Additive Manufacturing Design Documentation

Did you just finish your 3D file to be made with additive manufacturing? Congrats, a great achievement! Now what?

Too often additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is thought to be about sending 3D files to be printed and nothing else.

From an industrial perspective, this is too simplified an approach as typically the parts are not ready after printing. In most cases, you need to perform some form of post-processing such as machining or surface treatments to achieve the final features of the part which are needed for it to function properly. From a quality perspective, it is also important to have manufacturing information documented in a way that a manufacturer can be changed if needed, or if a part is needed every 3 years, there is no confusion about how it was done the last time.

Currently, there are no common rules on how to document your designs: what info needs to be displayed in the 2D drawings, what file formats should be used for 3D files et cetera. To tackle this, Etteplan has created a set of guidelines based on the little info that was available from standards complemented with the hands-on knowledge gained and developed through multiple design projects. Several printing service bureaus were also consulted to hear their opinions.

Download your copy of AM documentation guidelines for free!