3D Printing Blog | i.materialise

3D Printing Design Tips From Professional Designers

2025-05-23T11:45:18Z

Designing for 3D printing is not always an easy task. While creativity has no limits when you’ve mastered the right 3D design software, optimizing designs for 3D printing can be tricky for beginners.

That’s why we wanted to offer you a compilation of the best design tips for 3D printing given by those who know it well: professional 3D designers. What does their 3D design process look like? Which 3D printing software do they use? Which tips would they give to new 3D designers? Read on to discover their thoughts!

Choose the right wall thickness

Kristoffer Rønn-Andersen, the jewelry designer behind Primal Crafts, explains that he starts new designs with a rough sketch drawn by hand or by jumping directly into his 3D modeling software, which is Rhinoceros for the most part. For some designs, the 3D file might take shape in SolidWorks or Blender as well.

Photo by PrimalCrafts.com

Kristoffer thinks that the biggest challenge and most important step when designing for 3D printing is to optimize the 3D model for the printing material.

According to the designer, choosing the right wall thickness for 3D designs is essential: “To me it’s crucial that these aspects are integrated into the early design of the pieces, otherwise they might not turn out well, either because the piece is not printable or because you have to make last-minute changes to the dimensions, which ruin the design.”

Keep the minimum detail sizes for each material in mind

Each 3D printing material has different design needs that are important to keep in mind when you design. Not just when making them printable, but also to adapt the design to your ideas.

Jewelry designer Noah Händel explains it with the example of his ring: “With bronze, you can achieve everything from matte brown to shiny gold. That depends on how you design the highs and lows and how even the surface is. The vines of the ring are a great example. Even though the indentation between the vines is only around 0.8mm deep, it looks a lot deeper because it has a darker shade that you can’t polish. A rough surface always looks more detailed than a plain one.”

Garden Ring. Copyright Sören Schulz & Noah Hähnel

This young jewelry designer uses Cinema 4D for his designs and gives another simple but important tip for those looking to print unique pieces in different sizes or with small alterations: keep your files as easy to edit as possible.

“When I started out, I finished with one completely merged object, which was easier to export, but difficult to make alterations on after completion, like changing the wall thickness or the size of certain details.”

Gloss, High Gloss, Satin, and Sandblasted silver finishes

This technique will only allow you to change small details for each customer to make the object a little more unique. Furthermore, you will be able to increase the ring size without increasing the bounding box, which allows for cheaper prints.

Understand the 3D printing technologies

The designers behind the jewelry brand Blueberries are a couple from the Czech Republic named Zbyněk Krulich and Markéta Richterová. They use Houdini by SideFX for their 3D designs because it has a node-based workflow where everything is built in a procedural way. Instead of moving vertices, the couple creates small systems to manipulate data in 3D. For the final analysis and exportation, they use Meshmixer.

The tip Zbynek and Markéta would give to their fellow designers is to get a better understanding of the 3D printing tec hnologies and how to design for 3D printing with them. For Blueberries, this is crucial because they always work on the edge of what is possible to make with 3D printing.

Their design process starts with a concept and with that in mind, they create the first designs with a 3D software program. Afterwards, they perform several iterations for the prototyping phase. Once they have a finalized prototype, Zbynek and Markéta make some last iterations for the final design, in order to get the perfect final results.

Delaunay Star Gold by Blueberries

Experiment and prototype

The product designers for the coffee product brand Fellow have a very open approach to designing for 3D printing. They use different 3D design tools when they are working back and forth between industrial designers and engineers, and they see this as a learning process: “We learn something new in the design process of every product, so no two 3D printing and modeling program recipes have ever stayed the same product to product.”

Duo Coffee Steeper by Fellow © Fellow

Fellow encourages prototyping because it makes it possible to see products to scale, hold them and feel their diameter and height. “To see how our product takes up space in kitchens is incredibly helpful to figure out if we are on the right track for form and function.” Prototyping allows them to create iterations of the same product with 3D printing during the design and engineering process.

Sketch of the ‘Love Lamps’ by Sandro Lominashvili

As you can see, there is not one single approach to design for 3D printing. Knowing the material and technologies that you will be printing with is key to getting the perfect outcome. Obtaining a flawless 3D print might not happen on your first attempt, but following these tips will help to make it easier.

Another important step to consider when you start your designs is choosing the right 3D design software for 3D printing.

Once your 3D files are finalized and ready to 3D print, upload them to our 3D printing platform to get an instant price quote. Our 3D printing platform is also a good place to discover all the printing options that we offer, as well as the finishes and colors available for each material.

Featured image: Mjolnir Key Chain by Little Things | 3D Printed in Polished Natural Steel

3D-Printed Action Figures: How To Make Your Own Action Figure

2025-05-23T11:45:24Z

3D printing has impacted all kinds of objects — even action figures. Big brands like DC Comics have even signed deals with 3D printing companies to print some of their figurines. But since 3D printing is all about customization, it is also the perfect technology to create your own action figure. Here’s how it’s done!

That Darn Cat by Matt Bagshaw in Multicolor+

There are several ways you can create your own action figure or fantasy character. It could be something of your own invention, or it could even be yourself, with the help of 3D scanning. In this blog, we’ll give a broad overview of the different ways you can get your own 3D-printed miniature figurine, whether you sculpt it yourself, start with a file you found online, or need a 3D scan of yourself.

Start from scratch: If you want to create your own action figurine or fantasy miniature from scratch, you probably need to look into digital sculpting. CAD software intended for creating 3D models of mechanical parts or architectural models won’t help you a lot — the result will simply be too edgy and non-organic. Luckily, specialized digital sculpting software is available — and quite a few decent programs come for free.

