3D printing technology has become increasingly accessible, even to users without a formal engineering background. However, creating the CAD files needed for printing can still be a significant barrier. The Additive App suite, a collection of 12 shop-floor design applications developed by trinckle and integrated directly into GrabCAD Print (separate license required), enables users to create useful manufacturing tools in a fraction of the time required by traditional CAD workflows.
From creating organizational and packaging tools, to manufacturing holding and positioning tools, these apps can help in almost any workflow. Let’s dig into several offerings in the Additive App suite. For more information on Fixturemate specifically, see the PADT blog post Fast Fixtures with Fixturemate inside GrabCAD Print Pro.
Photo to Outline & Shadow Boards Tool
To start, I evaluated two complementary tools: Photo to Outline and the Shadow Boards tool. Photo to Outline uses a camera from any device to capture a photo of the tools you want to organize and turns the images into a solid outline of the tool that you can bring into other Applications. You must first print a template using a standard 2D printer and place the tool on it for the photo. Then, ensure the tool is positioned completely within the designated boundaries as shown in figure 1.
Next, take a picture ensuring that the camera is a good distance away to minimize distortion (more information is given in the app). After uploading this photo into the app, it then generates an outline of the tool (Fig. 2) that you are then able to bring into GrabCAD directly or to other apps. I would recommend bringing the outline into GrabCAD first so that you are able to save the outline as an STL file. Then you can bring the STL into the Shadow Boards tool.
Figure 1: Photo taken from iPhone of lighting loupe with 2D printed template.
Figure 2: Outline created from Photo to Outline Tool of lighting loupe depicted in Figure 1.
After creating one or more outlines, they can be uploaded into the Shadow Boards tool within the Additive App Suite. From there, you are able to adjust the size of the board, organize the tool layout by size, modify corner radii, and much more. The shadow board creation process was incredibly fast, taking only about five minutes.
If there is a need to make any dimensional adjustments, those changes could be made even more quickly. To finish the shadow board, add labels and an access opening for easy tool removal, all within the app. Once complete, the design can be uploaded directly into GrabCAD, where print settings can be adjusted before sending the job to the printer of your choice.
Figure 3: Overall generic shadow board base fits the lighting loupe outline.
Figure 4: Generic shadow board base with features such as labeling and cutout for ease of accessibility added.
Custom Clamping Jaws:
Another area where rapidly creating customized tools is especially valuable is in the development of custom work-holding solutions. In my experience, machining certain parts can sometimes feel like an exercise in improvisation, particularly when dealing with highly rounded or irregular geometries. The Custom Clamping Jaws tool within the Additive App Suite simplifies this process by allowing users to create custom clamping devices tailored to virtually any part geometry.
Need to securely hold a rounded part? No problem. Need to position a part at a specific angle to improve tool access? The software makes it easy to design a custom fixture that meets those requirements. Below, I have included images showing the part (purple) within the clamping jaw creation tool. The image on the far right shows the completed clamping jaws imported directly into GrabCAD Print, ready for manufacturing.
Figure 5: custom clamping jaws with work piece (purple) held inside.
Figure 6: Custom clamping jaws with jaws opened to show insert shape.
Figure 7: Custom clamps in GrabCAD ready to be sent to any printer.
Custom Robotic Fingers:
Every industry is increasingly adopting automation. As a result, the robotic fingers used to hold and transport unique products throughout automated processes often need to be highly customized for each application. This is an area where 3D printing, especially the Additive App Suite, can provide significant value.
Like the clamping jaw workflow, you can select from a library of common industry-standard robotic arm end effectors and then define the workpiece needed to handle. From there, you can adjust parameters such as the robotic finger dimensions, gripping geometry, and part orientation. The result is custom robotic fingers designed specifically for the application and created in just minutes.
Figure 8: Example of customized robotic fingers and workpiece within the Additive App Suite.
In Conclusion:
These are just a few of the tools within the Additive Application Suite that I chose to highlight. There are many more tools available that can help streamline nearly any workflow. Whether you’ve been designing work-holding tools for years or are tackling your very first project, I encourage you to explore these incredible time-savers by downloading the free trials using the links above.
You, and your coworkers, will thank you later!
PADT Inc. is a globally recognized provider of Numerical Simulation, Product Development and 3D Printing products and services. For more information on Stratasys printers and materials, contact us at info@padtinc.com.
(All images courtesy Ava English)
You must be logged in to post a comment.