With the new Fusion 360 feature, it will be possible to experiment with support structure design in a much more controlled manner due to the versioning capability. The result is that resin 3D printer operators tend to spend most of the prep time fiddling with support structures to get them “just right”.įormlabs job preparation software, PreForm, does an admirable job generating support structures automatically, but there are always improvements possible, particularly on complex designs. You want to minimize them to save on material and particularly post-processing cleanup, but at the same time you want to maximize them to ensure the 3D print has no stray overhangs, nor too much weight to slump and distort the geometry. That’s because support structures are the single most complex aspect of 3D printing with resin equipment. The new SLA Support feature seems to store versions of the “manufacturing model”, which would be “oriented and supported” designs, separate from the actual 3D model.Īs someone that’s used SLA 3D printing and Autodesk Fusion 360, this feature could be of significant value. Fusion 360 is already a parametric 3D modeling tool, meaning you can numerically change a dimension and the entire 3D model reorganizes itself around that change. This is quite interesting, as it isn’t just file shuffling behind the scenes. That takes out quite a few steps and should speed up workflow for those doing a lot of 3D printing. It appears that you would set up virtually the entire 3D print job within Fusion 360, and then pass it through to the 3D printer. Prints setups can be updated with a click of a button.”

Since your designs are parametric, any changes you make to you model will result in an update to all manufacturing models as well.

“Soon you’ll be able to easily define printing orientation, support structures, and print specs right within the Fusion 360 Additive space.

Fusion 360 to 3d printer