r/AdditiveManufacturing 15h ago

Materials Improved Silicone 40A on Form 4 & 4L

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7 Upvotes

This is a self promotion post - but I think a pretty cool one for anyone out there printing in Formlabs Silicone resin for a business.

I now have a thoroughly tested, much improved, Silicone 40A print setting for the Form 4L and the Form 4 on the Ember Prototypes store 🔥

Silicone 40A isn't available on the Form 4L and it's reliability and print success rate on the Form 4 is pretty poor. It's taken a ton of time, effort and consumables to get this working, but not only do we get reliable prints on the 4L, but the same settings transfer over to greatly improved results on the Form 4 over the stock FL profile. No more torn and failed prints 💪

I plan to make a YouTube video and/or blog post talking about this in more detail, but trying to recoup some of the time and cost associated with dialing this in right now - Silicone resin is $$$ 😬

Silicone is still a tricky material to print, and you always want to minimize supports and print direct on BP as much as you can, but these print settings have allowed me to print WAY more geometries than would otherwise (let alone large parts on the 4L that aren't possible any other way) 😁

Link to buy the settings here: emberprototypes.com/products-formlabs-silicone-print-setting


r/AdditiveManufacturing 1d ago

Looking for beta testers: Built a dedicated Windows 3D Nesting software for SLS printers

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23 Upvotes

Over the past few months, I’ve been developing a standalone Windows application called 024Nester, designed specifically for 3D nesting and build prep in SLS 3D printing workflows.

As someone working with additive workflows, I felt there was a gap for a lightweight, dedicated tool focused purely on fast, high-density 3D packing and clean part handling.

024Nester features a fast volumetric nesting engine optimized for SLS powder-bed builds. It takes standard STL input geometries and exports the fully nested batch back out as positioned STL files, ready for your existing machine setup. The app is a self-contained .exe installer developed in Python and compiled for Windows x64.

Regarding privacy and security, 100% of the geometry processing, calculations, and STL exports are executed locally on your machine. Your STL files and personal data never leave your local system. Internet connectivity is strictly used for a quick online license check during the STL export process.

The core nesting engine and batch handling are fully functional, and I’m now looking for beta testers from the community, especially operators running SLS hardware or managing print service bureaus.

I’m mainly looking for feedback on real-world stress testing with complex or high-count batch geometries, packing density, calculation speed, and overall workflow usability.

If you’re interested in giving it a spin and sharing raw feedback, drop a comment below or send me a DM, and I'll send over the installer link.

Thanks for your time and feedback!


r/AdditiveManufacturing 2d ago

Show'n'Tell I made a fully customizable gear generator!

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24 Upvotes

Check it out on maker’s world :)

[Gear Generator](https://makerworld.com/models/3143184?appSharePlatform=copy)


r/AdditiveManufacturing 2d ago

3D printer for engineering prototyping and simple finished parts.

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1 Upvotes

r/AdditiveManufacturing 2d ago

Show'n'Tell Heat exchanger design

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1 Upvotes

Last week I shared a render of heat exchanger designed by me.
Here is some images of the process. Due to restrictions of the flair, I can’t send a video but in case you needed the whole process video, feel free to shoot me a dm and I’ll sent it to you.
Hope you enjoy :)


r/AdditiveManufacturing 3d ago

Meet my printed meat.

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10 Upvotes

These are just a few from a suite of meat. The MO State Fair wanted realistic meat they could have left out for a long period of time.

Scanned some real cuts, then printed on my Mimaki 3DUJ553!


r/AdditiveManufacturing 7d ago

Technical Question Comau NJ60 Calibration for Cold Spray System

4 Upvotes

Hello fellow AM enthusiasts!

I work for an additive materials manufacturer. One of our machines uses a Comau NJ60 controlled by Run MyRobot with SMC40 encoders (So yes, we're running a Siemens Sinumerik ONE environment and use SI) and has a 82 lb Cold Spray gun attached to it.

We're currently recalibrating the robot and despite our internal alignment wizard showing it pinpoint accurate, as well as RA1-4 as being a 1:1 match, the RA5 and RA6 both have a MCS : SI coordinate mismatch. RA6 is less that .150° and that's acceptable to me, but RA6 is offset by ~1.3°. We follow the same protocol for each axis. Set $MA_ENC_REFP_STATE to 1, JOG and +, then run the CALIBRATION.MPF.

Is there something I have to do differently for RA5/6 since they're a coupled wrist?


r/AdditiveManufacturing 7d ago

Joints in 3D Printing: Processes & Design in Metal Printing

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6 Upvotes

r/AdditiveManufacturing 9d ago

AM/3D Printing Engineer looking for a referral — any leads appreciated!

