SOLIDWORKS Print 3D Tool

If you are thinking about 3D Printing and wondering which 3D design platform to use then look no further — SOLIDWORKS is the way to go! Besides being the industry leader, the SOLIDWORKS Print 3D tool is geared towards optimizing parts for 3D printing in order to save you time and money.

Part optimization and surface visualization

The SOLIDWORKS Print 3D Tool provides support for the latest Windows OS which leverages the operating system’s default drivers for an optimized experience. You are presented with a simple wizard type interface that was designed to be as user-friendly as it gets, with four steps:

1. You choose your 3D printer from the drop-down menu
2. Then specify the quality of your print job.
3. From there, add infill and raft support options,
4. And, lastly the plane of your 3D print. SIMPLE!

3D Printing Options

Surface Tessellation Language Files

When asked what file type does your 3D printer need? 95% of people will answer .STL or Surface Tessellation Language was first introduced in the mid 80’s and is a binary format which consists of only surface geometry as triangulated surfaces.

3D Printers with one material and one density are no longer enough. Users want more options, colours, different materials etc. With technology advancing to more advanced 3D printing, more advanced file formats that will support all this information are required.

Additive Manufacturing Format Files

SOLIDWORKS Print 3D tool handles newer file formats, the most popular one is .AMF,  which stands for Additive Manufacturing Format. AMF was first introduced in 2011 and is an XML- based file that stores options for colour and materials.

3D Manufacturing Format Files

The newest file for 3D printing is .3MF, 3D Manufacturing Format, which was introduced in 2015. This is a more additive manufacturing  focused format. It delivers full-fidelity 3D models to other applications, platforms, services and printers.

Print3D Save to file options

In addition to SOLIDWORKS Print 3D tool you can also take advantage of SOLIDWORKS Costing to make smarter decisions before printing a part. The costing module can calculate the cost of a printed part based on chosen material parameters.

SOLIDWORKS Costing

Learn more about the SOLIDWORKS Print 3D tool in the video below:

Get a Demonstration

If you would like additional information or a live a demo on how SOLIDWORKS can make your 3D Printing life easier, let us know through our Demo Centre, and we will be happy to set up a live demonstration for you and your team.