![]() ![]() The company is staking its claim in AM through speed. It already has a working prototype and claims it will be ready for a 2017 launch date. ![]() Toshiba Machine, a subsidiary of Toshiba, has become the latest additive manufacturing (AM) outsider to announce it will be moving into the 3D printing arena. Optimizing a design for the materials used or for proper orientation on the build platform are other factors that need to be considered early on in the process, and there are myriad other constraints that may seem foreign to engineers acclimated to traditional manufacturing processes like casting, injection molding and stamping, experts say. With certain AM technologies, specifically Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), there are structural checks to ensure the technology used to build up the part doesn’t actually create stresses that result in part deformation, and ultimately, a bad build. Yet there are different constraints driven by the technology you’re using and the materials you are building with.” Out With the Old, In With the Newįor many 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, the biggest constraint is optimizing designs to minimize or eliminate support structures needed during the actual build process. “If you know you’re building a part with an additive manufacturing process, you don’t have to worry about undercuts, fillets or internal channels that go deep inside the part. “In general, the talk about 3D printing technology delivering design freedom without the constraints of traditional manufacturing is true, for the most part,” says Tim Thellin, director of Software and Productivity Tools for Stratasys Direct Manufacturing. While traditional boundaries don’t necessarily apply in the world of 3D printing, engineers expecting an unfettered design environment will be in for a surprise. These next-generation designs are not only visually compelling, they are typically more aerodynamic, weigh less and boast fewer parts than designs crafted with traditional CAD tools for output using mainstream manufacturing practices. Yet to fully reap the benefits of this nicely matched pair, engineers need to master a set of new constraints to ensure designs can be produced in a reliable, cost-effective fashion.Īdvances in 3D printing technology-from new materials to higher resolution output capabilities-coupled with topology optimization and other design software improvements are empowering engineers to come up with freeform shapes and complex lattice structures that challenge conventional design limitations. ![]() T he dynamic duo of 3D printing and new optimization software is giving engineers the freedom to design and produce organic shapes and lightweight structures that raise the bar on ingenuity while delivering unprecedented savings. SOLIDWORKS 2016’s Print3D PropertyManager Settings tab includes the ability to change the model scale and to reorient the model to fit the print volume. ![]()
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