The past year in 3D in Israel

 This post is dedicated to Israeli companies that have made interesting progress over the past year. A fascinating year that strengthens Israel's position as a technological leader in the world of 3D printing.

Israel Additive Manufacturing Industry directory

1. Stratasys -  has announced that it will acquire the 3D printing startup Origin Inc. in a transaction for a total consideration of up to $100 million.
2. Jiga 3D - Which develops a software platform for fast bidding has managed during the year to develop an impressive infrastructure and acquire several significant customers
   
3. Synergy 3DMed - continues to lead with the development of a complete platform for planning and performing complex surgeries with the help of 3D tools
   
4. Xjet - Material jetting specialist XJet has announced a global partnership with dentistry leader Straumann to advance the capabilities of its AM technology for dentistry applications.
5. Nanofabrica - The startup that develops 3D printers for the manufacturing of electronic and optical parts has raised $4 million in a funding round led by Microsoft’s venture arm M12 and NextLeap Ventures
6. MASSIVit - Israeli large-format 3D printing company MASSIVit 3D will try to raise NIS 200 million ($62.2 million) in a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange IPO set for January 2021
7. Kanfit 3D - That prints aluminum aviation parts and titanium implants were recently a partner in an implant operation using augmented reality and metal 3D printing.
8. Castor Technologies - has launched CASTOR Enterprise, proprietary software that is said to enable manufacturers to automatically reduce costs by utilizing the benefits of industrial Additive Manufacturing.
9. Tritone Technologies - has announced the installation of its first beta system. The Tritone® DOMINANT at Runout
10. PrintSyst.ai -  announces next-gen AI engine, the 3DP AI-Perfecter
11. 3D evaluate – announces first of its kind evaluation platform for 3d printers industrial get and examine free 3d printed sample parts.
12. Modix - launches three new large-scale FDM printers
13. Plastics App – Launched a new series of engineering-grade high impact FDM filament
14. CollPlant - US-based United Therapeutics pays $3 million to license CollPlant's collagen and BioInk technology to print kidneys, potentially saving the lives of millions of people around the world.

Weekly news briefs about 3D printing (Hebrew)  

Ten reasons why CAD (computer-aided design) is not a religion *

 * Assuming you are a Jew and a man because:
A. My acquaintance with other religions is insufficient
B. In my experience, women do not need an explanation that CAD is not a religion

1. When you want to switch to another CAD system, no one will ask you to cut a piece from yours...

2. When you want to save a file, you do not need to gather ten people per action

3. When your computer reaches the age of 13, this is really not a reason to celebrate

4. CAD does not care if, instead of pairing a screw to drill, you prefer to pair a screw to a screw

5. When you use CAD, God is called the IT Manager, and he is much less friendly and attentive than the one sitting in the sky

6. Your CAD system does not care if you use a foreign CAD system (as long as you do not bring foreign files home)

7. In religion, you only need to boot once a year

8. A CAD system does not make you fat on holidays

9. It is not customary to kiss the screen every time you open the computer,

10. A simple software upgrade will solve the problem of different versions hating each other

Of course, if you use my CAD system, I have ten excellent and convincing reasons that CAD is really but really a religion.

Ten reasons why you shouldn't replace your 3D SolidX software with the new generation CAD software

1. End-of-year sales - After being tempted to spend so much on a one-time deal that will not return (every year), you do not want to find out that buying upgrades and buying software is so old-fashioned (and expensive)

2. 2021 version - feel good to know that you are working on a newer version than no one use (because there is really not much difference)

3. Graphics card - after visiting all the forums, learning the differences between games to 3D CAD cards, buying the graphics card, and finding the suitable driver, it's a shame to throw away all this knowledge 

4. Train - RAFAEL use it, and they have a train that crosses the factory, and you want one too

5. Morning coffee - In the morning, while your Solid software is waking up, you can make a coffee, and then there is time for a sandwich and, from time to time, another coffee cup.

6. Patriotism - Flash drive is an Israeli invention, and you are a proud Israeli, so this is the only way you transfer files from the office to home and to customers.

