For every model that is uploaded to the platform, a printability analysis is performed to ensure that it is optimized for 3D production in the selected material. The platform will provide visual clues for how to repair any model that is not printable.
Investigate Printability Status
Get Status Details
Select a line, then click on the image on the upper right corner to open the Viewer
Click the printer symbol to show the details of the analyses. In this example you can see that the warning is because of thin walls
Printable statuses are shown in green, Questionable in yellow and Problematic in red.
Printability warnings are always just indicators. You are free to submit your orders never the less. The printing service is then to decide whether it can print your part or not.
Investigate Thin Walls
Small areas of thin walls might not be a problem in certain use cases. Big areas, or when thin walls have to carry greater weights, indicate you should reconsider your design. To evaluate this, enable the Wall Thickness Analysis view in the View Options tab.
Adjust Non-Printable 3D Models
When a model is Not Printable, a small box will give you direction about the root cause. If your part is not size sensitive, you can adjust the scale of the model until it becomes printable.
The most common issues are:
Thin Walls
Multiple Shells
High Complexity of the Model
The model will need to either be adjusted in the original CAD application to work on the platform, or it will need to be submitted as a manual request to the 3D Service provider. You can access a guide to several of the most common problems here.
Simplify Your 3D Model
3D printing is created from mesh representation which is an approximation when modeling using NURBS or solid geometry.
When creating the triangulation remember to consider the number of triangles the file has when saved:
Using too many triangles can very likely restrict the 3D printing process (this is due to technical limitations based on resolution).
Extremely few triangles can instead result in a rough or low resolution model.