Meshmixer: Meshmixer, a free sculpting program from Autodesk, is also a great solution for beginners. While the sculpting tools aren’t top tier, Meshmixer is perfect for preparing your model for 3D printing. That’s why many 3D artists work with several programs and use Meshmixer to give their model the ‘finishing touches’ before it goes to the printer.
ZBrush: This is the ‘tour de force’ when it comes to digital sculpting. Most professionals use this software since it is by far the most powerful out there. However, ZBrush‘s power and design freedom involve a somewhat steeper learning curve than in other programs
Other software with sculpting modes: There are other popular 3D modeling programs that come with sculpting modules, like Blender (freeware). However, these programs were not originally intended for those kinds of operations and lack some of the features that dedicated digital sculpting software has to offer

The goat skull by Jody Garrett was created with ZBrush sculpting software

Starting from a file: Using the software packages above does not always mean that you need to start from scratch! Of course, you can also import 3D files from the web or 3D scans.

Finding 3D files on the web: There are tons of websites out there that offer (both free and premium) 3D models to download. We took a look at 10 of the best and most popular 3D model databases and compared them for price, quality, selection, and printability right here. Starting from a 3D model is especially helpful for people new to 3D modeling and 3D printing.
Open-source tool for human 3D characters: MakeHuman is a great tool to create your first 3D file. It’s free, open-source software that creates realistic and customized 3D humans that can be further edited in programs like ZBrush and Meshmixer.
Getting scanned: Unsurprisingly, many people want themselves to be the main hero! To create a figurine that looks just like you, there are 3D scanners for the job. High-end scanning software can easily cost thousands of dollars, but there are cheaper alternatives. On one hand, you could get yourself scanned (yep, there are services for that), or you could try to get a scan with a free app on your smartphone. Creating a decent 3D scan with a smartphone (or camera) is a bit trickier and may take a few attempts, but we’ve had quite a few positive experiences already. A very important step is to clean up your 3D scan before you can print it. ZBrush or Meshmixer are especially useful for that.

Cleaning up a scan in ZBrush

3D printing your design: It doesn’t matter if you start from scratch, a scan, or a file; two more things are essential for a successful 3D print: a well-prepared file and a basic understanding of the intended 3D printing material.

3D printing material: When it comes to action figures in professional 3D printing quality you have several great options. For a 3D print in multiple colors, Multicolor+ is probably the way to go. If you want a stronger plastic material and are thinking about painting the model yourself, you should take a look at Polyamide or Gray Resin. Metal prints are also possible: steel, brass, bronze… you name it!
File preparation: No matter which material you choose in the end, you always need to read the detailed design guides for some essential tips and tricks to prepare your file for 3D printing. You’ll learn why wall thickness is important and how the fragile parts of your model can be supported. We already mentioned it above, but it’s worth another reminder: a 3D scan always needs to be ‘cleaned up’ before it is printable (read more about this in the ‘getting scanned’ part above).

Pixellated lion figurine in Multicolor+

Getting your professional 3D print: In order to receive a high-quality 3D print, you can simply upload your file here and choose from 100+ materials and finishes. We will then print your model and ship it right to your doorstep.

3D Printing In Steel: How To Get The Perfect Steel 3D Print

2025-04-25T07:38:25Z

Being able to get a print in real, solid steel is one of the coolest things 3D printing has to offer. However, we get quite a few questions about the look and feel of this material. In this article, we want to explain to you how steel 3D printing works, what color and finishing options you can choose from, and how you need to prepare your 3D design to get a great steel print!

The material and technology: it’s all about steel powder

The technology behind our 3D-printed steel is known as indirect metal printing. This technique builds the model from a fine steel powder that is glued together — layer by layer, bottom to top. In contrast to this, some other metals, such as Titanium or Aluminum, are printed directly in a process called direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and don’t use a binding agent.

In our steel 3D printers, a razor-sharp layer of steel powder is spread out. The printer head then moves back and forth over this layer and deposits the binding agent at specific points. These locations will later become the solid 3D print. Everything that isn’t touched by the binding agent will remain loose steel powder.

Once a layer is finished and has been dried with the powerful overhead heaters, a new layer of powder is spread, and the process begins again. This way, layer by layer, from the bottom to top, a 3D print in steel is created. With this technology, we can produce parts up to a maximum size of 762 x 393 x 393 mm.

Once the printing process is done, the steel part is placed in a curing oven where it is sintered. After the removal of excess power, the print is in its “green state” and remains quite fragile. With the help of a flute system, the binding agent is replaced with a bronze infusion. That’s why the chemical composition of the final 3D-printed product is around 60% steel and 40% bronze, with a density of 7.86 g/cm³.

After this step, the part finally becomes a solid and strong metal object. The flutes are then removed manually and the print is tumbled and polished for a smooth finish.

The finish: choose from an extensive selection

When using our 3D printing service, users can choose from seven different polishing and plating options.

Polished Steel is available in Polished Natural (1), Polished Gold-Plated (2), Polished Black (3), and Polished Brown (4) options. When the material is polished, unpolished (unreachable) spots, such as tiny holes, will stay darker than the polished surfaces, while the polished surface will be shinier and smoother. The gold finish is achieved with an electroless plating process. Unpolished Steel is available in Unpolished Natural (5), Unpolished Gold-Plated (6), and Unpolished Black (7).

If you need metal parts with a higher accuracy, Titanium and Aluminum, are suitable choices. If you are interested in getting metal prints with very smooth surfaces you should take a look at Brass, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Copper.

Design rules for steel 3D prints

Like any 3D printing material, steel also comes with some specific design rules. Taking these rules into account when creating your 3D model will ensure that your design will be perfectly printable, especially when it comes to wall thickness, edges, and transitions.

Choosing the right minimum wall thickness

In 3D printing, wall thickness refers to the distance between one surface of your model and the opposite sheer surface.

The recommended thickness of the walls heavily depends on the size of your model. Minimum wall thickness increases if the overall size of your model increases. You can consult the chart with the minimum requirements for walls with different ranges of X, Y, or Z dimensions.

You will see that small models, such as rings, can have a minimum wall thickness of 1 mm if they are well-supported. Medium-sized objects can have walls between 1.5 mm and 2 mm. For larger models, we highly recommend a wall thickness of at least 3 mm.