7. Hackers - The cloud is dangerous. It's all Iranians and Hezbollah. This is why you only share files in email and lock your computer in a drawer at the end of the day.

8. Acronyms - You also have PDM, and it comes with many pleasant words like Check-in (feels like traveling). You really do not want to learn that Vault is something of the past

9. Education - SolidX is what you studied at university, and it takes them hundreds of years to discover that Einstein was right, and Newton was wrong. Why change. 

10. Religion - CAD is a religion. And religion you replace only if you are a nuclear spy who worked who ran away from the Mosad (spoiler, it did not end so well).

 

3D printing in CoronaVirus days

Some suggestions and recommendations for 3D printing equipment for medical teams (COVID-19 Supply Chain)

Many surprises pop up and appear during the Corona Virus crisis. For example, an average scooter rider in Tel Aviv streets seems to be better protected than the medical staff in hospitals. The highest concentration of verified and blast-infected patients are high in hospitals, and while patients may no longer be able to infect each other, the medical teams treating them are in the "Ground Zero" in terms of the proximity to the viruses. They exposed to infection at any given moment. When Medical personnel, becoming infected with corona, it immediately removes him from treating patients. While the pool of potential patients is growing more and more, the medical personnel workforce is a given and final number.

Imagine, what would have happened if an airline operations center would have operated as a hospital, then an aircrew would have flown directly to New York, stopping for five minutes at the airport. Later the same crew would fly the return flight back without any rest. On the way back, the pilots would switch to autopilot, asking the flight attendant to wake them up if there was anything unusual and going to sleep. Imagine the Cockpit crew did not have any emergency equipment such as oxygen masks or rescue belts for the pilots, and if it did, then in a reduced amount, that was enough for only one pilot. The flight attendants would find it difficult to get through to the rear part of the plane because of all the passengers sitting on the floor and blocking the aisles. After four hours the plane would drop to 8,000 feet and fly without diffusion because the system was leaking, with the approach to the airport, the pilots would turn off engines and glide towards the runway because there was not enough fuel. During the holidays period, the pilots would just stay and sleep in the planes between the rounds of flights.

Many countries around the world have not yet assimilated the idea that medical personnel is not disposable and that patients’ lives depend on the availability and competence of medical personnel. Technological solutions for protecting the medical teams are known and exist; however, the quantity of equipment is insufficient and does not cover the entire medical team. Frequently, the equipment has never been tested, and the team is not well trained using it. When all countries keep their own small inventory, and import and export are almost entirely blocked, the immediate and necessary solution is turning to local production of the missing equipment, and this need for quick and domestic production is exceedingly consistent with 3D printing. Leading the trend of completing 3D printing equipment is the Maker communities and Makerspaces, which means a lot of people from different places, with goodwill, free time, enthusiasm, and access to 3D printers. This large community is willingly ready to help the medical personnel, so they have already started to download programs, design, print, and assemble the amounts of protective equipment in local production. Every day, various projects are published online, and due to the lack of protective equipment, improvised solutions have already come into use, such as the conversion of water sports equipment or homemade face masks (PPE) and face protection. Those home-based manufacturers, inspired by the Playmobil characters of children game, probably believe the medical teams should be protected and look like Bob The Builder. Medical workers are not firefighters, divers, or pest control workers, and unfortunately, the solutions of how to protect the medical teams are not supposed to be inspired by children’s games or cartoon films. If we do not want further shorten the "shelf life" of hospital workers, then it is worth considering a few essential things before pushing equipment into their hands that may endanger them and the people around them.

