Optimize your 3D Printing for Structural Integrity
01/13/2016
There are two ways to make sure your mesh will result in a strong 3D print and Meshmixer can help you out with both of those:
- Orient your model
- Thicken the thin areas
Meshmixer allows the user to analyze the mesh in real time for weak areas and shows a color range to highlight the weakest areas.
The Design and Fabrication team ran a set of tests to confirm the strength gains in changing the orientation of the print.
Some prints withstood more than 10x the force before breaking.
For thickening the thin areas, it's very easy to paint in a stronger section. The dense meshes below are the bones of a hand and the interface is still quick and manageable.
You can see some video footage of the structural analysis and stress testing in the video below. Even better, get Meshmixer and try it out for yourself! The full details of this research entitled Cross-sectional Structural Analysis for 3D Printing Optimization is available on AutodeskResearch.com.
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