New Post-Processing Options: Siraya Tech Aegis Coating Reaches EU and Other Regions

Siraya Tech’s Aegis surface coating system – a water-based polyurethane finish for FDM and resin prints – just got easier to buy. Quietly launched late last year in the U.S., this post processing solution largely slipped under the radar, getting no major coverage despite the surprising versatility that appears to be on offer.

The coating comes in two finishes – Clear (glossy) and Matte – and applies to your 3D prints by brush or, diluted with water, through an airbrush or spray gun. Bottles come in 500 g size for approximately $17 via Siraya Tech’s web store. The company claims the results can be likened to the look and feel of injection molded parts, leaving a non-tacky and durable coating.

According to the company, the liquid application itself is touch-dry in 20 to 30 minutes, though a full cure runs to 24 hours. Aegis is a little different from the epoxy-based clearcoat solutions on the market like XTC-3D, because there is no mixing, measuring, or working time required. On the other hand, XTC-3D fully cures in a few hours, not 24.

Why coat your prints? Well, besides achieving a controllable gloss or matte (or for the adventurous among you, satin, when you mix the two) finish, there’s a practical reason, particularly if you use carbon fiber and glass fiber composite filaments. Materials like PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PA-CF, TPU-GF and others have gone from specialty materials to reasonable consideration for routine printing over the past few years, driven in part by the popularization of hardened steel components, including nozzles, plus the affordable systems they ship on. That means a lot of hands exposed to a lot of stray fibers, with the potential to cause skin and, if sanding without PPE, respiratory irritation.