Design First, Not Technology
In today’s furnishing landscape, we are witnessing a steady rise in interest in designer home accessories that combine refined aesthetics with responsible production. Modern interior design enthusiasts are not simply looking for functional objects, but distinctive pieces capable of defining spaces with personality and sophistication.
In this context, surface finishing becomes a crucial element: an object may have a perfect shape, but if the surface reveals rough workmanship, the entire perceived value collapses. This is precisely the challenge that True Iconic Design took on and solved, developing a production process that puts the final aesthetics ahead of the technology used.
This case study explores how a new brand of designer home accessories managed to achieve premium finishes by completely eliminating the sanding stage, traditionally considered essential to hide the layer lines typical of additive manufacturing.
Who is True Iconic Design: Iconic Design, Responsible Manufacturing
True Iconic Design is a recently opened Etsy shop offering home design objects distinguished by clean lines, contemporary shapes, and an obsessive attention to detail. The brand’s philosophy revolves around a clear concept: design must take center stage, with production technology serving only as a means.
Specializing in modern decorative objects and functional accessories, True Iconic Design uses 3D printing as a production tool, but with a radically different approach from most makers: the goal is not to celebrate the technology, but to make it invisible. Each piece in the collection is designed to blend seamlessly into contemporary design interiors, where the customer’s eye is trained to recognize quality and reject aesthetic compromises.
Conscious production translates into made-to-order pieces, with the option to customize dimensions and finishes while always maintaining a high quality standard. Discover the full range of home design objects on their Etsy shop.
The Aesthetic Challenge: Perfect Surfaces Without Wasting Time
Anyone familiar with 3D printing knows the main aesthetic limitation of this technology: visible layers. Even with optimized settings, the layering remains perceptible to both the touch and the eye, creating a texture that, while fascinating in certain contexts, is incompatible with the clean, refined aesthetic required by contemporary home furnishings.
The traditional solution is sanding: hours of manual work with progressively finer grit sandpaper, followed by primer, filler, and further sanding. A process that comes with three key issues:
- Time: each part requires several hours of manual work
- Costs: time translates into costs, making it difficult to maintain competitive prices
- Inconsistency: it is almost impossible to guarantee the exact same surface finish across multiple parts of the same model
For a brand focused on repeatable aesthetic results and the ability to offer consistent collections, this variability represents an insurmountable obstacle. True Iconic Design needed a fast, repeatable solution capable of ensuring a clean, professional finish without resorting to sanding.
The Adopted Workflow: Fewer Processing Steps, More Design
Overview of the Manufacturing Process
The process developed by True Iconic Design focuses on the quality of the final result through a sequence of steps designed to maximize efficiency without compromising aesthetics:
- 3D printing in ABS of objects, including large ones (up to 25 cm in height)
- Part stabilization during the printing phase to ensure geometric accuracy
- Surface preparation with thorough degreasing
- Aesthetic finish through specific coatings, without any sanding phase
This approach makes it possible to drastically reduce post-processing times while maintaining—and even improving—the perceived quality of the finished product.
Stability and Precision Right from the Start with 3DBooster Lock
The quality of a furnishing accessory starts with the accuracy of its shape. For large-format design pieces, stability during printing is crucial: even small variations or partial detachments from the build plate can compromise the overall geometry and create defects that are difficult to correct in post-processing.
True Iconic Design uses 3DBooster Lock as an adhesive spray applied directly to the build plate. This product ensures excellent adhesion even for parts with a small footprint or complex geometries, eliminating the risk of warping and detachment during the long print sessions required for 20–25 cm parts.
The indirect benefit of this choice is clear: a stable and accurate print requires fewer subsequent corrective interventions. Having fewer defects to manage means cleaner, more uniform surfaces from the outset, greatly streamlining the subsequent stages of the workflow.
Surface Preparation: The Importance of a Clean Base
Before applying any final coating, it is essential to work on a perfectly clean surface. Grease residues, dust, or traces of release agent from the build plate can compromise the adhesion of finishing products, causing delamination issues or irregularities in the coating.
True Iconic Design adopted an “unconventional but extremely effective” approach: using 3DBooster FineClean as a degreasing pre-treatment. This seemingly simple step makes the difference between a finish that adheres perfectly and one that shows uneven areas or tends to peel over time.
Artisanal attention to detail emerges precisely in these seemingly minor steps: careful surface preparation is what distinguishes a design object from a simple printed piece. It is this meticulousness—imperceptible to the eye yet evident in the final result—that the design enthusiast audience recognizes and appreciates.
UV Shield: From 3D Printing to a Design Object
No-Sanding Filler Primer
The heart of the finishing process adopted by True Iconic Design is the use of 3DBooster UV Shield as a filler primer. Applied directly to the printed and degreased surface, this product can partially fill the micro-texture of the layers, drastically reducing their visibility without the need for sanding.
