Pooria Sohi
A look at three 3D printing apps to use with Fusion 360 to maximize your additive manufacturing capabilities, including a post configurator, an additive assistant, and more.
By now, you’ve probably seen the cool stuff Fusion 360 can do around additive manufacturing, and if you haven’t, you’ve been missing out. From FFF workflows to new processes for metal additive manufacturing, the Fusion 360 additive manufacturing space is maturing at a rapid pace, with even more shiny new features coming later in the year.
Today, we wanted to take a moment to highlight three awesome 3D printing apps available from the Fusion 360 App Store to help you take your additive manufacturing workflows to the next level.
Fusion 360 FFF Post Configurator
What it is: An app that allows for the creation and customization of FFF post-processors.
Who it’s for: Anyone who wants to customize their machine settings per print with preset custom posts.
How it works: You can easily load custom preferences for machine bed temperature, how long to wait for bed temperature, fan speeds, and other machine settings. That way, if you want to run specific settings without fussing with your machine, you can! As the result created by the application is a traditional JavaScript post-processor, advanced users will still maintain the ability to add further modifications to the JavaScript post-processor
Extra Notes: This is particularly useful for tweaking how your machine works. Check out the tutorial below for more information.
Autodesk Netfabb® for Autodesk® Fusion 360™
What it is: The Netfabb connector is exactly what it sounds like! If you have a Netfabb license and want to push Fusion 360 parts to Netfabb seamlessly, this app will make that entire process super easy. Additionally, you can send print setup information from Fusion 360 straight to Netfabb and Netfabb Simulation. This means your machine selection, part placement, and how you’re generated supports all transfer to Netfabb.
Who it’s for: Well, now, that’s an interesting question. Of course, this app is for anyone who already has Netfabb. Still, more broadly, if you’re using Fusion 360 and want to take your additive workflow to the next level, Netfabb is the perfect companion tool to get really granular about all things additive manufacturing, giving you lots of advanced features and capabilities for additive manufacturing. Imagine you started setting up a Metal print using Fusion 360 Additive build extension and doing some manual support structure edits in Netfabb. With this app, you can transfer all the existing work seamlessly.
Extra Notes: If you’re interested in learning more about Netfabb you can learn more here or via the tutorial below.
Additive Assistant Tool
What it is: we were saving the best for last, and this is definitely a big one! The additive Assistant tool is designed to give all users a leg up on analyzing parts without having to leave Fusion 360. This app can analyze a part for overhang angles, potential warping and stability issues, identify part size, tell you the environmental impact of producing your part!
How it works: It couldn’t be simpler! Load the app up, select the object you want to analyze, and the tool will automatically highlight the problem areas for you, so you know what needs your attention or possibly needs to be changed before you hit print!
Who it’s for: The assistant tool does a lot, and as any of us seasoned additive people at Autodesk can tell you, human error doesn’t really go away with age and experience. The Assistant tool is essential for anyone new to additive manufacturing to quickly get up to speed with what pitfalls to avoid, along with seasoned pros. Often we find ourselves in situations where we’re 3D printing parts for prototyping purposes, and the part is actually designed for a different manufacturing process entirely. In these situations, the additive assistant is valuable in ensuring that the part is printed with as few issues as possible.
Extra notes: The additive assistant is beneficial if you need to identify where to add support structures and modify geometry to avoid warp. The additive assistant will give a clear visualization of problem areas so that they can be addressed. Check out the tutorial below to learn more.
Now that you have these tips and tricks up your sleeve, it’s time to get started!