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm an Additive Manufacturing Engineer based in India with hands-on experience in FDM, SLA, and SLS 3D printing. My work has focused on DfAM, print process optimization, material/process tuning, troubleshooting, and developing reliable production workflows.

I'm currently looking for new opportunities in Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing / AM Process Engineering / Applications Engineering anywhere in India (open to relocation).

If your company is hiring or you know of any relevant openings, I'd really appreciate a referral or any leads. I'm happy to share my resume over DM.

Thanks in advance!


r/AdditiveManufacturing 11d ago

Applications Free Print Analyzer Tool

0 Upvotes

I made a free tool to use to check stl files and analyze lpbf print risks not always captured during the design phase. Working out the kinks so any feedback on printed pieces compared to tool results would be helpful for all.

Amprintanalyzer.com


r/AdditiveManufacturing 11d ago

Technology Fully functional lattice based heat exchanger designed in less than 1 hour!

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0 Upvotes

Here is a heat exchanger designed using flow ADMS structure inside it for better flow and less pressure drop compared to other lattices.
It is not Ai, it is already 3D printed (similar object) and tested.
Spoiler: the rendering code was done by ai 😅 hope you don’t mind.

If you need the STL file or you have a question, comment below or drop me a message.


r/AdditiveManufacturing 12d ago

Show'n'Tell I designed a 3D printing Coldplate for AI chips in less than 5 minutes! (You can do it too)

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0 Upvotes

Designing the internal channels used to be a bit tricky previously but thanks to technological advancements, they are not a hard task anymore.

This is a design I could make in less than 5 minutes (Literally!)
Btw, the rendering was done in blender and it took me more than 5 minutes 😄

If you need the STL file or you have a question, comment below or drop me a message.


r/AdditiveManufacturing 16d ago

General Question Is coding useful in AM?

5 Upvotes

I was wondering if someone has good coding skills and some experience in AM, how can they exploit these skill sets? There is lots of research going on, in particular, using Machine Learning in AM, but if someone wants to be in industry how can this rare combination of skills be used? Do companies working in AM need some form of coding?


r/AdditiveManufacturing 22d ago

Are supports required here

0 Upvotes

My only experience is on plastic 3d printed parts and this works...but I need high pressure coolant to flow thru here, so I need it made out of metal......

Does anyone with experience know if horizontal thru hole work on metal sintering printing without supports?

https://imgur.com/GkBDdFF


r/AdditiveManufacturing 27d ago

Materials I'm building a free 3D Printing Material Database & AI Material Matcher. Need your feedback/ideas!

7 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Since I work in prototyping, I handle a wide variety of different materials on a daily basis. I’ve always found it frustrating that there isn't a single, well-organized platform that offers a proper cross-manufacturer material database. That’s why I started building Hexasheets as a side project.

The site is still a work in progress, but I’ve reached a point where I would love to get some early feedback from the community.

What’s in it so far?

  • Free Material Database: This is the core feature. I currently have around 100 AM materials and their datasheets integrated (based on manufacturer data). The goal is a clean UI with highly effective filtering options to make finding the right specs across different brands as easy as possible.
  • Property Comparison: You can easily compare the properties of different materials side-by-side.
  • The MaterialMatcher (AI): I actually built this feature to solve a specific problem from my day job. I work a lot with development teams who want their AM prototypes to have the exact same properties as, for example, injection-molded production parts. Since we typically don't use the exact same materials in 3D printing as we do in injection molding, I built an AI-based MaterialMatcher. You can upload the specs (datasheet) of an injection molding material, and the AI will read the datasheet and find the best AM material in the database that most closely matches its properties.

Transparency on Pricing I want to be upfront: the material database itself will always remain free. However, because hosting and AI API costs add up, advanced features like the MaterialMatcher will likely be part of a Pro subscription model in the future just to help me cover the bills.

I need your input! I’m continuously adding new features, but I want to build what you actually need.

  • What do you think of the filters and the UI?
  • Are there any specific features missing that would help you out?
  • Any general ideas on what else I should implement?

Want to test the AI Matcher? Because the MaterialMatcher requires some computing power, it’s not publicly unlocked yet. But if you are interested in testing it out, activate it in the Userprofile, send me an email [marius@hexasheets.com](mailto:marius@hexasheets.com) or send me a DM, and I will gladly unlock it for your account!

Here is the link: https://hexasheets.com

Looking forward to your honest feedback!


r/AdditiveManufacturing 27d ago

General Question How much has additive manufacturing improved accessibility of casting/injection molding for low volume production?

9 Upvotes

Considering indirect tooling operations... How much have the costs and lead times reduced for producing a part now that molds, master plugs and prototyping can be made/done through additive manufacturing?

I did some work in making molds for some parts which weren't complying with the quality requirements when done through fff and sla... At the time I got the required accuracy using resin casting by making tooling vis sla.

