3D Printing & Product Development FAQ

Welcome to the PartSnap FAQ – your resource for frequently asked questions concerning 3D Printing, Product Development and other PartSnap Services.  This page is here for your convenience, but you are always welcome and encouraged to Contact PartSnap to ask your questions directly.

3D Modeling & CAD – Frequently Asked Questions

What 3D CAD modeling software does PartSnap support?
PartSnap maintains active, current licenses of SolidWorks, SpaceClaim and Rhino 3D CAD modeling software.  Using a suite of translators, we can easily import and work with 3D CAD data from any major CAD system.
How do I save my CAD design to an STL file?
To convert your CAD file to an STL file, in most CAD systems:

  • Go to File, select Save-As or in some systems select Export to CAD
  • From the filetype drop-down menu, select STL (*.stl)
  • Select the Options button to adjust the resolution of the STL export
  • Within the options menu, select Binary Format (instead of ASCII)
  • Within the options menu, adjust Surface Deviation to o.001 inches
  • Within the options menu, adjust Normal Deviation to 4-degrees
  • Enter your file name and select SAVE. You now have a file type the printer can read

Or, more simply, you can send PartSnap your CAD file and we will complete this conversion at no additional fee. It is just one of the many perks we offer our 3D printing clients.

3D Printing – Frequently Asked Questions

What file type do I need to send for PartSnap’s 3D Printer?
PartSnap’s 3D printers, and most additive manufacturing machinery, read data from STL files.  See How to Save CAD Design to an STL File above.
What 3D printing materials does PartSnap offer?
PartSnap® offers several types of 3D Printing materials including SLA Rigid Plastic” href=”https://www.partsnap.com/3d-printing/sla/”>SLA materials, FDM materials, and PLA materials. 
What are the Pros and Cons of SLA and FDM 3D Printing?
You can link through to read more about 3D printing material properties of SLA 3D Printing versus FDM 3D printing, but here is a summary:SLA –
Pros: High resolution, Strong in all axes, Very Precise, Very Repeatable
Cons: High cost, Low impact strength (brittle)
FDM –
Pros: Real ABS plastic, Color Models, Lower Cost
Cons: Lower Resolution, lower z-axis strength

Need assistance?

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info [at] partsnap.com

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+1 214.449.1455