Solidworks Additive Manufacturing and 3D Print Preparation

Question 1

In SolidWorks Print3D, which factor most directly determines how much support material a printed part will require?

Accepted Answer

The build orientation and the overhang angle threshold

Answer

Build orientation determines which faces are overhanging relative to the print bed. Combined with the printer's overhang angle threshold (typically 45–50°), this defines which areas require support structures. Rotating the part can dramatically reduce support material and print time.

Question 2

Which file format is the original industry-standard output from SolidWorks for sharing a 3D model with most FDM, SLA, and SLS printers?

Accepted Answer

.STL (stereolithography)

Answer

STL (Standard Tessellation Language / Stereolithography) is the original and still most widely supported format for 3D printing. SolidWorks exports STL by tessellating curved surfaces into triangular facets that slicing software can process.

Question 3

When exporting an STL from SolidWorks, what do the 'Resolution' or 'Deviation/Angle' settings control?

Accepted Answer

The coarseness or fineness of the triangular mesh that approximates curved surfaces

Answer

STL files represent curved geometry using triangular facets. Tighter deviation and angle tolerances produce smaller triangles that better approximate curves, resulting in a smoother printed surface but a larger file size.

Question 4

The 3MF file format, supported in SolidWorks Print3D, offers which key advantage over STL for 3D printing workflows?

Accepted Answer

It embeds color, material, texture, and print settings data alongside geometry

Answer

3MF (3D Manufacturing Format) was designed to replace STL by including not just geometry (as triangular facets) but also color, material properties, texture maps, print settings, and support information in a single file — making it far richer for full-color and multi-material printing.

Question 5

In SolidWorks Print3D, what does the 'Wall Thickness Analysis' (or the similar check in the Geometry Analysis tool) help a designer identify?

Accepted Answer

Areas where the model wall is too thin to be reliably printed with the chosen process and material

Answer

Wall Thickness Analysis highlights regions of the model that fall below the minimum printable thickness for the selected process (e.g., FDM nozzle diameter, SLA curing resolution). Thin walls may not form properly or may be structurally too weak after printing.

Solidworks Practice Test

Solidworks Practice Test

Solidworks Additive Manufacturing and 3D Print Preparation