When printing models with a 3D printer, it seems that the part you need to pay the most attention to at the very end is surface finishing.
For models printed via FDM, if printed in materials like ABS, finishing can be done with sandpaper, but with PLA, sanding is difficult, making post-processing ultimately challenging.
Also, while models printed with resin can be easily tidied up with sandpaper, ultimately you have to apply a sealer, paint, and finish coat... which involves a lot of work in various ways.
However, depending on the situation, there are times when you want to be satisfied with the printed result without worrying about post-processing due to time or cost.. In the past, this would have been difficult, but with recent advances in high-speed printing and print quality, even FDM results can be finished beautifully by utilizing the characteristics of the filament and the Fuzzy Skin feature introduced today.
For the Creality K1 printer you are currently using, Fuzzy Skin can be activated in the dedicated slicer, Creality Slicer, via "Experimental" -> "Fuzzy Skin".
It is recommended to activate Advanced as much as possible.
Activating this content and slicing it results in the surface moving in a bumpy texture, as shown below, allowing you to see the Gcode being created.
Of course, it takes more time than just printing, but depending on the shape, you can get a very satisfying surface if you use it well.
Below is the difference between printing with simple output and when Fuzzy Skin is activated. The difference is very large. Especially when using glossy filaments that have Silk characteristics, the surface effect looked even more like post-processing, which was very satisfying.
Additionally, options to adjust the distance of surface bumps or features that print only the exterior are provided, so you can configure them according to your needs.
For the full review and experience, please refer to the YouTube video below.
Admittedly, the Creality K1 printer has quite a few shortcomings compared to the printing features they initially introduced, and there is even more regret, especially regarding the insufficient surface Z-axis finish.. However, if they utilize the Creality Slicer to find tips like this, it seems to be a printer that can be used quite satisfactorily.
Thanks to this, I am enjoying creating the product. I will share another fun tip in my next opportunity.
Printer Used
K1 : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DClnq3h
Filament Used
Creality Hyper PLA : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFg64z5
eSun PLA + : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DClnq3h