Tutorials

How to 3D Print Textured Objects Inside Clear Plastic Blocks

58 9 Expert
This walkthrough explains how to print fully textured CAD files encased inside transparent blocks, to help support complex parts, show vistas you never thought possible, or just increase the usability of your full-color models!

How to 3D Print Jigs & Fixtures, Part 2: Designing for Print

55 6 Beginner
This is the second part of a four-part tutorial series on how to optimize your manufacturing jigs & fixtures for 3D printing. Today, we'll go over what to do in each design pass as you're optimizing your part, including specific steps to do in your CAD package, your print-preparation tool, and if you're bold, your FEA package. Later installments of this series will deal with FDM material selection and post-processing for jigs & fixtures.

How to Create Incredibly Complex Textured Shapes for 3D Printing, Using Bump Mapping

37 5 Expert
This tutorial covers how to use 2D images to create actual 3D depth and physical textures on your CAD parts and then 3D print them. Mainly we use Rhino to do the displacement-mapping, but Photoshop could be used as well. Files were then printed in full color on a Stratasys J750.

Designing for FDM Production Parts

37 0 Beginner
This best practices tutorial concentrates on factors that impact the quality, value, and performance of FDM production parts. There are a number of design considerations, material choices and performance objectives that should be taken into account when designing for additive manufacturing. Tailoring these decisions to the FDM manufacturing process allows the benefits of FDM to be maximized.

How to 3D Texture Your Parts for FDM Printing Using SOLIDWORKS 2019!

35 7 Beginner
Instructions on how to create physical, repeating textures you can FEEL and TOUCH on your 3D prints, using a new feature found in SOLIDWORKS 2019. (And this technique will work with ANY type of 3D printer, not just Stratasys!)

PolyJet 3D Printing: How to Assign Colors in GrabCAD Print

34 3 Beginner
When you import a part into GrabCAD Print and you have color options, it'll default to white. This tutorial teaches you how to apply colors using the improved PolyJet panel and Pantone™ Color Library selection tool. This tutorial is great for users with the Stratasys J55, J8 Series and other PolyJet printers.

How to Color Proof Your 3D Prints (Using This Super-Secret Stratasys Website)

33 6 Beginner
If a customer has ever come to you and said, "I need the color of this 3D print to match this RGB or Pantone EXACTLY!" and you've wondered how to do that – this is the tutorial for you! We'll talk about soft proofing (how to make sure your printer can even print a given color) and hard proofing (matching what you see on screen with a physical result) using Photoshop and the most advanced color printer on the market, a Stratasys J750! (You can find a video version of this tutorial here: https://youtu.be/XsollrDbUVc)

How to 3D Print in Full Color (Part 1)

32 7 Beginner
This is a series of tutorials to help printer operators who are NOT graphic artists get the absolute most out of their multi-color, multi-material 3D printers, like the Stratasys J750. We will cover what types of files multi-color printers can accept and how to manipulate colors in Photoshop, Rhino, etc, to get the full gradient texture effects that most color printer users want.

How to Use the Stratasys AR App for the J55 3D Printer

28 3 Beginner
Stratasys unveiled the new J55 full-color 3D printer last month. We wanted to give designers and industry professionals a chance to see it for yourself -- wherever you are -- by offering this augmented reality experience.

How to go from GPS Data to Full Colour 3D Model

26 5 Expert
Got a large dataset you want to visualize in 3D? Let's take a look at the steps involved from going from just a spreadsheet to full colour 3D.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Design Guidelines

26 0 Beginner
This tutorial is designed to give you a foundation of what to consider when designing and printing a part for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). FDM is an additive manufacturing technology that extrudes thin layers of thermoplastic layer by layer until a part is completed. FDM produces robust production parts in engineer-grade thermoplastic, with the added benefits of speed and design freedom possible with 3D printing. The cutting-edge technology is utilized across industries like aerospace, energy and transportation for production components.

How to 3D Print Jigs & Fixtures, Part 1: Choosing Your Target

24 5 Beginner
This tutorial series will take users who are new to 3D printing and show them how to: - Choose which Jigs or Fixtures from your factory floor might be best improved with 3D printing (Part 1) - Optimize your J&F designs for 3D printing by using stress-analysis tools, CAD tools and new 3D print prep tools (Part 2) - Choose which FDM materials to print in for best performance (Part 3) - Post-process your Jig or Fixture for greater utility with inserts, painting, numbering, etc. (Part 4)

How to 3D Print More Realistic Consumer Product Prototypes

23 3 Intermediate
We discuss the 4 levels of 3D printed prototype realism all Industrial Designers should know about, and show you step-by-step how to reach each one!

Variable Density FDM parts with Advanced FDM in GrabCAD Print

23 1 Intermediate
A tutorial on how to create an FDM part with discrete zones with different infill patterns & densities. This is a great but simple tactic for reducing the print time and cost of your designs as well as making them both stiff and lightweight.

Finishing Options for FDM and PolyJet 3D Printed Parts

22 1 Beginner
Finishing or secondary operations encompasses a broad range of processes that change a manufactured part’s properties. Engineers can employ finishing simply to improve part’s appearance and reshape it to meet certain dimensions, or use it to enhance functionality, such as increasing strength, chemical resistance, electrical conductivity and more. Secondary operations basically turn raw parts into finished goods and this isn’t limited to traditional manufactured parts. 3D printed parts can also be enhanced with secondary operations, but much like designing for additive manufacturing, different processes and best practices apply. Throughout the product design and manufacturing process, engineers should also be thinking about how 3D printed parts can be finished. Determining the appropriate finishing operations depends on the additive process, material and geometry as well as the desired aesthetics and functionality. This guide explains the primary finishing operations additive manufacturing service providers implement for FDM and PolyJet 3D printing technologies, grouped by possible finishing objectives, and compatible materials and applicable design considerations.