Performing Printability Analysis

Owned by Dominik Lindenberger
Last updated: Aug 04, 2023 by Alberto Gruarin (Unlicensed)
3 min read

Overview

Every model that is uploaded to the platform receives a printability analysis to validate the model, ensure it is optimized for 3D production in the selected material and calculate pricing information. The Viewer provides visual indicators for any problems with how to repair any model that is not printable.

 

Reviewing Printability Analysis

  1. Select any model line

  2. Navigate to the image in the upper right corner and click Open Viewer

  3. Click the printer symbol to show the detailed analysis.
    In this example you can see that the warning is because of thin walls

  4. The written descriptions will show any problematic aspects of the model in terms of Optimization, Thin Walls, Multiple Shells or Size.

  5. 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.

Printability warnings are always indicators. You are free to submit your orders for production or discuss directly with the printing services using comments to decide whether the part can be printed or needs to be redesigned.

The thin walls indicator does not take into consideration details smaller than 0.5% of the total model area. Thin walls are coloured in red in the Wall Thickness Analysis view (see below).

Investigating Thin Walls

As noted above, areas that are too thin can cause problems in the final print. Small areas with thin walls are not a problem in most use cases. Large thin areas or thin walls that also need to carry weights are indicators that a design should be reconsidered.

  1. Select any model line.

  2. Navigate to the image in the upper right corner and click Open Viewer

  3. Click the eye symbol to show the detailed analysis.

  4. All Printable Areas are shown in green, Questionable Areas in yellow and Problematic Areas in red.

To evaluate this, enable the Wall Thickness Analysis view in the View Options tab.

Adjusting 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 designing best practices in this guide.