In a previous post we showed how to use a free tool, netfabb Studio Basic ('netfabb') to automatically repair STL files in preparation for 3d printing. In this post we use netfabb to manually repair some common defects found in STL files including holes, boundary edges and invalid orientation. This is by no means an exhaustive example of netfabb's manual repair capabilities. Rather it is meant to introduce common problems encountered in STL files and how netfabb's manual tools can be used to repair them. For more in-depth information check out netfabb's wiki.

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If you're reading this post you probably know that to print in 3D you need a 'good' or 'clean' STL file exported from your 3D CAD program; models seemingly perfect on-screen may be filled with defects which make 3D printing difficult if not impossible. You might have even heard of the apparent black magic that is STL repair. Chances are though that you have no inkling as to what that really means or how you could do it yourself.

In this post we're going to go through a simple example showing how to use a great free tool, netfabb Studio Basic ("netfabb") to automatically 'repair' STL files for 3D printing. Although the program allows for manual and semi-automatic repairs (we'll cover some of these in a later post) automatic fixing seems to work for about 90% of current STL files. Best of all it's fast and you don't need to understand much about STL files or their defects; you just need to be able to find your way around the sometimes unintuitive user interface.

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In Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard is often seen ordering "Tea, Earl Grey. Hot" from the ship's computer. Flawlessly delivering his order every time, this replicator is everything we could hope for in 3D printing: on-demand, customized, localized, rapid manufacturing. Unfortunately, the high profile rollouts of consumer level 3D printers at this month's Consumer Electronic Show only serve as a reminder of how far we are from true in-home replicator reality. Crudely fabricating small parts by extruding hot plastic through a nozzle is a long way from replicating an iPhone or Earl Grey. So what's the holdup?

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3D printing and additive fabrication made it onto a number of 'top lists' for 2011 and 2012. Often it was something about how in 2011 3D printing had become much cheaper and more accessible or how, in 2012, 3D printing will finally be 'going mainstream'. Based on all of the hype one might think that 3D printing is new on the scene. The reality is much different.

In 1859, a year before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, a Frenchman in Paris, François Willème began creating photosculptures of real people using techniques which, while perhaps primitive by today's standards, are really not all that different than those techniques currently used in 3D printing.

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"You want how much for that little hunk of plastic?!" When it comes to 3D printing we think the answer is usually 'too much'. Sure, if you've been in the additive fabrication industry for 10 or more years you've seen some pretty significant price drops. But if you've just discovered 3D printing, and the wow factor still makes you giddy, you're likely to be taken aback by how expensive it can be. Some of the price, at least for a non-OEM 3D printing service provider, is unavoidable. (See here and here for our earlier look at how equipment and materials lead to higher prices.) The rest of the price however is directly related to the business practices and policies of 3d printing service providers.

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For those of us more right-brained than left, pictures so often seem better than words for getting points across. How then can we make sense of something that is primarily words, like Twitter?

Summarizing keywords in a 'word cloud' and indicating their importance with font size, weight and maybe color is one way to do it. Word clouds have become especially popular in the last ten years as we've moved on to Web 2.0 and a number of tools exist for creating them. One particularly cool tool is Infomous by Icosystem. Anyone can set up a free account and create embeddable word clouds using their patented text visualization algorithm. After choosing your keywords you then select from a variety of sources such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc.. Finally, you can copy code for your new word cloud and embed on your own page.

But a picture is worth a thousand words so check check out the current Twitter conversations for '3d printing' and 'additive fabrication':

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For nearly 25 years the STL file has served as the bridge between 3D CAD designs and 3D printer hardware. To slice object designs and calculate machine paths, 3D printer CAM programs have been designed to accept precise design data as formatted in STL files. However, STLs are likely reaching the end of their useful lifespan as today's printer hardware has capabilities not easily incorporated into their limited format.

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In our last two posts we explored some of the reasons why the price to 3D print objects is still high - at least compared to traditional manufacturing technologies. In particular, we examined how the high price of low output equipment combined with materials that are expensive by both necessity and design, leads to additive manufacturing prices that are usually higher than traditional manufacturing.

For the final piece of the high price puzzle it is necessary to understand how 3D printing is typically provided: through 'service bureaus'. (Service bureaus are companies which provide business services for a fee. SAAS - software as a service - companies are good examples.)

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In our previous post we explored why 3D printing prices - despite having dropped in recent years - are still high. In particular, we examined one major factor, the initial capital investment required to acquire 3D printing equipment and how that gets built into the price of each part to come out of that equipment.

In this post, we'll examine the second major factor keeping 3D printing prices high, the cost of the raw materials.

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Let's be honest, 3D printing is pretty darn cool. The possibilities seem endless; one day we'll all sit at home, download designs, and additively fabricate everything we need using our home 3d printer. Well that's the theory, at least.

The reality is that 3D printing, while still cool, has been around for 25 years, is still somewhat limited in it's capabilities and is usually more expensive than traditional manufacturing technologies. But we've been hearing how affordable 3D printing has become, right? Yes we have. If you compare the current prices to those even ten years ago, 3D printing is cheaper. Compared to conventional methods of rapid prototyping (the most common use for 3D printers) 3D printing is often cheaper. If a product is fully or semi-customized, 3D printing might be cheaper. However, for true paradigm-busting applications, such as on-demand manufacturing of standard parts (not everything need or should be customized) 3D printing is most often more expensive than conventional manufacturing. A significant run of 3D printed plastic parts just won't compete on price with injection molding. Ditto laser-sintered stainless steel versus traditional machining. If you want 1 or maybe 50 pieces 3D printing might be your best option, even for standard parts. Beyond a certain number however, more traditional methods will almost always be lower cost. Why is this? The finished product is the same, the materials seem the same; why should there be a significant price difference?