This section details the steps which should be carried out prior to starting a print to ensure the printer is set up correctly.

Within this stage you will understand how to set your printer up within the slicing software that turns a model into G-Code that is read by the printer; giving it vital instructions on temperatures, print head positions etc.

This chapter focuses on the process of exporting our SOLIDWORKS model as an STL file and the settings which should be adjusted to ensure a good quality print is achieved.

Good bed adhesion is an important factor to ensure that the bottom layer of a print is neat and uniform. This chapter describes which trouble shooting steps to take if the first layer doesn’t print correctly and the tools available to you to improve bed adhesion.

This chapter looks at how to determine if your model requires support and where it should be added. It also covers how the supports can be successfully removed and how to achieve an optimum finish to your part.

Exploring the issues you can face when using an FDM 3D printer. Examples will show the various failure modes which can occur with a description of what has gone wrong and the things to look at to correct it.

This chapter details the steps which should be carried out prior to starting a print to ensure the printer is set up correctly.

In order to get an aesthetically pleasing finish from a 3D print, it is important to consider the file that is provided to the printer. How we extract this data from SOLIDWORKS will play a role in the end result. However, there are far more peripherals we can control, which are explored here.

Understanding your printer will allow you to get a lot more out of it. May it be FDM or SLA, we can build on the techniques you learnt within those printer specific training courses you have been on with tools within the CAD and slicer.

This section details the steps which should be carried out prior to starting a print to ensure the printer is set up correctly.

SOLIDWORKS has a variety of commands to help speed up design development, this chapter explores how these commands can be used for setting up our files to help speed up the print time.

Continuing on the theme of how SOLIDWORKS can assist in producing designs that work well with your printer, this chapter explores the use of specific commands that ensure your parts fit within the build volume of your printer while looking out for areas of concern.

By using a familiar model that has been slightly modified for printing, we shall run through the basics of how any model can be tweaked to print in the optimal manner. Once these changes have been discussed, it’s extremely important to understand how to orient these files within your slicer to get the best possible result from it.

Support material is sometimes a necessity, if there’s no way the design can be changed to reduce supports then we can look into techniques which allow us to get the best possible result from the printed output. With the use of simple rules and a further understanding of orientation, we can ensure that your printed file still achieves the aesthetic and functional performance required.

The slicer used to send the CAD data through to the printer will sometimes show us results that may not be optimal, understanding how we can still get the result required allows you to get more of your designs printed.

SOLIDWORKS has a whole host of commands that this course has shown to assist with the 3D printing process, and within this final chapter we shall look into even further methods that can be used to not just create functional differences, but also to create beautifully realistic surface finishes.