Did you know? You can use your 3D printer to print a model directly from SOLIDWORKS without having to use a separate tessellated geometry software to convert it to 3MF or XML file formats?
That’s right! In SOLIDWORKS, you have access to many printing functionalities, such as generating slices. With the enhanced 3D Print command, you will be able to analyze your model and determine faces that require support, as well as striation lines based on your own user-defined layer height.
The graphics area in SOLIDWORKS also shows you the printer’s envelope and print bed location, where you can define the bottom plane and orientation of the model. Hence, you can easily visualize how your model will be positioned and printed. SOLIDWORKS can also suggest the best fit for your specific printer using the Orient to Fit command.
But how does SOLIDWORKS know your printer size? Well, it’s 2021. Using one specific software for one specific 3D printer model is so out of date. In SOLIDWORKS, there is a 3D printer library, where you can browse through and choose from more than 500 3D printer models from various brands.
Not only that, you can select any 3D printer model from the list in the SOLIDWORKS 3D printer library, and make it as a Favorite. This way, it will be even faster and more convenient for you every time you’re printing your model.
In SOLIDWORKS 2021, there are even more supports available for the 3D Printing option. You can now include materials and also appearances when exporting your 3D model to a 3MF file format. Colour, textures and transparency are very important aspects of a design. These information can be stored directly from SOLIDWORKS into your 3MF file to be used of manufacturing or other application.
Save your time and money. Get rid of those additional tessellated geometry softwares and just use SOLIDWORKS instead. Watch the video below to see the step-by-step guide on how to do 3D Printing directly from SOLIDWORKS.
– Eka Darwin, Application Engineer, IME Technology Sdn Bhd