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3D Design Tools to Design 3D Printed Physical Components

Dwight Mitchell • 26 October 2022

3D Design Tools to Design 3D Printed Physical Components

In today’s manufacturing world, engineers and designers are constantly looking for faster, more efficient ways to bring their products to life. That being said, a lot of businesses have shifted towards the use of digital design software as opposed to traditional drafting methods for creating blueprints and schematics.

This is primarily due to the fact that these types of software offer a simplified user experience and make the processes of designing, simulating, testing, and analyzing much quicker than with traditional methods. However, even with all of these advancements in technology and ease-of-use in design software packages, there are still some instances where physical modeling is essential for successful product development.

For example: 3D printed physical components can be used for everything from prototyping to testing stress points on your final product that would not be feasible with virtual modeling alone. In this blog post we will be going over some of the most popular tools used by designers and engineers when it comes to designing 3D printed physical components.

3D Printing in Manufacturing

The first main reason we’re going to be looking at when it comes to why physical components are better than digital models is how 3D printing can be used in manufacturing. Although 3D printed physical models don’t have the same long-term lifespan as their digital counterparts, they are great for testing and validating the design of your product before you send the product to be manufactured.

This is because, when using 3D printing for manufacturing, you can print your design as many times as you want to test out different design additions and modifications to the product. This process would be extremely time-consuming and expensive if you were using digital models.

Additionally, when you send your design to be 3D printed, you can choose to have your product printed in different materials such as stainless steel or even ceramics!

This feature is often overlooked in the design process, yet it can greatly improve the functionality and usability of your product.

From Design to Physical Component

When it comes to designing 3D printed physical components, one of the first things you will want to do is create a virtual model of the product you want to print. This means utilizing CAD software, 3D modeling software, or even sketching software to create your virtual model and then exporting it to be used in designing your physical component. After you have your virtual model created, you will then want to add thickness to your model to account for the material used in the 3D printing process.

After that, you will then want to send your design to a 3D printing service provider or have your own 3D printer to print your design. Depending on the printer and material you choose, the printing process will vary greatly. If you’re using a commercial 3D printing service, you will want to select a material that will print easily and cleanly. Keep in mind that some materials may require additional post-processing after printing such as surface finishing.

If you’re printing with a material such as stainless steel or ceramics, you will want to consider printing your design in a single piece to ensure the design is not interrupted by seams. Once the physical component has been 3D printed, you can then test its functionality and design modifications.

I create 3D

If you’re unfamiliar with design software programs and aren’t sure where to even start when it comes to designing your physical component, you may want to consider purchasing a CAD software package that already has 3D modeling features in it.

If you’d rather use a more simplified design software package, you can also look into cloud-based design software programs such as Fusion 360 that allows you to create complicated and precise designs from scratch using their intuitive 2D design program. Once you have your design ready to go, you will then want to consider the type of 3D printing technology that you’ll use for your design.

There are a variety of 3D printing technologies available for use in the design process, each having their own pros and cons. For example, FDM (fused deposition modeling) and SLS (selective laser sintering) are great for printing with materials such as stainless steel and ceramics, while SLA (stereo-lithography) is ideal for printing with resins and other materials that can be used for molding and casting.

Solidworks

One of the most common CAD software packages used in design and engineering is Solidworks. This program is a very powerful and robust design software that allows designers to create highly precise and complex designs. Another great feature of this software is that it allows for both parametric and non-parametric design.

Parametric design is a feature in the software that allows you to create designs that are constantly changing and adapting to different conditions and situations. Non-parametric design, on the other hand, allows you to create a static design that does not change.

Among all of these great features, another big reason engineers and designers love using Solidworks is because of its wide variety of available materials and components. There are over 80 materials available and more than 50,000 components that you can select to use in designing and building your product.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD is another very common CAD software package in the engineering sector that many designers and engineers use for creating their 3D printed physical components.

This design software is great for those who are moving from other types of design software and want something simple and easy to learn.

AutoCAD also has a wide variety of available materials and design features that make it very useful for designing complex and precise 3D printed physical components.

There are around 30 materials available for use in the design process, as well as a wide selection of other design features.

Fusion 360°

Fusion 360 is a cloud-based design software program that is widely used by engineers and designers. This program allows users to create 3D designs from scratch using their 2D design tools or import existing CAD designs into their platform.

When designing a component or part, fusion 360 allows users to create it on two different planes. They can design the component in 2D, which is flat and on a plane parallel to the screen.

They can also create the component in 3D, which is curved and on a plane that is perpendicular to the screen.

Fusion 360 is also very easy to share designs with clients, engineers, and other members of your design team. Users can share their designs in real time, which makes the design and engineering process much more efficient.

3DSimed

3DSimed is another cloud-based design software that’s very simple to use and has many useful design features that engineers and designers will love.

One of the best features of this design software is that it allows users to create parametric designs from scratch using their 2D design tools.

This software has many useful design features and allows users to create designs that are very precise and functional. There are around 20 materials available for use in the design process as well as a wide array of other design features.

Solid edge

Solid edge is another cloud-based design software that is commonly used by engineers and designers.

This software allows users to create parametric designs from scratch using their 2D design tools.

This design software has many useful design features such as robust modeling, simulation and collaborative teams. There are around 30 materials available for use in the design process and a wide array of other design features.

Conclusion

Designing 3D printed physical components is an essential part of the design process. When you create your design, you will want to add thickness to your model to account for the material used in the 3D printing process.

After you have your design ready to go, you will then want to send your design to a 3D printing service provider or have your own 3D printer to print your design.

Once your physical component has been 3D printed, you can then test its functionality and design modifications.

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