Choosing the right wall thickness will make your model much stronger, but there is still a risk that fragile parts could break off. That’s why overhanging parts and unsupported elements need additional stability and require a thickness of 6 mm.

Edges and transitions

To make your model printable, it is important that the wall thicknesses and transitions in your design are even — avoiding sharp edges and enabling smooth transitions is key. Areas that have different thicknesses will heat (expand) and cool (contract) at different rates during and after the infusion phase.

Therefore, wall thickness needs to be kept as uniform as possible to minimize the chance of cracking. You can fillet or round sharp corners in accordance with the minimum wall thickness chart to accommodate this in the best possible way.

Besides these two rules, we always encourage users to read our design guide for steel 3D printing, which includes further information about issues like hollowing your model, engraving text, or accuracy and shrinkage.

Examples of 3D-printed steel objects

3D printing in steel and other metals is a great option, and not just for industrial parts. Have a look at these amazing prints in steel.

Mjolnir Key Chain by Little Things | 3D printed in Polished Natural Steel

Luckybone Belt Buckle by Kord Averdunk | 3D printed in Polished Natural Steel

Polygons Bracelet by Eike Schling | 3D printed in Polished Brown Steel

FlyingJACK Bottle Prototype by Franky Leering | 3D printed in Polished Natural Steel

Cuadrado Ring in Natural Polished Steel by Simply Bu

Ready to give it a try yourself? Upload your 3D model here and get a quote for a high-quality 3D print in real steel in seconds!

I Uploaded My 3D Model — Now What?

2025-03-21T12:57:00Z

Ever wonder what happens to your file after it’s been uploaded to i.materialise? In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps your models go through, from automated and manual checks to file preparation, production, and cleaning. We’ll also dive into what happens from the moment you click “order” until your 3D print arrives on your doorstep.

To complete a 3D print order, you must start with a 3D model. This can be done via a 3D scan, by designing it yourself using a 3D design tool, or by hiring a professional designer to do the 3D modeling for you.

Of course, modeling for a 3D print job can be confusing. This is especially true if you are a beginner. In this case, it might be helpful to read our whitepaper, Beginner’s Guide to 3D Printing, so your order won’t be canceled due to design errors.

Once you have a finished 3D model, you upload it to i.materialise. Our 3D printing platform offers instant pricing, automated and manual checks, 8 different printing technologies, 21 different materials, and over 100 color and finish combinations. Plus, it has the capability to support many 3D file formats. As such, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to 3D printing and preparing your 3D model. It’s not only about the printing (which usually only takes a couple of days at most). Rather, it involves an entire process of file checking, planning, printing, cleaning, finishing, quality checking, packing, and shipping your products.

Over 100 color and finish combinations are possible with i.materialise

After the upload

Once your 3D model has been uploaded and your selections have been made, it immediately undergoes an automated check using our in-house software.

The software verifies if the model can be printed. It checks for some of the most common mistakes that make a 3D model unprintable, such as wall thickness issues. If a wall is too thin, for example, this could mean the 3D printer simply cannot build a wall or the wall would be very fragile and break off easily.

Another common mistake is when your model has edges or contours that are not closed or connected properly. These gaps between surfaces prevent your model from being watertight. This refers to the possibility that your model would “leak” because of these gaps. The gap is closed by welding or stitching the surfaces together in your 3D software program or creating a surface in between.

A common mistake when 3D modeling is making walls too thin, or simply forgetting to add wall thickness altogether.

In some cases, our automated software can fix these mistakes. In other cases, if one or more of the automated checks fail and cannot be fixed automatically, then a member of our customer support team reviews the model. During this step, they approve whether the model can be sent into job preparation or not. If there are still some risks associated with the model, they will reach out to the customer to see if they are willing to accept some of the risks (such as wall thickness), before it is sent to job creation.

If the model is not printable or considered acceptable, then the order is canceled (read more on “Why Was My Order Canceled?”). We’ll inform the customer about the cancellation with a refund and a full explanation of what went wrong so they can ensure that the next print will be successful.

Next step: production

Once the 3D model passes all of the automated and manual checks, it’s cleared for job creation and production. The production facilities contain over 100 printers, including 15 of the world’s largest Stereolithography machines (printing up to 2100 x 680 x 800 mm).

Most of the time, many parts can fit in a single print bed, so there are other prints included in the job file containing your model. During this step, we orient, position, and slice your model. Orientation and positioning influence surface quality and mechanical properties, such as strength. Due to the layered building process, our team has to select the best orientation for each part. Slicing is where the job is split up into layers, sending that information to the printer to construct the entire print job.

We then start the printer, and depending on the size and amount of parts, the print job can take a couple of hours, two days, or even longer. This depends on the complexity of the job, material, finish, and/or the size of the parts. Some additional buffer time is typically added to give room for production corrections and additional checks or print queues. More on lead times and production times can be found here.

Final steps: post-processing, quality check, and shipment

Once the model is printed, the parts are taken from the build and cleaned. The cleaning differs depending on the technology used. For a powder-based process like Laser Sintering and Multi Jet Fusion, we need to remove residual powder. For Stereolithography, we remove residual liquid resin and then the support. You can learn more about the different types of cleaning and 3D printing technologies here.

Powdered-based 3D printing technologies like Multi Jet Fusion require residual powder removal during the cleaning process.

Additional post-processing is done depending on the required finish or color. For example, if you ordered a Polyamide model with a red polished finish, once your model is printed, we place it into a tumbler with pebbles that vibrates at a high frequency to smoothen the surface. Then, we dye it by putting it into a bath with red pigment.

The last step before shipment is a quality check. We assess the printed parts for quality assurance and double-check basic measurements. Then, all the parts for one order are gathered for shipment together in one package.

All parts go through a quality check before getting shipped out.

Your 3D print is now ready for its final step and last leg of its journey. All of the printed 3D models are shipped via UPS, with delivery times varying by region — check out our shipping time page for more info. Ready to print your model? Go to our upload page to get started.