3D printed PPE

I encourage you to pay attention to the following highlights before you manufacture or use such improvised solutions:

A. Quality control - Home printed, machine accessory, face protection shields, or airflow connector, make me very uncomfortable for the following reasons. A home manufacturer has no control or tracking over the raw material, its components, and quality, nor does it have any control over the production and packaging process. It also cannot provide a sterilization protocol for the parts. Are the parts cleanable? What about water or air tightness testing? The entry-level manufacturing technology also cannot guarantee the same quality for every 3D part, even the same printer, and with the same parameters, not to mention printers on different websites. Think for a moment about a situation where twenty home-based manufacturers are supplying 1,000 shields to hospitals. After the delivery, it turns out that one of the suppliers detected with the Corona Virus. What can you do now? How do you know how to collect suspicious parts? What happens if one of the 3D parts found contaminated? How to find the whole series? Established companies that work according to standard and following regulatory quality control procedures use standardized work procedures and can work with adherence to health system requirements. These procedures are often written in the blood and aim to maintain public health.

a single 60 Micrometer printing layer Compared to 0.125 Mm CoronaVirus

B. Sterilization cleanses - The printed parts are designated to use in a virus-contaminated environment, so they will probably be contaminated as well. In most printing methods, the resulting plastic parts are porous material, which can serve as an excellent substrate for the adsorption of impurities and a significant challenge for cleaning and sterilization. In an efficient and organized production, the manufacturer should provide thorough information concerning the cleaning method, the shelf life of the part, and the expiry date.

C. Printing method and raw materials - The most commonly used printing method, especially in the domestic environment, is called FDM or FFF. It is also a challenging technology when used to create products for the medical environment. With this printing method, printers are being fed with plastics wire from a spool that is heated and compressed on the printer bed surface layer after layer. The two common materials used on home printers are ABS and PLA, which is considered safe and more comfortable to use. Home users use materials from unknown sources without control over the composition of the material and adapt it to the intended use. The filament deposition printing method creates a model that often does not seal for water or air tightness, meaning that the parts leak, and the layers destined quickly to be contaminated. Therefore, the attempt to make masks with N95 protection by this method is not responsible.

3D Printed Nasal Swabs

Another conventional manufacturing technology is SLA or DLP. This method uses photopolymer resin as the printing material, which is a thick liquid that becomes solid in exposure to UV light. The resulting models can be opaque and it already been used to 3D Printed Nasal Swabs. Most materials in this method were not approved for prolonged contact with the skin. In the professional field, resin with certificates used for dental medicine that will also be more tolerable for other medical uses. The parts obtained by this method are fragile, are not durable for long periods, and continue to harden with light exposure.

The most suitable production method for printing durable plastic parts is the SLS or its relative, the HP MJF. The common material ideal for manufacturing of medical products by the above methods is nylon 12, also called polyamide 12 or PA12. Some of the printer manufacturers have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in this material in medical and food applications for contact with human skin for a short time, and food containers (not alcohol). For more information on Medical Compliance - EOS, HP.

So what can be done?

3D printing is an excellent tool for developing prototype production, and tools for other manufacturing methods, such as printing a model for using flexible molds (silicone molds). When producing print parts that should be used as a final product, it is essential to thoroughly examine where and what the use of the piece is and what are the requirements for it.

Various air and oxygen pipe connectors should be tested for air pressure compliance and leakage testing at interfaces. Some professional service bureaus have people with experience and knowledge in this field. It is recommended to produce the parts only with them. Parts that come into contact with the skin should be made of approved material or coated with one. Home production in an unsupervised environment is not recommended, and in any case, all precautions should be taken when printing parts to prevent the spread of infections.

A 3D printed parts manufacturer should be able to provide proven information on the raw material source, cleaning method, and sterilization of the manufactured parts. Exterior parts are recommended to be painted with a special primer and opaque paint layer that could be sterilized with 70% alcohol.

Food and Drug Administration, the US FDA,  provides several guidelines on the issue and It also provides flexibility for crisis days.

If you have access to a Decathlon or Ocean Reef snorkel mask, and you would like to convert it to a medical oxygen mask for a patient or personnel member, please refrain from printing the necessary adaptors domestically. Ocean Reef did release the 3D files online,

Ocean Reef snorkel mask with adaptor

but because of the demand, it has begun producing the parts itself,  providing a quantity of 1,000 pieces a day, and it sends them all over the world. 

To improve the opacity of printed parts and enable
Sterilization is recommended to consider metallic coating as a complementary treatment. Polymertal is one of the companies that specialize in this type of treatment.

