Though it may seem daunting at first, using 3D printing your designs to test and iterate product concepts trims the design to manufacturing timeline, making the learning curve worth the time investment, even in the short run. Model orientation: the direction that the material is layered to create your object and how it will impact the final look and feel of your object.Managing supports: beyond a certain point, your printed material won't be able to print onto thin air (surprise!) and requires designed 3D printed supports, which will affect the look of your final object.Perfecting design parameters: in order to be printable, your geometry needs to have volume and manifold geometries.Improving print quality: your choice of printing equipment is directly linked to how fast your product prints and the level of detail that you can achieve.Read through in order or skip ahead to the section most relevant to your process. To demonstrate that you can achieve high-end results economically, we printed each model in this guide with a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printer.įollowing is an overview of the topics covered.

Once reserved for high-end research, the evolution of 3D printing now encapsulates everything from rapid prototyping to full-scale manufacturing.įor product innovators, industrial designers, and budding 3D printing enthusiasts ready to take design concepts to tangible products, this guide will walk you through the how-to’s of mastering quality 3D printing and finishing your prototype for presentation.This will allow you to create high-quality 3D concepts and products in record time.

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