What’s New in SOLIDWORKS 2017 for 3D Printing [VIDEO]

Article by Rod Mackay updated October 27, 2016

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SOLIDWORKS 2017 3D Printing functionality has been enhanced. Before printing you can now evaluate the thickness and gaps in your SOLIDWORKS model to see if it can be printed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology.

Based on the layer height and the selected thermoplastic material, you can identify wall thickness and gap width issues before printing the model. The 3DPrint tool identifies where wall thickness or the distance between two faces in a groove are below a certain threshold, then highlights the geometry in the model. This tool is helpful when large models are scaled down or when detailed models are printed on a 3D printer.

SOLIDWORKS 2017 3D Printing

SOLIDWORKS 2017 3D Printing

Watch our on-demand webinar below to see the latest enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2017 3D Printing. During the webinar discover how the new evaluate thickness feature and show you how to print directly to 3D printers, similar to how you would print a document to your office printer.  Although SOLIDWORKS can also output .STL, a widely accepted format for 3D printing, the 3MF and AMF formats provide more information about the model being printed and, therefore, requires no post-processing to define data such as the position of your model relative to the selected 3D printer, orientation, colour, materials, etc.

SOLIDWORKS 2017 Resources

Access our resources page to get everything you need to learn what’s new in SOLIDWORKS 2017; including tech tips, demonstrations, and upcoming product webinars.

WHAT’S NEW RESOURCES

SOLIDWORKS 2017 Resources

 

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Rod Mackay

Rod has been using 3D CAD software for over 25 years and has trained thousands of designers to use their CAD systems more effectively. Rod is the Javelin Webmaster and is based in Ottawa, ON., Canada.