Gal Raz

Israel AM industry index

http://site-1862322-4944-2460.strikingly.com/

In 1986, Cubital was founded, the first company in Israel and among the first in the world to develop
and manufacture 3D printers. Since then, Israel has become a leaders in 3D printing/ Additive Manufacturing tech.
This site is dedicated for those who are active today in the Israeli AM industry.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of getting to know most of the entrepreneurs behind these companies.

Gal Raz

Lightning and plastic on a powder bed

HP introduces recently a new powder bed 3D printer About this printing technology in the next post.

Truffles, which are identified with French cuisine, are considered some of the most expensive foods

 fulgurites  fro a lightning strike,

around, and surprisingly, they grow wild in the Israeli Negev desert by the roots of the Shimshon plant. A handful of experts can find and remove the small mushroom from the ground. Bedouins residing in the south of Israel believe that they are created by lightning striking the ground and they go looking for them after thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms probably don’t create edible mushrooms, but the massive energy transferred to powdery sand in a lightning strike can print 3D glass objects. The phenomenon is known as fulgurites and the glass objects created deep beneath the sand are called lightning glass.

SLS 3D printers work in a similar method, by concentrating energy on a powder bed or tray covered with plastic powder. The Powder printing is so successful and common that most of the parts currently manufactured today using 3D printing are created using this technology as it is the only technology that allows mass serial production of end products using 3D printing.

Powder bed

Powder bed and plastic printing

Until recently, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was generally accepted as the only way of producing high-quality printed plastic parts for production using a quality thermoplastic material, generally, polyamide also known as Nylon 12.

SLS printers print in a closed and temperature-controlled chamber, heated to above 170 degrees Celsius. Inside the chamber is a tray (bed) moving on the vertical axis (z). Plastic is spread and compressed on the tray using a roller. The laser device at the top of the chamber emits a beam directed using mirrors, which draws a mask on the powder on the XY axes. The beam sinters the powder where it hits it, or in other words, make the material solid by heating the grains. After sintering, the tray with the powder drops about 100 microns down on the z-axis and a re-coater spreads another layer of powder on the tray. The laser beam activates once more and the energy transferred to the powder to create an additional layer on top of the layer printed earlier.

At the end of the printing process, the printer holds a bin full of powder, with the printed parts hidden inside. After a cooling the bin, the parts are separated from the powder in the unpacking station. Most of the “cooked” powder can be reused after mixing with fresh powder at a ratio determined by the manufacturer.
The big advantage of powder bed plastic printing is the ability to stack up parts and use the full height of the bin to print parts one above each other. The non-sintered powder is used to support the printed parts, making the design and printing of supports needed for other printing methods unnecessary. Before printing, the operator plans a 3D nesting for optimal use of the printing space by placing the parts in a virtual space, like a 3D game of Tetris. Assembrix of Tel Aviv is one of the only companies that currently offer software solutions for optimal use of printer volume, a process that can take hours by hand.

Assembrix's Cloud 3D nesting

SLS printing process is complex and sensitive. There are multiple variables influencing the printing, and any small change can destroy an entire printing job. The roller that spreads the powder and flattens it on the tray repeats this action thousands of time from one side to another. Improper parts arrangement may cause the roller to pull more than just powder and lift a solid part out, which will lead to a chain reaction that will destroy the printing job. Powdered grains or fingerprints on the laser window through which the beam passes can cause a similar result. The printer’s mechanical elements, which are comprised of pistons, conveyor belts, and gears, which constantly work at high temperatures and dusty environments, are sensitive to malfunctions and required proper cleaning and maintenance. Over the years the printer's manufacturer has accumulated experience and knowledge and have greatly improved the printer's reliability, and currently, with proper use, the number of critical malfunctions is small.

Until 2017 the professional SLS printer market was divided between two companies: 3D Systems and EOS. 3D Systems is a well-known public company that has been marketing 3D printers since1986 (!) and holds a large number of technologies for printing plastic and metal. EOS is a private company, which is less familiar to the general public. The company started out by marketing alternative raw materials for 3DS SLA printers. After the companies reached an agreement that took EOS out of the SLA market, it moved to focusing on developing powder bed printers and became the world leader in the field of plastic and metal printers. Both companies offer several models of printers of different sizes. The popular mid-sized EOS printer is the P396 and 3D Systems mid-size printer is model ProX500.