The Most Important 3D Printing Technologies And Materials You Need To Know

2025-02-28T09:19:21Z

If you believe that all 3D printers use filaments and if terms like Stereolithography, Laser Sintering, and PolyJet Printing cause you headaches, then this blog post is for you. Here, we share an overview of the essential 3D printing technologies and 3D printing materials that are currently used on an industrial level.

Filament-based 3D printing

Home printers typically work with plastic filaments. The technology behind this is often referred to as fused filament fabrication (FFF). In our 3D printing factory, we have more professional, industrial-grade machines, which use a technology called fused deposition modeling (FDM).

In an FDM printer, a long plastic filament is fed by a spool to a nozzle where the material is liquefied and ‘drawn’ on the platform, where it immediately hardens again. The nozzle moves to place the material in the correct location to build your model up layer by layer. When a layer is drawn, the platform lowers by one layer thickness so the printer can start with the next layer. Sound similar to a regular home printer? Read on!

Now, here’s the cool part: unlike most home printers, our FDM machines actually use a second filament to build support material. Since the material used to build the model cannot be deposited in the air (e.g. for overhanging parts), the support material prevents it from falling down. After the printing process, the model is put into a bath with special soap. The support material dissolves automatically in this bath. Thanks to this, your designs can be really complex and contain interlocking, interlinking, and movable parts.

A good example of the kind of piece you can make using this technology is the fully functional, continuously adjustable screw wrench below — all printed in one piece.

ABS prints: functional and strong but with a rough surface.

The printing material these printers use is called ABS-M30. This material will give you a print that is strong and accurate. ABS is very useful for functional applications because it matches 80% of the properties of real injected production material. However, the surface quality of the models produced with this material is rougher compared with other materials.

Powder-based 3D printing

The next big family of printers that we have is not based on filament but on powder. Laser sintering is used to create 3D prints in Polyamide, Alumide, and Polypropylene.

3D prints in Polyamide come in many different finishes and colors.

The interior of the printer is heated up to just below the melting point of the powder of your choice. The printer then spreads out an incredibly fine layer of this powder. A laser beam heats up the areas that need to be sintered together just above the melting point. And voila: the parts that were touched by the laser are now fused together while the rest continues to remain loose powder.

The models are printed layer by layer with the help of this laser beam. After a layer is printed, a new layer of fresh powder is spread over the surface by a roller. After the printing job is finished, the result is a big block of powder that contains the printed (sintered) models inside. In order to get your prints out of the powder block, we need to dig into the box of un-sintered powder and brush away the excess.

Digging 3D-printed parts out of un-sintered powder. Photo by Arthur Los from Milo-Profi studio. Copyright by Flanders Investment & Trade.

So why is this such a great technology? No supporting structure is needed! The un-sintered powder is the supporting material. This allows for complex designs, and even interlinking and moving parts. Have a look at the following video to get a better idea about how it works:

Other materials, such as Steel, also rely on powder, but are not laser sintered. Instead, a binder is used to ‘glue’ parts together. We refer to this technology as powder- & binder-based 3D printing.

Going strong: 3D-printed steel keychain ‘Rainbow Dash’ by Ben Scholzen

The starting process of this technology is quite similar to laser sintering: a roller puts a thin layer of powder on a platform. However, instead of a laser beam, a special print head places a binding agent at specific points, printing a thin layer of your model that is able to bind to subsequent layers. This process is then repeated over and over again until your model is complete.

Since your model was only ‘glued’ together, some post-processing is necessary with this 3D printing technology. The exact post-processing steps heavily depend on the material. For example, Steel objects are placed in an oven for fusing. Steel models are additionally infused with Bronze for extra strength.

Resin-based 3D printing

Now we are getting into technology that is used by really big printers. Our Mammoth printers can print up to a length of 2.1 meters (6.9 feet)! These beasts use neither powder nor filament; they use liquid resin. Welcome to the world of stereolithography. The stereolithography process takes place in a large tank and begins with a layer of liquid polymer spread over a platform. Since this piqued polymer is UV-sensitive, a UV laser hardens the area that will become one layer of your 3D print. The rest of the layer stays liquid. The platform is then lowered and the next layer is drawn directly on top of the previous one.

When the object is complete, it is raised out of the tank via the supporting platform — much like a submarine rising to the surface of the water — with the excess liquid flowing away. Take a look at stereolithography in action in the video below:

So what’s the difference between this and laser sintering? Because a liquid material is used (and not powder), we need to add support material for overhanging parts and parts that stick out. The supports are then removed manually after the model is taken from the machine. This means that the design freedom of this technology is somewhat limited. The main advantages of materials printed with stereolithography are smooth surfaces and a lot of finishing and post-processing possibilities.

Materials used in this printing process include Mammoth Resin, Transparent Resin, Gray Resin, and Standard Resin. They all feature smooth, high-quality surfaces. Additional plus points: Mammoth Resin can be printed in extra large sizes, Transparent Resin comes with a transparent look in different colors, and Gray Resin and Standard Resin come at a low price.

Smooth and transparent: 3D-printed transparent resin

Another technology based on resin is PolyJet, which is used for Multicolor+ and High-Detail Resin. It works by jetting resin in ultra-thin layers onto a build tray until the model is completed. Each layer is cured by UV light immediately after being jetted, producing fully cured models that can be handled and used immediately.

Lost-wax 3D printing and casting

To create parts in Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, and Brass, we use lost-wax printing and casting. This technology builds upon modern 3D printing technology as well as traditional metal casting.

Frog Ring by Peter Donders — created in gold-plated brass.

It all starts by 3D printing your model in wax. This step is a type of stereolithography that uses a wax-like resin. Support structures are printed along with the model to make sure it doesn’t fall apart. These support structures are automatically generated and manually removed after the printing process. Next, one or more wax sprues will be attached to your model. Then your model will be attached by the sprue to a wax ‘tree,’ together with several other models. The tree is then placed in a flask and covered in a fine plaster. When the plaster solidifies, it forms the mold for casting the metal. The plaster mold is then put in an oven and heated for several hours to a point where the wax is completely burned out.

