Video: Adding Strength for Additive Manufacturing

 Is an additive manufactured part structurally sound? Not necessarily. Particularly in plastic, a 3D printed form might easily be too weak to sustain a force required of it. In response to this problem, researchers at Purdue University and Adobe’s Advanced Technology Labs have developed a computer program that automatically adds strength to 3D printed designs before they are produced. The program does this by increasing the thickness of key elements, adding struts or hollowing out overweight elements. This video from Purdue illustrates.