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What are the best design tools for additive manufacturing?

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Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a process of creating objects layer by layer from digital models. AM offers many advantages over traditional manufacturing methods, such as flexibility, customization, and reduced waste. However, to fully leverage the potential of AM, designers need to follow some specific principles and guidelines that differ from conventional design. In this article, we will explore some of the key design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) principles and the best tools to apply them.

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1 DfAM principles

DfAM principles are the rules and best practices that help designers optimize their designs for AM processes. To begin, designers should aim to reduce or eliminate the need for support structures by orienting, simplifying, or modifying their designs. Additionally, part consolidation - the process of combining multiple components into a single part - can reduce assembly time, cost, and complexity. Designers should also strive to minimize material usage by using hollow or lattice structures, reducing wall thickness, and avoiding unnecessary features. Finally, post-processing is the final stage of AM that involves removing support structures, cleaning, smoothing, curing, or finishing the printed parts; thus, designers should consider the post-processing requirements and limitations of their designs and choose the appropriate AM process and material accordingly.

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Anne Scrimshaw

Fab Lab Manager, Maker of Mad things, TEDx Speaker, Collector of Knowledge
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Often a designer doesn’t need to manually add internal lattice structures, as they can be added with one click using the slicing software.

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Tomasz Taubert

Talking Engineering at Trust Me, I'm An Engineer
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When designing lightweighted parts with sparse infills instead of solid walls, keep in mind that heat deflection temperature (HDT) published in material’s data sheet was derived from testing a solid wall specimen. A sparsely infilled HDT test specimen will show lower HDT in testing than the solid one. In addition to testing a sparsely printed HDT test specimen, the HDT of sparsely infilled specimen can be estimated by iteratively simulating the HDT test setup, with the use of solid material’s temperature-dependent elasticity modulus. Either the testing or simulation need to consider HDT test specimens sparsely-printed i the three orthogonal orientations and the lowest HDT of the three needs to be used as a reference.

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2 DfAM tools

DfAM tools are software applications that enable designers to apply DfAM principles to their models. They can analyze printability, feasibility, and quality of the designs, suggest improvements, modifications, or alternatives, generate support structures and lattice structures, simulate the AM process and predict outcomes and effects, optimize orientation, placement, and slicing of parts, and estimate material usage, printing time, and cost. Some examples of DfAM tools include Autodesk Netfabb which offers design analysis, optimization, simulation, and preparation features; Materialise Magics which enables design editing, repair, optimization, and preparation; and nTopology which allows designers to create complex and functional parts using generative design, topology optimization, and lattice design. All of these tools support various AM processes and materials as well as connect with other CAD and simulation tools.

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Aric Donerkiel

Product Manager | Electromechanical Technology, RF Technology
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Some other great slicing tools for beginners or hobbyists are Ultimaker Cura or GrabCAD. Both softwares come with large libraries of plastic printers to select from. Some of the basic features check for printability and overhangs. They allow you optimize your print at the click of a button or you to determine the extruder(s) path. This is a great tool for beginners to familiarize themselves with different printer parameters.

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3 DfAM benefits

DfAM benefits are the advantages that designers and manufacturers can gain from applying the DfAM principles and tools to their projects. These benefits include improved performance, increased innovation, reduced cost, and enhanced sustainability. Designers can create optimized geometries, structures, and features tailored to the specific application and environment, resulting in improved mechanical, thermal, electrical, or biological properties. Moreover, DfAM can enable the creation of novel parts not possible with traditional methods, which can lead to new products, markets, and opportunities for differentiation. Additionally, DfAM can lower production costs by reducing material usage, waste, assembly, post-processing, and inventory. Finally, it can contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing material consumption, energy usage, emissions and waste while also supporting circular economy principles.

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Gerard Shields

Get parts faster with 3D Printing | Design for AM | Founder @ Printpool
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The lightweight nature of the end part often outweighs other benefits from an environmental perspective. Light parts require less fuel to move around, so eco-credentials can be massive when used in aerospace applications, especially for the mass market.

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4 DfAM challenges

DfAM challenges are the obstacles and difficulties that designers and manufacturers may face when adopting or implementing DfAM. Common issues include lack of knowledge and skills, lack of standards and regulations, and lack of integration and compatibility. Designers need to understand the principles, tools, and limitations of DfAM and collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure the quality of parts. Furthermore, new technologies may not have established standards or regulations which can create uncertainty and liability issues. Additionally, the software and hardware components may not be integrated or compatible with existing systems, leading to inefficiency, errors, or incompatibility problems.

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5 DfAM resources

DfAM resources are essential for designers and manufacturers to learn and apply DfAM. Online courses and tutorials can provide theoretical and practical knowledge, while books and publications offer comprehensive and in-depth insights. Additionally, communities and networks can connect and support designers who are interested or involved in DfAM, allowing them to exchange ideas, experiences, and feedback. Examples of such resources include Coursera's Introduction to Design for Additive Manufacturing, SolidProfessor's Design for Additive Manufacturing Certification, Design for Additive Manufacturing: Tools and Optimization by Martin Leary, Additive Manufacturing Technologies: 3D Printing, Rapid Prototyping, and Direct Digital Manufacturing by Ian Gibson et al., 3D Hubs, Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG), or Women in 3D Printing.

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What are the best design tools for additive manufacturing?

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5

1 DfAM principles

2 DfAM tools

3 DfAM benefits

4 DfAM challenges

5 DfAM resources

3D Printing

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What are the best design tools for additive manufacturing?

1

2

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5

1 DfAM principles

2 DfAM tools

3 DfAM benefits

4 DfAM challenges

5 DfAM resources

3D Printing

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