Then, molten metal is poured in to fill the cavities left by the wax. Once the metal has cooled and solidified, the plaster mold is broken and the metal models are removed by hand. Finally, your model is filed and sanded to get rid of the sprues. It will be sanded, polished, or sandblasted to create the finish you desire. How great is that: the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing meets the ancient technique of metal casting!

This means, however, that complicated designs, such as a ball within a ball or links of chains, cannot be made with this process. But the upside of casting your model is that the final product will have the best quality: surfaces will be smooth, and the strength, feel, and look of precious metals (e.g. a silver ring or a gold pendant) is exactly what a customer would expect.

Multi Jet Fusion

HP Multi Jet Fusion is the technology behind Polyamide (MJF) and Rubber-like (MJF). It’s a powder-based technology but does not use lasers. The powder bed is heated uniformly at the outset. A fusing agent is jetted where particles need to be selectively molten, and a detailing agent is jetted around the contours to improve part resolution. While lamps pass over the surface of the powder bed, the jetted material captures the heat and helps distribute it evenly.

3D prints in Polyamide (MJF) have a natural gray color and can be dyed black

Metal 3D printing

Metal 3D printing is a laser-based technology that uses powdered metals. Similar to laser sintering, a high-powered laser selectively binds together particles on the powder bed while the machine distributes even layers of metallic powder. Support structures are automatically generated and built simultaneously in the same material and are later manually removed. Once complete, the part undergoes heat treatment.

Metal 3D printing is the technology used to 3D print Aluminum and Titanium.

Why knowledge about 3D printing technology matters

All these different technologies might sound confusing, but the important thing to keep in mind is the following: we cannot assume that Steel and Silver will have similar requirements simply because they are both metals. They are printed using different technologies (laser sintering and lost-wax casting), and thus, some design features will differ. Knowing the background of how these 3D printing technologies work will help you design better models. It will enable you to understand why specific designs might be printable in some materials but not in others.

This also means that materials that use the same technology, such as Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, and Brass (lost-wax casting), are more likely to share similar design requirements. To learn more about this, simply visit our material pages. Also, keep in mind that with the use of different printers and printing technologies, the maximum printing sizes differ. You can find an overview of these here.

The printers we presented in this article require a lot of investment and are often not economical for private consumers and small businesses. However, thanks to our online 3D printing service, everybody can use our printers and benefit from getting high-quality prints in a huge variety of materials. To upload your 3D file and get an instant price quote, simply click here. If you want to learn how to avoid the 5 most common mistakes when turning a 3D model into a 3D print, this blog post is for you.

Solving a Real 3D “Puzzle”

2025-01-17T15:24:23Z

With decades of experience in puzzle making, Oskar van Deventer has designed some of the most challenging and intricate 3D puzzles seen on i.materialise. He’ll use anything from computer-aided design programs to nail polish to make his vision come to life. He walked us through his design process and gave insights into some of his upcoming projects.

Oskar van Deventer has designed and created puzzles for more than 40 years. He opted for wood when he first started out in 1978, which is a good choice of material to work with when creating cubic puzzles. He found it more difficult to produce different shapes, however, and moved on to a plastic material that allowed him to design other categories of puzzles — but that didn’t quite cut the mustard either.

When 3D printing came along, it completely changed puzzle-making for Oskar: all of a sudden, the limitations he’d encountered were gone. For him, the technology has enabled so much more in terms of puzzle creation and design options.

Loopy Twist © Oskar van Deventer

Designing puzzles requires serious geometry, especially puzzles with numerous faces. Using a computer-aided design program helps creators such as Oskar calculate all of the angles correctly.

“I draw a pentagon and some triangles, and the CAD program does everything else for me,” Oskar tells us. “It’s the CAD program that makes it fairly easy to first prototype on the computer and once the design is good enough, I print it.”

When he’s drawing a twisty puzzle model in Rhinoceros 3D, Oskar starts with the geometry and works on a sphere: “Using one larger sphere, I put a lot of smaller circles on the sphere so that when you move it, it’s a rotation of one of the circles,” he explains.

Working from those curves, he then hones in on designing the smaller pieces. It begins with a sharp outline of the corner piece, followed by closing everything by rounding out the edges.

Then it is meshed for export (a CAD command for polyhedral objects), and ready to be sent to i.materialise.

“When you’re sending the design to i.materialise, it has to be in a neat cage,” he said. “So, the next step in the design process is to develop a cage; I create some blocks for that purpose and I label the cage “twisty ring” for the puzzle. The cage includes all of the parts for the puzzle.”

Jumble Cloud © Oskar van Deventer

Puzzle pro tip: Nail polish

Once it is uploaded to the i.materialise platform, it takes between 1.5 and 2 weeks to print and finish the prototype. “Developing a prototype like this is extremely fast compared to what existed in the past,” Oskar says.

Little post-production is required for a twisty ring puzzle. Oskar’s 3D material of choice is polyamide: it is both flexible and affordable. When assembling the puzzle, the polyamide is not completely smooth; the parts are stuck together and must be twisted to get them moving. He then cuts out the sticker designs to add color to the different faces of the puzzle.

“I use silicone lubricant — the same spray you use for a bicycle. I soak the pieces with the spray and break them in to make sure the puzzle turns smoothly,” Oskar explains. Because the combination of the silicone spray and the nylon material makes it hard for the stickers to stick, Oskar has found a clever workaround: he uses a nail polish primer and a hot iron to make his colored stickers adhere better.

Hollow Skewb © Oskar van Deventer

What can we look forward to next?

Oskar van Deventer

You would think that after 40 years of puzzle-making, the flux of ideas would start to dwindle, but that is not the case for Oskar.

“The problem for me is not a matter of having too few ideas; it’s a matter of which project is exciting enough and having sufficient time to work on it,” he tells us. “There’s a project that I’m currently doing that is a twisty puzzle with 12 axes in a semi-random pattern. That one is next on my list; we have been working on it since last year.”

