Video Tech Tips for 3D Printing Page 1

If you’re looking to get more durable, tear-resistant prototypes that can stand up to repeated flexing, you can’t go wrong with Agilus. 3D-printable Agilus is a superior rubber-like PolyJet photopolymer family ideal for advanced design verification and rapid prototyping that can hit various levels of softness and hardness in the same print job without any assembly or having to swap materials during printing. 

Frequently, when producing parts to print on full-color PolyJet 3D printers (like the J55 and J850), we have the need to place logos and icons on our models. When using more traditional means of applying pixel-based graphics or decals on parts can have unpredictable outcomes when exporting for 3D printing. Often, we find it difficult to properly set the resolution of the logo to match the part, which results in logos that have blurry or pixelated edges. In this 3D Printing Video Tech Tip, we talk about how to create sharp-edged logos and icons using SOLIDWORKS.

FDM 3D printing is the process of extruding a semi-liquid thermoplastic through a print head tip along a pre-determined tool path to create models and prototypes. Stratasys has transcended expectations to make the FDM process accurate, repeatable and reliable. In this article, we discuss the step-by-step process of calibrating a printer head to ensure the best possible prints.

GrabCAD Print is a very powerful program for converting a CAD model into a toolpath for 3D printing, and it has some features that can help you get the most out of your Stratasys FDM 3D printer. One of these is the SMART Support feature, which allows you to create a custom support structure that uses less material and takes less time than a traditional support structure.

You thought GrabCAD print was just for assigning your print parameters, didn’t you? Well, it is so much more. Buried under that sleek, easy-on-the-eyes interface is a very powerful piece of software. GrabCAD Print doesn’t just help you assign part attributes, it can also alter part geometry.

After receiving some questions from customers about a recent Video Tech Tip I produced that involved installing heat-set inserts into a part, I wanted to dive more into adjusting hole sizes for hardware like inserts or even thru bolts. In the following video, I will show you how to change the diameter of a hole directly within the GrabCAD Print environment.

Many times, when nearing the end of a workday you may find yourself having to stay late to start a new build on your machine. Or you may be working from home and must travel to the office just to send a print job over. If only there was a way to set the machine and have it print immediately once you send a job to it. With Stratasys FDM machines, you can do just that!

Proper printer maintenance is key for the optimal performance and longevity of your 3D printer, so today I want to discuss a quick and easy way to take care of your new Stratasys J55. We’re going to run through the Routine Cleaning Wizard, which should be utilized after each build.

During the product development lifecycle, an industrial designer will create multiple versions of a product in various finishes, textures and colors. Using the new .3MF file format, we can apply a texture in a CAD program, such as SOLIDWORKS, and save the file in a format that retains that texture and can be used for 3D printing.

Have you ever sat and stared at your printer while it hums away making your part and thought to yourself “What if I could print my part at different resolutions based on the level of detail in a certain area of the part?” Well, good news, this is now a reality. If you didn’t think that, then I hope you are asking yourself “why didn’t I think of that?” Now, with the most recent update to GrabCAD Print, select Stratasys FDM machines have the option to utilize a new feature called Adaptive Slice.

In this Video Tech Tip, we go over some easy ways to add strength to your FDM parts in GrabCAD Print. GrabCAD allows users to effectively add strength to certain areas without using excess materials.

So you need threads within your plastic 3D printed part and you are questioning the holding strength of printed or threads, and you should. There are few applications where a 3D printed threaded hole for a piece of conventional hardware will do the trick. It is okay, we don’t need to sugar coat it, 3D printing can do some downright amazing things, but 3D printed threads are not high on the list. How about under sizing the hole and reaming it and tapping a threaded hole? Great question and a great solution in some situations. Depending on how fine the thread pitch is, the end condition of the hole, your available tap sizes and expected pulling force – cut threads might not, well…cut it. Chances are, what you need is a threaded insert.