BUILDING TOWARD A REVOLUTION

Additive manufacturing. As a technology, it has been hailed by some as a game changer that will transform the manufacturing process. Despite this, general adoption has been gradual because many of the promised benefits have been slow to materialize. That story is quickly changing. Today, thanks to advancements in technology and related components such as software and materials, additive manufacturing (AM) is starting to live up to its promise.

THE FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING DESIGNING FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES

The Future of 3D Printing - Designing for Additive Manufacturing Technologies 1

THE TIME FOR CHANGE Low- and high-volume manufacturers, entrepreneurs, part designers and engineers understand the need to stay competitive. That means producing innovations faster and more efficiently. The potential time and cost savings AM technologies bring to the factory floor are too big to ignore. Lower production costs, increased design complexity and customization, shorter and more responsive supply chains — the benefits are numerous.

While AM is facilitating innovation by making complex shapes and unique functionalities possible, certain fundamentals crucial to the development process still apply. Specifically, good design. The method of creating products is so different with AM than with traditional manufacturing, like injection molding, that the ways in which design is done for AM requires a different approach.

HIGH COSTS OF POOR DESIGNS Designing is one of the most critical steps in the AM process, because mistakes here can quickly put an end to any 3D-printed part. 3D printing metal, for example, is particularly tricky because of the high-temperature gradient, and when working with alloys like Titanium, this can turn into a costly mistake.

There are several ways to validate a design to ensure it can be printed efficiently. The first step would be to look for unprintable or inaccessible features. These are usually features that are too small for the printer’s resolution, or features that are unsuitable for the process, such as support structures that may need to be machined off. When working with large planar faces, warping and distortion should also be considered because large planar faces are liable to warp more. A simple way to avoid these problems is to work with tools that can easily manage, identify, and help you correct these issues before going to print.

3D PRINTING REQUIRES THE RIGHT 3D TOOLS Optimizing part designs for 3D printing production relies heavily on having the right tools. As a leading developer of 3D design software, SOLIDWORKS® has taken the initiative to create an environment that is intuitive and aids manufacturers when designing parts for AM. Here are just a few of the tools:

“If you are manufacturing these parts on site then you don’t need transportation, and you remove unnecessary international shipping, so manufacture is nearer to the consumer.” — Graham Tromans,

GP Tromans Associates1

CONFIGURATIONS This tool makes it easy to create a version of the model you’re working on and adapt it specifically for 3D printing. These derived configurations exist concurrently so any further changes made to the original design are automatically inherited by the new 3D print-optimized configurations.

SPLIT AND SCALE These two useful features are a great way to get around printing full-scale models which may or may not fit on your printer.

PRINT3D This feature allows you to send print files directly from SOLIDWORKS.

THICKNESS ANALYSIS The number one reason for failed 3D printing is trying to print walls or features that are too thin. Thickness Analysis is a handy tool that lets you check that thickness of your part doesn’t fall below a printable threshold.

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Our 3DEXPERIENCE® platform powers our brand applications, serving 12 industries, and provides a rich portfolio of industry solution experiences. Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE® Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 210,000 customers of all sizes in all industries in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

REALIZING THE FULL POTENTIAL While the right tools and an understanding of how to design for AM are great starting points, industry-wide changes still need to take place for AM to flourish. 3MF, an industry consortium, is an example of leaders who are taking on the challenge. Its first objective has been to establish a universal 3D printing format – one that will allow design applications to send full-fidelity 3D models to a mix of other applications, platforms, services and printers.

Its goal is to provide a specification that eliminates the issues with current file formats, and allow companies to focus on innovation, rather than on overcoming basic interoperability issues.

THERE’S PLENTY MORE TO AM

Get a better understanding of where AM is heading, why the next generation of manufacturers are championing it, and how the global manufacturing world plans on utilizing it, by continuing The Future of 3D Printing series.

The Future of 3D Printing

“Too many, AM workflows are still using out-of-date, inadequate file formats, and therefore, not utilizing the full potential of AM. Adoption of a file format such as 3MF will help to drive market growth.” — Adrian Lannin,

Executive Director of 3MF Consortium

Sources:1. Source: Royal Academy of Engineering Roundtable forum, May 2013