“I recently discovered that i.materialise does great dye work,” he adds. One of his small-scale productions is a puzzle ring (called the Rainbow Ring), for which i.materialise did all the 3D printing and the dye work.

“It saved me a lot of effort, and the dye work is very consistent,” Oskar says.

You can find out more about Oskar’s work on his website as well as our previous interview with him in which we discussed his amazing design for a supersized Rubik’s cube. Oskar’s designs can be purchased via his i.mat shop.

When you’re ready to start creating your own 3D puzzles, simply upload your 3D model to our online 3D printing service and choose from lots of high-quality materials, colors and finishes .

We love seeing what our community gets up to. Tag us on social media with #imaterialise for a chance to get featured!

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Designing A 3D Model For 3D Printing

2025-01-08T10:36:05Z

We know that modeling for 3D printing can be confusing: in 3D modeling, as in 3D printing, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We all use different software, print in different materials, and not only use different printers, but also different printing technologies. So it’s perfectly normal to feel lost and it can sometimes seem difficult to design a perfect 3D model for 3D printing.

That’s why we’ve put together the ultimate list of mistakes to avoid when turning a 3D model into a 3D print. Let’s get into it!

1. Ignoring material guidelines

Each and every 3D printing material is different. They can be brittle or strong, flexible or solid, smooth or rough, heavy or light, and so on. This also means that an object should ideally be designed for a specific material. For example, if you know that you want to print your 3D model in Steel, there will be specific material-related design recommendations that you need to take into account, such as supporting overhanging parts, strengthening elements that are sticking out, rounding off corners, etc.

The choice of printing material simply predetermines some of the basic design guidelines that you need to stick to.

Each 3D printing material is different. Make sure to read the design guide for the material of your choice.

Solution: Sticking to the design rules of your material is essential for a successful print. Ideally, you should read the design guides before you start to work on your model. You can find the design guides for all of our materials here. Additionally, you can compare several materials directly on our comparison page.

We also encourage you to browse through our shop items (you can set a filter for specific materials there) to get a better understanding of what designs other artists have created and in which materials.

2. Ignoring the printing technology

It’s not only the basic chemical characteristics of our printing materials that are different, but also the technologies that are used for printing each of these materials.

The best example of this is interlocking parts. You can print interlocking parts in materials like ABS, Polyamide, Alumide, or Rubber-like, while in others like Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Resin, this is not possible. The reason behind this is not the material itself but the technology used for printing each of these materials.

For ABS we use Fused Deposition Modeling (filament-based) with an extra nozzle and material for support. For Polyamide, Alumide, and Polypropylene, we use Laser Sintering (powder-based). For precious metals, we use lost wax casting, which is based on a 3D print in wax and a mold. And for the resins, we use Stereolithography (liquid polymer-based).

This might sound confusing but the important thing to keep in mind is the following: we cannot assume that Steel and Silver will have similar requirements simply because they are both metals. They are printed using different technologies. and thus, some design features will differ. However, materials that use the same technology, such as Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Brass (lost wax casting), are more likely to share similar design requirements.

Solution: Once again, our materials pages hold all the answers. Checking our material pages before you start designing is always key. Also, keep in mind that the maximum printing sizes differ according to the printer and technology. You can find an overview of these here.

3. Ignoring wall thickness

Even though you can find information about the wall thickness in the guidelines that were already mentioned, it’s worth stressing this point again.

Problems linked to wall thickness are by far the most common reasons why some 3D models are not printable. In some cases, the wall thickness is too thin, making small parts of the model unable to be printed or very fragile and easily breakable. In other cases, walls that are too thick generate too much internal stress and could cause the item to crack or even break.

Getting the right wall thickness is crucial for a successful print.

Solution: First, read our general blog post about getting the perfect wall thickness for your 3D model. Then, head over to the design guide for the material of your choice and stick to the values mentioned there.

Necklace Starfish by Vaia Gkerlioti

4. Ignoring file resolution

Read the design guides? Know your material? Wall thickness ok?

Perfect, but now there is another thing to consider: file resolution.

For 3D printing, the most common file format is STL (standard triangle language), which means that your design will be translated into triangles in a 3D space. Most 3D modeling software offers the option to export your designs to an STL file and set the desired resolution.

Low-resolution STL file: It’s important to be aware that a poor-quality export will never allow us to provide you with a good print. Low-resolution means that the triangles in your STL file are big and the surface of your print will not be smooth. It will lead to a somewhat “pixelated” print.

Very high-resolution STL file: A file with a resolution that is too high will make your file too big and sometimes impossible for us to handle. It might also contain an extreme level of detail that the 3D printers simply cannot print. That’s why we ask you to stay below a file size of 100 MB when uploading your model to our website.

Solution: In most 3D modeling software, when exporting a file you will be asked to define the tolerance for the export. This tolerance is defined as the maximum distance between the original shape and the STL mesh you are exporting. We advise choosing 0.01 mm for a good export.

Here’s a visual representation of different file resolutions from extremely high (left) to quite low (right):

Choosing the right resolution for your file is important to ensure a quality print.

Exporting with a tolerance smaller than 0.01 mm does not make sense because the 3D printers cannot print at this level of detail. When exporting with a tolerance larger than 0.01 mm, triangles might become visible in the 3D print. You can read more about this in our blog post about file resolution where we also point out the 40 other 3D files that we support. If your file exceeds 100 MB we can provide an offline quote if you send a zipped file via a file transfer service to contact@i.materialise.com.

5. Ignoring software guidelines

Our community uses many different 3D modeling software packages. Some were designed for creating 3D prints, others are mostly used by 3D artists and their designs will require additional editing before they can offer a printable 3D model. For example, applying a wall thickness is automatic in some programs, while you must manually set it in others.

Even if you use beginner-friendly software that was developed for the sole purpose of 3D printing (e.g. Tinkercad), you might still have a difficult time creating a hollow model. In this case, free software tools like Meshmixer can help.

Different software, different file preparation procedures: Tinkercad (left) and Blender (right).