The main difference between these two printers is in the powder distribution method. In EOS P-series printers, the powder is fed from the top and a metal re-coater spreads and flattens it on the tray. In the 3DS system, the powder is fed from the bottom and a roller is spreading and tightens the powder on the tray.

HP Jet Fusion 3D

HP is a world leader in computers and inkjet printers. HP is also one of the first major corporations that enter the field of 3D printing with its own original in-house new technology. The new printer, from the Barcelona development center, is designed to compete directly with the two market leaders EOS and 3DS. HP has developed a new printing method using a powder bed platform, taking advantage of the company’s immense experience with 2D ink injection technology.

Have you noticed that the laser beam plays an important part in SLS printing? The laser creates the added heat on the powder bed, changing the area marked by the beam from powder into solid. Both EOS and 3DS mid-size printers have a single fixed laser head that produces a beam directed by a system of mirrors. When the laser beam hits the surface, it creates a 600-micron diameter circle. The temperature distribution is not equal across the circles, and as it is hotter at the center, the laser beam needs to pass once more on the sintered area with a small offset on each passage in order to create an overlap between the circles. The laser beam is diverted on the XY axes using a mirror, and when the distance is increased from the center of the tray, the beam becomes elliptical and precision is impacted. In addition, the laser beam must scan the entire surface on each layer, for a few seconds each time, which accumulates into a great deal of time.

HP Jet Fusion 3D 

HP identified the laser as the weak point of the SLS method and decided to do away with it. In order to provide concentrated heat to a defined area in the Jet Fusion 3D printer, the company added an ink injection head to the Jet Fusion printer, which releases, in a very precise manner, a special agent on the powder surface in the area they want to turn solid. The agent is a heat conducting material. After the agent is printed, the entire layer is exposed to uniform heat. The inked area absorbs the heat and changes the state of the powder to solid. The agent itself evaporates in the process and does not influence the plastic characteristics. HP claims that this method allows better control of the material solidification, allows the production of more precise parts with local control of mechanical characteristics such as flexibility and rigidity. In addition, getting rid of the selective laser and

moving to heat radiation on the entire surface at once make the printing processes much faster and allows the recycling of 90% of the powder remaining after printing. As of today, 3D products produced by HP printers are very similar to those received from SLS printers in terms of surface quality or preservation of details, but while SLS printers mainly produce white colored parts, the HP printers are only capable of producing parts in shades of gray. For various applications, such as optical equipment, this may be an advantage, however, HP parts cannot be dye in bright colors using the common and fast method of dying with fabric paints like RIT. According to HP, they are in advanced stages of developing a color head that will allow them to add color to each later and maybe even conducting paint at some point. The HP printing method promises an interesting future and additional innovations that will take the technology to new places.  

Will HP succeed to conquer the market?

As for today, HP printer does not have any technical advantage over the EOS and 3DS. HP is claiming that their price is the lowest, and their printer is the fastest, however, examining closely, reveals that the differences are not that big. The HP printer still needs to prove itself with its precision, the production of big parts, parts with thin walls or complex detailing with and to prove the resilience and endurance of the printer through time. The greater advantage of HP lays in its distribution channel and support networks. Buying HP is an easy decision for corporates that already use HP services and products.  

3D printing is a new production technology that requires adopting new design rules and strategy. HP should focus on exploiting its position in the market to recruit new customers, find applications suitable for the printing system and educate the market to move to 3D serial production.

What next for SLS?

EOS P500

Until recently SLS printing technology progressed slowly. Leading companies released updates and improvements sparingly and insufficient investment were made in the development of new materials. HP entering the game bring a new spark for the SLS industry. EOS has already responded with the launch of the new P500 printer that will hit the market soon. The EOS P500 will increase the range of SLS technology and challenge HP by using two laser heads, improving the printing speed and allowing high-temperature printing for advanced engineering materials such as PEEK. Other companies are already working on high-temperature printing that will enable the use of advanced plastics for the aviation, automotive and medical industries and a new startup, Aerosint, is developing a high-temperature SLS printer that prints two materials simultaneously!

