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Afinia H479 3D printer post-print cleanup (images)

The included perfboard ensures that your prints will stick to the build platform, but cleanup afterward is usually necessary.

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Rich Brown
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1 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Fresh from the printer

This print, the Knife Assistant by Thingiverse user ThePlanetMike, is designed to make it easier for those with weak hands to use a chef's knife.
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2 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Safety first

The perfboard almost guarantees that your prints will stick to the build platform. The consequence is that you need tools to remove the object and clean it up. The gloves and scraper, thankfully, are included with the printer.
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3 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Raft not necessary

Because it has a large, flat surface already, this print probably doesn't need a raft, the layer of extra material at the base of the Knife Assistant. I printed one anyway for the purpose of this demonstration.
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4 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Raft underside

Here you can see the tiny posts that fill the perfboard and help keep your objects in place during printing.
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5 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

A start

You can remove some of the extra material with your fingers, but not all of it.
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6 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Knife time

Here's everything I couldn't remove by hand.
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7 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

X-Acto works well

The included X-Acto knife handles the fine removal well enough, but you need to be careful not to remove material from the object itself. Gloves are also recommended here.
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8 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

All clean

Knife Assistant, post-cleanup. For a better finish, you can sand the object, buff it, or brush it with acetone.
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9 of 9 Sarah Tew/CNET

Ready to use

Total cleanup time for this object was about 5 minutes. Larger objects take longer, obviously. Thin or otherwise fragile objects can also present a challenge.

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