If you use software like Blender (used for 3D graphics and animations), SketchUp (popular with architects and scale modelers), or ZBrush (sculpting software for 3D artists), some further file preparation will need to be done. Depending on which software you are using, shells may need to be joined together, models may need to be made watertight, wall thicknesses may need to be applied, and printing sizes may need to be set. Once again, each and every software is different.

Solution: Read the software guidelines for turning a model into a 3D print. If you cannot find them on the official software websites, search online for tutorials. If you reach the limits of your 3D modeling software, open your 3D model in Meshmixer for some basic 3D printing preparation tools.

Summary: how to 3D model for printing

Okay, that was a lot. Take a breath and don’t worry; things sound more difficult than they are. Just make sure to know your software and material of choice well. If you are struggling to learn how to 3D model, you can always find more resources and tutorial videos online.

If you designed a 3D model for printing, why not print it with our online 3D printing service? It’s easy, fast, and efficient. When uploading a model to our website we will double-check your design manually. If there are mistakes or if parts of your object could break, we will inform you about this and tell you what went wrong.

Featured image: Spire Sculpture in Polyamide (SLS) by Charles-Eric Gogny

Meet The Polyamides Of i.materialise

2024-11-22T10:22:27Z

Polyamide is one of manufacturing’s most popular families of materials, and it goes by many names. So, what sets each option apart, and which one is the best choice for your project? Let’s take a closer look.

In early 2024, we added two exciting new materials to our Multi Jet Fusion portfolio: Polyamide-S and Polyamide 11. Understandably, that could raise some questions. Why offer four different polyamides? How does Polyamide 11 differ from the existing Polyamide for Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)? And what sets it apart from Polyamide for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)?

Today, we’re going to answer all those questions and more by shining a light on the strengths and ideal applications of each material.

Polyamide-S

The first of our newest materials, Polyamide-S, is a great option for volume prototyping — especially for parts that require good surface quality with minimum post-processing. It offers a high level of detail and dimensional accuracy, while choosing to work with MJF means your part will have a higher density than models produced with SLS.

Your models will have a sandy, granular look
Depending on the design, your part can be rigid or flexible
Provides great design freedom at a very reasonable price

Polyamide 11

The second of our newest materials, Polyamide 11, is quite unique for i.materialise. In an industrial setting — such as that found at our parent company Materialise — its biocompatibility, durability, and flexibility help to address a growing demand for 3D printing in the medtech sector. These strengths make it ideal for the production of orthotics, prosthetics, and machinery components with exceptional performance and reliability, but they’re equally valuable when printing your models here.

Suitable for moving features like snap fits, living hinges, and interlocking parts
Your models will have a natural stone-gray color
Ideal for end-use parts or prototypes
Combines excellent mechanical properties with impressive surface quality and detail

Polyamide for MJF

Our original polyamide offering for MJF is a strong general-purpose material that’s ideal for precision forms. It works equally well for both functional prototypes and end-use parts, with versatility being one of its greatest strengths. As an MJF material, it offers greater density than its SLS counterpart.

Strong, general-purpose material
Printed without a support structure
Offers crisp textures and detailed surfaces
Your models will have a grainy surface structure with a natural stone-gray color

Polyamide for SLS

Happy Bird by Michiel Cornelissen. 3D printed in Polyamide.

Last but not least comes our offering for use with SLS machines. This strong, general-purpose material offers high strength, stiffness, and resistance to chemicals, mechanical strain, and thermal stressors. While it is slightly more porous than its MJF counterpart, it benefits from a greater number of colors and finishing options, including color dyeing, polishing, and waterproofing.

Strong, general-purpose material
Printed without a support structure
High stiffness
Versatile finishing options

The choice is yours

So, there you have it! Your options have never looked better. Why not take the time to familiarize yourself with the design guidelines of each material and explore something new for your next project? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Feeling inspired? Simply upload your 3D model here and get started today!

3D Printing For Beginners: A Dictionary

2024-11-06T08:40:54Z

3D printing is fascinating and intricate at the same time, and understanding every 3D printing concept can be overwhelming when you are just starting out. Learning the different materials and technologies gets even more complicated with the often complex 3D printing terminology.

You might have asked yourself if SLS is the same as SLA, or if PA is similar to PLA.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We want to make it easier for you to start 3D printing with this 3D printing vocabulary list: it explains the most common acronyms for 3D printing in just one place. Don’t let the 3D printing jargon get in your way of becoming a 3D expert.

AM — additive manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing is frequently used as a synonym of 3D printing. Additive technologies are defined as the process of joining materials to make 3D objects. AM is the opposite to subtractive manufacturing technologies, which remove material to form an object.

ABS — acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

You don’t have to learn its complicated name by heart to become a 3D printing master. But you do have to know that ABS is a plastic from the thermoplastic polymer family. This material, in the form of a filament, is used on FDM printers that heat it up until it melts to create the desired models.

What is an FDM printer, you ask? Keep reading to learn more about this 3D printing technology.

CAD — computer-aided design

This term describes all the design software used to create, modify, analyze, or optimize a design. CAD programs are used by engineers and 3D designers to create and modify the models they want to 3D print.

Example of CAD software

DMLS — direct metal laser sintering

There are different techniques for 3D printing metals. When laser-based 3D printing technologies use powdered metals, we talk about direct metal laser sintering. The principle here is the same as with SLS: The 3D printing machine distributes a thin layer of metallic powder while a high-powered laser binds the selected parts together. We use DMLS technology to print in aluminum and titanium.

FDM — fused deposition modeling

This is a very popular 3D printing technology among starters. FDM machines build 3D models layer by layer by heating and extruding thermoplastic material filaments such as ABS. This technology was created in 1988 and patented the next year by S. Scott and Lisa Crump, the founders of Stratasys Crump. Until 2009, the term FFF or fused filament fabrication was used to avoid the legally constrained term.

Most home 3D printers use this technology, but you can use FDM industrial 3D printers to create high-quality models and finishes. Read more about FDM technology on our blog.

