"Hi Greg,The 3DP texture (stair stepping effect) can be significantly reduced through an automated post processing operation, which polishes the 3DP parts to a smooth finish.  Visual comparison of bottles blown with this post process and polished metal tooling shows comparable bottle clarity and significant improvement on the stair stepping appearance.  The post process takes 2-3 hours and it is fully automated.  We are in the process of making production quality molds, which can potentially increase the output of the 3DP molds to up to 100,000 bottles, through mechanical electroplating.  This will also help in improving the surface quality, while still keeping the cost of the tooling relatively low.Rain’s write up is the best one I’ve seen on this technology.  It is poignant, as it comes from an ID’s POV.  IDs come from a Design Thinking approach.  Engineers as myself approach it from a Systems Thinking POV.  We intersect on the need at some point to prototype and test.  I developed this solution with this need in mind.  I am very glad to see that this solution is appreciated by the ID community.Rain, this technology along with others that my team and I are engaged in is geared towards our sustainable efforts ad well as innovation, so please don’t be torn by this solution.Thanks,Max R."