3D Print and Analyze in SolidWorks

3D printing is something that every designer and engineer remembers nowadays. The growing number of technologies and solutions available in the market means that the option of using prototyping tools to prove any design is more readily available than ever before. So once we have finalized the latest design details using SolidWorks, how do we successfully convert the 3D printed model from SolidWorks?

STL file

STL files are widely accepted as an industry standard for rapid prototyping.

STL or Standard Tessellation / Triangulation Language is a 3D file format that uses a series or triangle to describe the outer surface of a 3D model. No color, texture or extra features.

How do I create an STL file?

Just open your part (or assembly) inside SolidWorks and click Save to open the file> General Save as a window. Then use the drop down to select .stl from the list.

But,if you consider the idea of converting a perfectly rounded sphere into triangles. The resolution of your .stl file is in contrast to the larger triangles. On the contrary.

But why? We have a major reason to consider controlling this setting and this is because it can directly affect the quality of your printed 3D model. If your settings are too high compared to the resolution of your 3D printer, the printer will be able to print the definition of triangles and your model will be able to move away from the size of your intended design. If you have made your model too fine, you will not suffer from low quality models, chances are you will have a large file that will take a long time.

So, Lets control the setting and print quality

You just need your model and the SolidWorks.

Go to SolidWorks Options>Export and select stl from the dropdown of file format.

You have the option to save STL files in binary or ASCII format. Binary files are small (by a factor of 6!), so this format is usually preferred. However ASCII files can be read and checked visually.

Within the resolution settings there are two default options (coarse and fine) as well as a custom option. Depending on the printer resolution, it may be the case that the coarse and fine options are too close to either end of the scale to be practical. Choosing the custom option will allow us to control the resolution to be exactly what we need.
We have the possibility to control both the deviation and angle of the triangles during .stl conversion. Deviation is expressed as a linear dimension and refers to the maximum distance that the facet of the .stl file is permitted to be away from the original geometry. The angle setting refers to the angular deviation allowed between adjacent triangles.

It all depends on the resolution of the printer you are using. There are so many printers to choose from these days, so my best advice is to take a look at the manufacturer's website where you can usually find advice for the best solution.

You can use Print3D to print 3D prototypes of your models when you have a 3D printer installed locally.

To access a local 3D printer, in a part or assembly document click File > Print3D. or you can search print3d

First select the bottom plane of your model that will be on the printer bed.

By selecting "Manage favorites" From the dropdown of printer you can select a printer from the large list of printer.

Or, you can choose custom printer if you don't find your printer in the list.

for custom printer you must specify the size of the bed by imputing the value of width and depth and the height of the printer as well.

The model orientation and scale section allows you to orient and scale your model like rotation, placement and scaling.

The fun fact is you can use orient to fit button to choose the best orientation and the Scale to fit to print the maximized size of the model in your printer.

Infill percentage

Shows the infill percentage for the print job.

When the percentage is 0, the print output is hollow. This is the default.
Percentages available are:

• Hollow - 0%
• Low - 10%
• Medium - 40%
• High - 70%

Include supports

Supports are added for any model face that hangs over open space with no part of the model holding the face up.

Include raft

The print output is built on top of a raft of disposable material that you can remove after printing.

Press the Save file button, specify a location and you are good to go.

Lets look at the formats and their properties.

.STL

Standard tessellation/triangulation language is a 3D file format which uses a series or triangles to describe the outer surfaces of a 3D model. There is no color, texture or additional attributes

.AMF

AMF format is an XML-based format that is designed to support additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing.

.3MF

3MF is an XML-based data format designed specifically for additive manufacturing. It includes information about materials, colors, and other information.

Here you can analyze your model.

In this section you can see the part of your model needs support to print.

by assigning different color it shows beautifully.

also you can enable show as transparent to look through the model.

One of the cool thing is it also mimic the layers according to specified layer height which is also the extrusion size also. If real view graphics enabled, it can produce the bump map for the layers.

You can also see the slices for 3D Manufacturing file

One of the most benefited feature is analyzing thickness and gap according to material.

It shows if a thickness or gap can be created or not according to applied FDM material.

Now you have an idea how to generate 3d manufacturing file within SolidWorks also without using any 3rd party software.

Happy Printing !