New Tools for Customizing Fiber Layout Deliver Cost-Efficient Strength

Reinforcing 3D-printed parts with continuous fibers — such as fiberglass or carbon fiber — is a valuable manufacturing capability. It allows users to easily print parts that are much stiffer and stronger than parts made from only plastic. When adding fiber to a part, users have a few decisions to make: the type of fiber fill (concentric or isotropic), how much fiber to use, and where in the part to put the fiber.

While default fiber settings work well for many applications, certain scenarios call for manual fiber placement. Fiber overrides grant more control over fiber placement — allowing users to customize fiber settings for specified layers.

Historically, these customized fiber override settings could only be applied to entire layers. In response, we are announcing a new capability — fiber override sketching — which allows users to control fiber placement within each layer.

Why use fiber override sketching?

This new capability provides more control over fiber routing. Users can selectively reinforce key features on their parts without reinforcing the entire part or layer. This unlocks more efficient utilization of continuous fibers — which in turn can reduce material costs.

The workflow is simple: create a fiber override, add a sketch, and the fiber routing will update automatically.

Using Simulation in tandem with this new capability can expedite the process of finding and validating the requisite amount of fiber needed to ensure part performance.

Read the article in full here.

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