How FDM works

FFF — fused filament fabrication

This term is a synonym of FDM. It was coined by members of the RepRap Project to be used instead of FDM, a concept that was under legal patent restrictions until 2009.

MJF — Multi Jet Fusion (HP)

This HP technology for 3D printing is similar to selective laser sintering, but instead of lasers, it jets a fusing agent to melt together very fine grains of powder, resulting in a strong but flexible material. MJF is available on i.materialise and is the best option for sturdy polyamide models with detailed surfaces or thinner walls.

Piguin by i.materialise. 3D printed in Polyamide (MJF)

PA — Polyamide

Polyamide (SLS) is a fine, white granular powder used in SLS 3D printing technologies. The natural finish for Polyamide feels slightly sandy and granular to the touch, but the material offers a wide range of finishes and colors as well as nearly unlimited freedom of design. That’s why this material, also known as nylon plastic, is the favorite of many 3D artists and designers.

Polyamide 3D printing in our factory. Photo by Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) (c) Arthur Los.

PLA — polylactic acid

This 3D printing material, sometimes known as biopolymer, is also used in the form of a filament on FDM 3D printing machines. This thermoplastic is made from renewable raw materials such as plants, e.g. sugarcane, soya, corn or potatoes, and it can have a sweet smell when burned. PLA is a very popular material for home printers because it’s easy to use and cost-efficient, but it’s more brittle than ABS.

SL/SLA — stereolithography

SL or SLA stands for stereolithography, a 3D printing process that uses liquid resins. Stereolithography is used on big printers, like our Mammoth machines, which can print models of up to 2.1 meters. This process takes place in large tanks where a layer of liquid polymer is spread over a platform. Some areas are hardened by a UV laser to become the layers that make up the 3D-printed model. One layer of liquid is spread on top of another until the model is complete and the excess liquid flows away. Watch this video to see stereolithography in action.

SLS — selective laser sintering

Selective laser sintering is a 3D printing technology based on powder. The printer is heated up until below the melting point and a fine layer of powder is spread. After that, a laser beam heats the parts that need to be sintered together above the melting point. The powder particles reached by the laser are fused together while the rest remains loose powder.

The main advantage of this technology is that no supporting structure is needed, so it allows very complex designs and even interlocking and moving parts.

Selective laser sintering machine

.STL

STL is the name of a very common 3D printing file format. The files generated by CAD programs usually have the extension .STL. It’s supported by most 3D design and printing software and is probably the most common file format used for 3D printing. Where the word comes from remains confusing: while it’s commonly seen as an abbreviation of STereoLithography, sometimes it is also thought to be an acronym for “standard triangle language” or “standard tessellation language.”

TPU — thermoplastic polyurethane

Our rubber-like prints are made with a material called TPU 92A-1. The complete technical name comes from the combination of the acronym for thermoplastic polyurethane, followed by Shore A 92, a standard measurement that indicates how soft materials are. The final models are strong but highly flexible.

Extravaganza neckpiece by Dario Sacpitta. Printed in Rubber-Like

We hope that this introduction to 3D printing terminology will help you understand how 3D printing technologies and materials work. Learning about 3D printing is like a long-distance race, so don’t expect to understand all the concepts at once and don’t give up when it gets confusing. You can find a lot of inspiration and information about 3D printing on our blog.

Luckily, our online 3D printing platform is easier to understand for beginners than the 3D concepts! So, once you know which technology and material are the best for your model, you can easily upload your file to our online 3D printing platform.

Want to know more about getting started with 3D printing? Get your free ‘Beginner’s Guide to 3D Printing‘ and receive exclusive updates about 3D printing trends.

Visualizing History: A 3D-Printed Journey To The Belgian Coastline During WWI

2024-09-18T14:56:20Z

You don’t need to be a history buff to appreciate this model of the Belgian coastline during World War 1. Based on authentic aerial photographs from the time, it’s a faithful recreation of what the coastline must’ve looked like, from military defenses down to the location of each sand dune. Read on to discover how Materialise engineers made the project a reality.

3D printing a historic coastline

Commissioned by the Atlantikwall Museum in Raversijde for an exhibition about munition in WWI, the model educates visitors about the German defense strategies along the Belgian coastline during WWI. The German army established bunkers along the coastline, which were meant to stop allied ships from embarking. To this day, the ruins of these bunkers remain a distinctive feature along the coast.

Details in Polyamide (SLS)

Using aerial photographs of the coast taken during 1914–1918, researchers at the museum recreated a basic 3D model of the coastline. In the next step, textures needed to be applied, such as dune grass and other flora. Most of the model was made using Mammoth Resin — which can 3D print models in sizes up to 2,100 x 700 x 800 mm! Details such as artillery and outposts were 3D printed using Polyamide (SLS), which is sturdier and more resilient to wear and tear.

Selecting the exact shades of color

Applying color to the model

Because this model was 2,500 x 450 mm in total, it had to be digitally split up into several sections which were later assembled after printing. One of the biggest challenges came when the model needed to be colored. Existing photographs of the coast were only available in black and white — so there were no visual representations of the coloring of the coast during the World War. Our in-house coloring expert looked at existing research together with the museum to determine the most accurate shade — resulting in this detailed finish:

Colored details on the 3D-printed coastline model

Mathieu de Meyer, Director of the Atlantikwall Museum, told us:

“The model is an exact historical replica of the coastline during WWI, and the product of months of research and collaboration. When visitors to the exhibition see it, I am confident they will be transported back in time and get a very real idea of how the coast must have looked like 100 years ago during the war.”

Are you an architect or passionate about building scale models? 3D printing is a great way to realize your projects! Discover Josip Rukavina’s stunning Cathedral of Šibenik, or read all about Kees-Jan van Vessem’s beautifully hand-painted model trains.

Once you have your 3D model, simply upload it to our platform, choose from 100+ materials and finishes, and order your 3D print!

This project was commissioned by Provincie West Vlaanderen and Domein Raversyde, and realized in collaboration with Exponanza. The model was created by Visual Dimension bvba.