Blog Posts Tagged 3D Printing
Designing the Sound Absorption of Microlattice Structures
Using numerical simulation, you can design microlattice structures with sound-absorbing properties, and then print them via additive manufacturing without traditional manufacturing constraints.
Optimizing an NIV Mask Design with Multiphysics Simulation
NIV masks offer a form of noninvasive monitoring and ventilation for COVID-19 patients, which lessens the need for ventilators and other mechanical respirators.
Introducing the Metal Processing Module
The Metal Processing Module includes 2 interfaces for analyzing diffusive and displacive metallurgical phase transformations: Metal Phase Transformation and Austenite Decomposition.
Comparing Optimization Methods for a Heat Sink Design for 3D Printing
When designing a heat sink, is it better to use parametric or topology optimization? When manufacturing said design, does 3D printing produce the best result, or a conventional method?
How to Activate Material in Simulations of Manufacturing Processes
Do you model manufacturing processes such as welding or additive manufacturing? You can activate or deactivate a material in a material deposition simulation using specialized functionality.
Advancing Additive Manufacturing with Sequential Simulations
In some ways, additive manufacturing is like sewing or weaving. We talk to a professor of additive manufacturing about how sequential simulations can be used to analyze and optimize the process.
Analyzing a Unique Poroelastic Metamaterial with Simulation
This blog post combines the subjects of 3D printing and metamaterials, featuring a group that used simulation-based research to analyze a unique poroelastic metamaterial.
Analyzing Laser Beam-Matter Interaction in Selective Laser Melting
Selective laser melting is a common and important process in many types of manufacturing. You can model the interaction between the laser beam and matter for a closer look at this process.
Optimize 3D Printers by Modeling the Glass-Transition Temperature
Interested in 3D printing? Find out how researchers from Bangladesh and the United States analyzed a 3D printer head via heat transfer simulation.
TNO Advances Virtual Material Design in 3D Printing
Researchers at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) are investigating how 3D printing can be applied to material design. Get the full story.
The MTC Builds a Simulation App to Optimize 3D Printing
Engineers at the Manufacturing Technology Centre built a simulation app to efficiently analyze an additive manufacturing technique known as shaped metal deposition. Read the full story…
Learning with Technology: 3D Printing in the Classroom
As 3D printers become more affordable to the average consumer, more and more teachers are starting to use these devices within their classrooms to teach students about additive manufacturing.
Selective Laser Sintering for Prototype Production
A type of 3D printing called selective laser sintering is used to produce everything from metal prototypes and plastic, ceramic, and glass materials to coffee! Learn about modeling this process.
The Age of 3D Metal Printing
3D printing (also called additive manufacturing) can involve the use of plastics and metals. Take a more in-depth look at 3D metal printing and its potential to revolutionize manufacturing here.
3D Printing: Material Matters
In the past, we’ve discussed a few of the extraordinary uses of 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) technology by some innovative engineers, and even printed a few of our COMSOL models. In one of our previous posts on 3D printing, we discussed some of the limitations that this technique poses from both a consumer and manufacturing stand-point — you can only print one material at a time. Now however, as was mentioned in an article in Desktop Engineering, not only […]
Success Stories and Limitations of 3D Printing
From supporting research to creating custom prosthesis, what doesn’t 3D printing seem to promise these days? We all know 3D printing has arrived, and the technology is already being put into practice by companies and tech-savvy consumers everywhere. It seems there’s a new 3D printing success story published every day, and no matter how fascinating, it makes you wonder about the wider repercussions and limitations of 3D printing.
Past, Present, and Future of 3D Printing
There are many necessary steps required in order to create a superior product. Based on some initial (or existing) design, you first need to evaluate the physical characteristics of the system. Once some level of understanding of the system has been obtained, it should then be possible to refine and optimize the design based on some reasonable choice of a figure of merit for a good design. The final stage is to prototype the design, which is where 3D printing […]
How to 3D Print COMSOL Models
Quite often we get asked the question “can I 3D print my COMSOL model?” Well, as of version 4.3b, the answer is “yes!” This is because it is now possible to export geometries and meshes as STL files, which is one of the standard file formats for 3D printing. This allows for rapid prototyping of designs; there is no need to outsource parts to machine shops. It is quite remarkable that you could conceive, simulate, optimize, and prototype a design […]
3D Printed Cloaking Device in a Matter of Hours
It’s been almost a year since we declared 3D printing the hottest topic in manufacturing, and it hasn’t cooled off yet. If anything, 3D printing has seen a recent surge in popularity. By now you’ve heard a lot about the technology and what you can print with it, but did you know you could print invisibility cloaks this way, too?
A Better File Format for 3D Printing to Replace STL?
I have previously blogged about 3D printing and how it would be great if you could go from model to product in one step. Now it seems as though the Stereolithography (STL) file format is reaching its limits for being useful as a standard for this type of application. The printers themselves, and what they are capable of, are outstripping the abilities of the file formats to support their new capabilities. Moves are being made to develop a better file […]
3D Printing: Hottest Topic in Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing as it is more widely known as, is on everybody’s mind right now. Manufacturing folks, engineers, and even the general public have taken an interest in 3D printing. In other words, this is not just a fascinating phenomenon to those in the industry — additive manufacturing has been generally accepted as the next “cool” thing in manufacturing.