Guide to Common Design Features for 3D Printing Process
One of the main benefits of additive manufacturing is the freedom of design. For every different 3D printing process, it possesses different capabilities and various design restrictions that come along with it. To create high quality, 3D printable parts, designers, and engineers need to arm themselves with knowledge. The basis should be on new approaches and requirements in designing for additive manufacturing. At Creatingway, we put a lot of consideration to each 3D model requested. This blog will talk about important design considerations that we apply to most 3D printing processes. It is also an assumption that the customer possesses some insight into 3D designing and modeling. Below are the key features to consider:
How To Do Digital Design To Conversion Physical 3D Printing Process?
One thing to remember in designing for 3D printing is the fact that your digital design will create a physical object. While you design in the digital environment, there are no laws that govern what you can or can’t make. Most of the digital designs go against the laws of physics. Such as gravity. Each 3D printing process possesses its limitations. Hence, we have to consider production feasibility when design such as product size, edge thickness, assemble tolerance, surface finishing, and more.
What’s The General Design Consideration for 3D Printing Process?
Usually, there are a total of four main design points we need to consider before the 3D printing process for your projects.
- Overhangs and support
- Wall thickness
- Warping
- Level of detail
Overhangs and Support
The printing process for most 3D models is building parts layer by layer. We do not deposit the material from thin air but rather built from an underlying layer. It thus requires some underline material to be printed. Some 3D designs possess overhangs that are areas of a model either partially supported by an underlining layer or not supported at all. For this feature, there is a limit on the angle every 3D printer does without the need for any support material. In the case of FDM and SLA, this angle is approximately 45 degrees. The disadvantage of exceeding this recommended angle is the surface gets a rougher finish than intended. It is thus a good practice to limit the overhangs of any 3D model that you design.
Wall Thickness
Every 3D printing process produces accurately design features that are thin up to a certain limit. Certain design models have an extremely small wall thickness. We thus commonly encounter difficulties in printing them. It is a good practice to add thickness to your design models. We recommend a wall thickness greater than 0.8 mm for it to print with all processes successfully. When parts of your model are too thin, it does not leave much room for infill in between them. The likely outcome between the walls is a hollow gap left on the inside of the model. Sometimes the walls might not properly fuse.
Warping
This design consideration is often easily overlooked when designing a 3D model. The materials used for 3D printing often undergo physical change because of the printing process. It undergoes melting, sintering, or scanning with a laser. What follows is the solidification of the material to the final product. The heating and cooling of material cause the parts to warp while printing. It mostly affects large, flat surfaces that are easily prone to the physical change of warping. We best avoid warping by using machines with correct calibrations. We also ensure the availability of a surface adequate for adhesion between your part and the printing bed. Also, having enough surface adhesion between the print bed and the 3D part must be considered. Creatingway’s design team will be able to offer more advice on design techniques used to minimize the likelihood of warping to your 3D models. It is thus good practice to avoid large flat surfaces while designing your 3D models. The addition of rounded corners also helps in the outcome of your models.
Level of Detail
When deciding to create a 3D model with intricate details, it is important to be mindful of what the minimum size feature of each 3D printing process can produce. This minimum level of detail linked to the capabilities and mechanical abilities of each 3D printing process and the selected layer height. For the speed and cost of your print, the process and material used will have an impact on the outcome. Thus determining whether smaller details are essential to your model is an important design decision.
It is a general rule that a successful print always begins with a correctly designed 3D model. Other important factors for a designer to consider include the type of 3D printing technology and the material used. These key factors determine the basic design rules. To thus ensure a successful printing process, exploring design considerations and requirements helps out as the first step.
If you have any concerns about 3D printing and design, contact Creatingway today. We provide 3D printing-related services that will suit your desired preference. The services include 3D design, modeling, and custom 3D printing.
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