Optimizing support structures for DMLS printing

Hey Theodore, your part is challenging—a lot of steep overhangs and need for full supports across the whole diameter, combined with thin sections that need to be held to shape. To minimize support structures in easy-printing layouts for DMLS, you can start by optimizing the build orientation. Your part might work best mounted with blade tips toward the table. You can’t control the overhang angles by orienting, but thermal management will be helpful because there’ll be a bigger thermal mass before the full diametral strain needs to be accommodated.

Variable support intensity should work—where the blades are at a shallower angle (the long blade tips) and closer to the core, less support will be needed—though that’s complex to specify in the CAM software. But this reduces the need for support, so less cleanup is needed.

Another target is minimal-contact or tree supports, to reduce contact with the part, reducing post-processing. These blades will be challenging to get to a good finish. Materialize Magics and Autodesk Netfabb allows customized support thickness and contact points, helping control where and how much the supports connect.

It can help if you reinforce by thickening walls or adding ribs to distribute heat more evenly, reducing warping. Internal ribs within the back-face hollow might help a lot in imposing rigidity. Consider heat paths during printing, as uneven cooling causes distortion. Slower, controlled cooling can also help reduce stress and improve dimensional stability.