Video Tech Tips for 3D Printing Page 1

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.

As the PolyJet 3D printing platform continues to grow and expand, the onboard tools get even better and more user-friendly with the Stratasys J55. The onboard tools on the J55 provide the user with step-by-step instructions and makes it as seamless as possible when performing regular maintenance. Let's dive in and take a look at the Replacement Wizard in action! 

If you you've been asking yourself, “What gives? Why can’t I open SOLIDWORKS files in GrabCAD Print anymore?" You are not alone. I know the struggle. I may have even said a few expletives over it. This is not due to GrabCAD Print dropping SOLIDWORKS compatibility. It is the result of GrabCAD Print’s development team needing to take some time to verify that the latest version of SOLIDWORKS files is compatible with all the features that GrabCAD Print has to offer. Let's take a look at some details.

Stratasys is committed to servicing and updating its existing platform. It’s one of the most prominent reasons they dominate the 3D printing industry. With the introduction of the new Objet30 V5 in late 2020 that included exciting new features, such as the ability to print in Vero DraftGrey and access to GrabCAD Print, Stratasys injected new life into the desktop PolyJet printing platform. These features have been included on the Objet 30 V5; however, Stratasys has made these features available to existing Objet 30 V3 customers with a SIMPLE and FREE update. Today we are going to take a quick look at the steps required to bring your Objet 30 V3 to the next level.

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.