surface that was printed laying flat on the print bed.

Sanding + Clear Coat for Increased Transparency

If you need slightly more transparency than what the standard print achieves, sanding the part and adding a clear coat will help. Here are the steps:

  1. Sand part using 180 grit sandpaper until build lines aren’t visible.
  2. Move to 400 grit sandpaper and sand again until surface become smoother.
  3. Move to 600 grit sandpaper and do a wet-sand until you start to see through clearly.
  4. Apply a Polyurethane Clear Coat layer and let dry for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Apply another Polyurethane Clear Coat and allow it to dry.
  6. Repeat steps 5 & 6 until desired transparency.

Waterclear Finish

If you need a waterclear part that resembles glass-like clarity, we recommend Acura Clearvue, a speciality 3D printing material we offer on request. Accura Clearvue is fabricated using SLA technology, which is then finished professionally to get a very clear finish.

Design Recommendations

Max Part Size [x, y, z]

490 x 390 x 200 mm
19.3 x 15.4 x 7.9 in

Min Clearance + Gaps for Fit

0.2 mm offset on each wall is the recommended gap for enclosures.

Min Wall Thickness

1 mm min

Internal Cavities

Internal cavities are highly discouraged with VeroClear due to the water-based support material that will swell and change the geometry overtime if left inside. Note that support material that has no direct line of sight inside a cavity cannot be cleaned out.

Threads & Inserts

For VeroClear, we recommend you use either press or heat inserts. For more information, check out our article on The Best Fasteners for 3D Printed Parts.

Text Guidelines

Text should be embossed by at least 1.0 mm to stay visible after printing. Text should also be at least 1.5 mm thick in all areas.

Tolerance

Tolerance for VeroClear is +/- 0.004”, or +/- 0.001” per inch, whichever is greater.

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