Additive Manufacturing and 3D Print Preparation Flashcards

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

Answer: The build orientation and the overhang angle threshold

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.

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

Answer: .STL (stereolithography)

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Which SolidWorks tool allows you to preview how a part will be oriented on the print bed, shows color-coded overhang regions, and lets you export directly to a printer or slicing software?

Answer: Print3D

Print3D is SolidWorks' built-in additive manufacturing preparation tool. It provides bed orientation controls, color-coded overhang and wall-thickness visualization, printer connection options, and direct STL/3MF export — all in one workflow.