The application is carried out in several thin coats, allowing each layer to fully cure before proceeding with the next. The result is a significantly more uniform and smooth surface, where the original layers become imperceptible to the touch and almost invisible to the eye. The consistency of the outcome is repeatable: every piece in the same line features the same finishing quality, a key factor for design collections.
Surface Coating for a Glossier Finish
In some products from the True Iconic Design collection, 3DBooster UV Shield is also used as the final topcoat, applied after the filler primer. This double application creates an aesthetic effect of greater depth and gives the part a distinctly more premium look.
The glossy finish achieved with UV Shield reflects light evenly, creating that sense of quality you would expect from a high-end décor accessory. In addition, it ensures visual consistency across different pieces within the same collection—an essential factor when offering coordinated sets or objects designed to complement one another within the same space.
The Final Result: Aesthetics, Consistency, and Perceived Quality
Objects produced with this workflow do not “look 3D-printed” in the common sense of the term. The layered texture that immediately gives away the manufacturing method is completely absent, replaced by smooth, uniform surfaces that could belong to parts made using traditional molds.
The finish achieved is perfectly suited to modern, design-focused interiors: True Iconic Design modern home decor accessories can be placed in the living room, office, or bedroom without looking out of place—on the contrary, they enhance the overall aesthetics of the space.
But perhaps the most important advantage is the commercial one: the product’s perceived quality increases significantly. A customer who receives an item with this finish does not perceive it as a “3D-printed part,” but as a true handcrafted design piece. This translates into greater satisfaction, positive reviews, and a greater willingness to invest in other pieces from the collection.
The interior design decorations offered by the brand show how technology can serve design without ever overpowering it.
Visual Case Study: Examples of True Iconic Design Products
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The photographed products clearly show that the final surface is completely free of visible imperfections, with an even gloss and a texture that invites touch. A comparison with untreated traditional prints highlights the radical transformation achieved through this process.
Why This Approach Works in Contemporary Design
The workflow developed by True Iconic Design perfectly meets the needs of contemporary design for four fundamental reasons:
Production speed: by eliminating sanding, post-processing times are drastically reduced, enabling a fast response to customer requests without compromising quality.
Repeatability of the aesthetic result: each piece features the same finish, ensuring consistency across collections and on-demand production. A customer who orders a second piece of the same model months later will receive an object identical to the first.
Creative freedom for the designer: without having to worry about lengthy manual sanding stages, the designer can experiment with more complex and articulated shapes, knowing that the finish will still be flawless.
Balance between craftsmanship and innovation: the process maintains a craftsmanlike attention to detail (surface preparation, careful coating application) while leveraging technological innovation in both production and finishing. It is this balance that contemporary design audiences appreciate and seek.
Conclusion
The True Iconic Design case study shows that it is possible to achieve premium-quality finishes on 3D-printed parts without resorting to the long and costly phases of traditional sanding. The key to success lies in a holistic approach that starts with print stability, moves through meticulous surface preparation, and culminates in the strategic application of specific coatings.
The result is a collection of home furnishings that speak the language of contemporary design: clean lines, impeccable finishes, attention to detail. Pieces that enhance spaces without needing to explain how they were made, because what matters is solely the aesthetic impact and perceived quality.
Discover all the designer home décor accessories by True Iconic Design on Etsy.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How does True Iconic Design achieve smooth surfaces without sanding?
True Iconic Design uses a workflow that combines 3DBooster Lock for print stability, 3DBooster FineClean for surface preparation, and 3DBooster UV Shield as a filling primer. The latter directly reduces layer visibility, eliminating the need for manual sanding.
What are the benefits of eliminating sanding in the production of furniture accessories?
The main advantages are three: a drastic reduction in production times (from hours to minutes), perfect repeatability of the aesthetic result across all pieces in the same collection, and lower production costs that make it possible to keep prices competitive without compromising perceived quality.
Do True Iconic Design furniture accessories look 3D printed?
No, the final finish completely conceals the typical 3D printing layers. The objects feature smooth, uniform surfaces with a premium look comparable to home decor items produced using traditional manufacturing methods, perfectly suited for integration into contemporary design settings.
Which 3DBooster products are used in the process?
The process uses three specific products: 3DBooster Lock as an adhesive for the print bed (ensures stability), 3DBooster FineClean to degrease the surface before finishing, and 3DBooster UV Shield both as a filling primer and as a final coating for gloss.
Does this process also work for large objects?
Yes, True Iconic Design produces furnishing accessories up to 25 cm in height while maintaining the same finishing quality. The use of 3DBooster Lock is essential precisely to ensure stability even on large parts during long printing sessions.
How much time is saved by eliminating sanding?
Traditional sanding requires several hours for each part (progressive sanding, primer, filler, additional sanding). With the True Iconic Design process, the finish is completed in a fraction of the time, allowing more resources to be dedicated to creativity and design rather than manual post-processing.
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