Design for 3D printing - Design with the process in mind

3D printing is known for offering outstanding geometric freedom, but like any manufacturing technologies, it has its specific strengths and weaknesses. At the Danish Technological Institute, we specialise in design for 3D printing, and we can help you optimise your design - or make it from scratch.

Just like conventional manufacturing techniques – such as casting, forging, or machining – additive processes are subject to physical limitations. From these limitations, design guidelines and principles can be derived.

Navigating these design paradigms successfully is one of the greatest obstacles at the beginning of the additive manufacturing journey. As the design principles for traditional manufacturing are vastly different to those in 3D printing, designers and engineers often find it difficult to free themselves of these constraints and instead “think in 3D”.

With profound experience in creating components for 3D printing, the Danish Technological Institute is the ideal partner ensure that your designs will be right the first time. We understand the process, the materials, and how to turn the strengths of 3D printing into designs that address your pain points.

The impact of good design practice

 “Design for 3D printing” is most commonly associated with ensuring manufacturability. However, the implications of a good design go far beyond the question of whether or not a print will finish successfully. In fact, the technological and economical viability of entire business cases can hinge on component geometry.

Well-designed parts take into account the entire manufacturing chain – that includes nesting of parts in the available build envelope, ease of post-processing, and final assembly. In many cases, even minor changes in geometry can translate into significantly reduced lead times and lower overall manufacturing cost.

What can be printed – and what should be?

Designing a part with the manufacturing process in mind is just as important as choosing a suitable component to print in the first place. A simple geometry that can easily be realized with conventional processes will rarely be competitive as a 3D printed part.

In contrast, 3D printing offers enormous advantages over other manufacturing technologies when it comes to the integration of several functions and/or parts into one component, which results in lower part count but higher part complexity.

In cases where weight is crucial, for instance in the aerospace sector, design tools such as topology optimization can be employed to determine the lightest possible geometry. While these computationally derived designs are extremely challenging for conventional manufacturing, they are well-suited for 3D printing processes.

Furthermore, 3D printing offers the unique possibility to functionalize individual regions of a component through the use of metamaterials, for instance lattice structures. With this approach, varying material properties can be realized in one monolithic part.

Check the sub-pages to learn more about the strengths and opportunities when designing for 3D printing.