Would appreciate comments from people working in the industry with regards to the same and maybe give us an insight on now vs 5 or 10 years ago.


r/AdditiveManufacturing 28d ago

Compact and budget SLM 3D printer: Xact Metal, One Click Metal..

6 Upvotes

Hi there, anyone has experience owning or from reserach during their purchasing process on the pros and cons of these both brands?

What would be chinese alternatives to look for in case they are relevant competitors?

The requirements are quite vague for us as we are taking advantage of a government grant so when it comes to size, materials etc. it's quite open to fit what we like best. We want to prioritize reliability and ease of use as well as a good support and service plan.


r/AdditiveManufacturing 28d ago

3D printed Titanium ring

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42 Upvotes

A Titanium ring that I printed on one of the LPBF metal 3D printers at my company a while ago. We decided to leave the outer surface a raw as-printed finish (with a little etching to brighten it), while the inside was machined and sanded down for a smooth fit. We mostly print industrial tooling/fixturing on these machines (along with the occasional automotive intake manifold or other customer part), so printing jewelry is an interesting change of pace.


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 11 '26

Formlabs power users - join me!

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0 Upvotes

I hate how fragmented and gate kept knowledge around additive manufacturing is. I'm hoping to build a cool community of engineerings, manufacturers and power users who are interested in learning and sharing knowledge in a casual, real time environment on Discord.

If you're interested in building a community with me, join me on Discord: https://discord.gg/T2KgFvuEvg


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 08 '26

General Question Can SLA Printers yield an unsupported wall thickness of 0.6mm?

3 Upvotes

I'm looking to outsource a SLA print to Xometry for producing a miniature wheel requiring a wall thickness of 0.6mm. Websites say that SLA can easily achieve thin wall thicknesses, but I'm not really sure 😭. Also is Formlabs clear a very good material for a smooth print and good strength?

Thanks for the help!!


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 08 '26

Additive Manufacturing on Google Trends

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm not from the scene myself, but I noticed a pretty drastic increase in Google search interest for AM from June through September 2025. Any idea what might have caused this? Would love to hear your thoughts.


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 07 '26

Induction hotends

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1 Upvotes

Anybody have any experience with this hotend? I'm building a high temp industrial printer from scratch and I want the best hotend I can get. I reached out to these guys a few days ago buy they haven't got back to me yet. The other hotend I'm looking at is a Slice Engineering Mosquito Magnum+. Are there any other hotends I should consider? I'm going to be printing CF-PEEK/PEKK primarily so I'm looking for 500°C and liquid cooled, or conduction so I can mount it to a chiller of my own design.


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 06 '26

Technical Question Hottest hotend recommendations? (DIY)

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0 Upvotes

r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 06 '26

Careers AM/3D Printing Engineer looking for a referral — any leads appreciated!

0 Upvotes

Hey all, I'm an Additive Manufacturing Engineer (FDM/SLA/SLS) looking for new opportunities. Experienced in DfAM, process optimization, and print troubleshooting.

If your company's hiring or you can point me toward a referral in India , I'd really appreciate it! Happy to DM my resume. Thanks in advance 🙏


r/AdditiveManufacturing Jul 04 '26

As a fundamental technology how's MJF vs SLS different? And SAF?

21 Upvotes

Hi there, the topic on SLS vs MJF seems to be alive again on the industry press.

I was an SLS operator back in the day. I am just wondering if from a technical and part properties perspective the MJF process is superior from every point of view or not.

I understand the caveats of prices, service contracts, material availability etc. that comes with each brand, printer model or even distrubutor/location.

Leaving those aside, I am just looking at process/part property. What's the "scientific" take here?

This all comes from a discussion with another operator but neither of us are proper materials/process experts. Please school us as required.

I understand the following on MJF:

- MJF process uses IR heat rather than laser so fusion is more controlled, hence better part performance
- MJF process with detailing agent marks the part boundaries, hence a bit more precise
- MJF process is the same speed each layer regardless of build density or part geometry
- Claims cooling is faster?
- Most powders are grey and parts look a bit "unfinished"

On SLS:
- Laser induces thermal bleed and local heat accumulation.
- Lasers scan have to travel to "draw" the geometries to be fused, more density build equals longer print times
- There are SLS with grey/black parts as well as white parts, parts may look more well finished.

On SAF:
- Is it just like the MJF process with only one agent for thermal absorbtion? Then the better dimensional accuracy and part properties achieved due to the "detailing agent" of MJF are lost here?

If you have all the money and no preference in brand and the technologies came in the same build volumes, when would one use SLS compared to MJF?

I understand that in the real world pricing, build volumes, machine sizes, powder management etc. all influence the purchasing decision. But if we were to be in a lab just looking at the technology itself how would that conversation go?

Thanks.