CAD Tips and Tricks

Top 10 Common Mistakes in Designing Parts for Rapid Prototyping:

1. Part design having thin-features less than .030” for Std. SLA and .015”-.020” for High-Res SLA.

Solution:
  Make sure that there are features no less than .030” for Standard SLA and .015”-.020” for High-Res SLA to ensure features build correctly.
 

2. Saving the CAD model to STL file in low-resolution setting, resulting in too much faceting in the model.

Solution:
Typically, there should be an Edge-to-Edge distance between faces less than .020” for a smoother finish. For more information on STL and how to save to a higher resolution file in the most commonly used CAD packages, please visit this link.
 

3. STL file conversion error resulting from the CAD data having numerous unstitched surfaces rather than solids.

Solution:
Make sure that the surfaces in the original CAD model are “water-tight” in that only solids are modeled.
 

4. Part design having knife edge design where the edge thins down to zero thickness.

Solution:
Thicken any thinning/ knife edge features - which often times are found in thread designs - in the model that are less than .030” in thickness for Std. SLA and .015”-.020” for High-Res SLA.
 

5. Part design with enclosed hollow space, where support materials can’t be removed.
Solution:
Add a hole for the internal voids in the model to allow the removal of the support materials.
Read More: http://www.3dsystems.com/quickparts/learning-center/cad-tips?scid=brand_20150909_52145426&adbid=10153599955319770&adbpl=fb&adbpr=12707004769
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