Video Tech Tips for 3D Printing Page 1

As more advanced and reliable solutions come to market to offset the percentage of a market owned by traditional manufacturing methods, additive manufacturing is consistently looked at with admiration. This new technology is currently positioned as a complement to subtractive manufacturing and will continue to do so until certain variables can be tamed with near-flawless accuracy and precision. One step closer to perfection is the addition of anchor columns in GrabCAD Print. Let's take a look at how this works. 

The goal for this project was to create a set of 3D printed mounting brackets that I wanted to bolt to the factory mounting locations at the front valance of my Toyota MR2. The original lower front spoiler on the car was cracked and in very poor shape. To replace this part would be costly and time-consuming, and because of that, I figured why not try and create my own? Let's take a look at the steps I took to create a prototype wind spitter using 3D scanning, SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing.

When you first put an STL file next to an SLDPRT file in GrabCAD Print, you might have noticed it can be difficult to tell them apart. However, looks can be deceiving, and the native SOLIDWORKS SLDPRT file format packs a surprising amount of functionality into a 3D model. In this blog post, we are going to dive into the three primary reasons you should be using SLDPRT files instead of STL for 3D printing.

GrabCAD Print version 1.54 now gives all FDM users access to the Wall Stabilizer tool so they can apply this tool to a 3D print that is tall and thin for better builds. Let’s dive in and take a quick test drive through the interface and check out the options that are available.

Here is another installment in the Know your Materials video series. In this video, we have some samples of the new Vero UltraBlack and Vero UltraWhite PolyJet material. You may be asking “What’s so 'ultra' about these materials?”

We all know that a well-maintained machine will produce better printers for a longer period of time. The previous generation of Polyjet 3D Printers proved difficult to maintain with cumbersome and confusing wizards and processes. Stratasys was well aware of this and has taken extensive measures with the new generation of 3D printers to make it easier to take care of your printer and far easier to navigate maintenance steps. Let's dive in and take look at the Head Optimization Wizard.

Communication is an area we can all work on, even in the 3D printing space. But never fear, GrabCAD Print has a little-used tool to help annotate and mark up parts for both file setup and secondary operations. This tool is rightfully called Manufacturing Notes and it does exactly as its name implies – allows for the dictation of valuable information on the part being printed within GrabCAD Print.

Carbon fiber has become a very popular item in the Additive Manufacturing world. There are a slew of companies offering various carbon fiber solutions. Stratasys also has their own Nylon12 based carbon fiber material on their Fortus line of 3D printers, but this is a new solution for their F123 series of 3D printers.  ABS Carbon Fiber Filled material is set to be released for the F170, F270, and F370 in April, so let's take a closer look at ABS-CF10.

On average, 15% of the time in your 3D print lab is wasted on order management. Yes, you heard that right, 6 out of every 40 operating hours in the work week gets devoted to tracking down orders, managing files, and communicating with file creators. That is over seven weeks a year where productive time is not being devoted to part production. This isn’t the fault of the hardworking individuals in your print lab. It is the result of the available production management software tools not being tailored to the needs of 3D printing labs…..until now.