Aerosint

The race to release a cheap desktop powder bed printer is also in high gear now that formlabs, that already sell a very successful desktop SLA printer, are about to repeat the exercise with the Fuse1, a $ 10,000 SLS printer that will compete with Sharebot SnowWhite and Sinterit Lisa at the desktop low-cost market.

Gal Raz

This post is written based on my personal experience and knowledge and reflect my personal opinion only 

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Introduction to 3D CAD *

* An update to my popular post from 2014

Just looking for free 3D CAD software? You can scroll down to " Hobby - Free software for makers"

The first rule for printing in 3D is the presence of a 3D file.

The next article will lead you through basics computer-aided design (CAD) terms, will review the market players and will guide you to best options to start design for free with a robust 3D CAD.

There is one common principle today for all 3D production machines, from a 150 $ self-assembled home printer to a million dollars machine that prints medical and aerospace titanium parts, all of which receive the printing instructions from a program that prepares a 3D STL file . A software than slices the STL file into layers and converts the two-dimensional mask created in each layer into instructions for the 3D printer. For a successful print, the printer software must have a 3D file that accurately describes the body and its details. Currently, all software that sends instructions to the printing machine can work with at least one standard file called STL that contains a collection of 3D polygons that description the 3D objects. There are dozens of software for creating 3D objects using SOLID, surfaces or Mesh technology and each one of them can export STL file.

The 3D software can be divided into three groups. At the top are the expensive High-End software. In the middle are the mainstream software that are common in design offices and universities, and there is also the group of software for amateur and makers, which of course are also the cheapest. In the following list I will briefly review some of the popular modeling software for "small" objects (as opposed to civil engineering and architecture programs), with an emphasis on the most suitable for beginners.

Before we proceed, we will become acquainted briefly with a number of technical terms that are important for the continuation:

Basics terms:

Solid - The term solid is not just the name for some popular software. Solid technology allows to design precise and details 3D bodies while providing physical properties to the computerized model that brings it very close to reality. "Solid parametric" indicates that the software allows changing the 3D model by changing predefined parameters such as dimensions. The solid Parametric software is the masters in the world of mechanical engineering.



Mesh - A three-dimensional model consisting of a network or a collection of lines forming three-dimensional polygons that represent the 3D model. The Mesh model is less accurate, cannot be modified by parameters and is more suitable for creating complex organic shapes and free-form design body. Common mesh files extensions are STL or OBJ and sometimes VRML.


Direct Editing - A term associated with solid software and describes the ability to easily modify and reconstruct 3D objects without relying on the original parameters. Direct editing is considered a technique that is more suitable for beginners and casual users.


Parametric - A 3D parametric model is controlled by dimensions or constraints in a way that changing a value will change the model geometry. Parametric model can capture the design intents; control the relationships between features and parts in assembly, create associative drawings and maintain a virtual prototype.


Surface - While solid describes the entire body, surface software only deals with external topology. The "surface" capabilities enable the creation of more complex geometries while maintaining a smooth, flowing appearance. The automotive industry uses surface software to shape the curved surfaces in the vehicle. Surface technology is also popular for art and industrial design and to design organic shapes for medical and healthcare devices. 



Software Classification: 

1. High End
2. Main Stream
3. Hobby

High-End Software 

Are very common in the automotive and aviation industries and provides a comprehensive solution that includes many specific applications and powerful tools for managing large assemblies with tens of thousands of parts. The high-end software are very expensive and takes a lot of time and experience to specialize.

The three best known High-End Software are:


• PTC Creo (Pro/E) – World first solid parametric software. 
• Siemens NX – A comprehensive software package widely used in the automotive and aviation industry
• Catia by Dassault Systèmes - A comprehensive software package widely used in the automotive and aviation industry

Autodesk Alias  is another High-end software just for surfaces design. It is common among industrial designers and car designers. Difficult to learn and use but packed with fantastic abilities. If you fantasize about being a car designer, this is the software for you




2. Main Stream software  

The most common software for solid parametric design, relatively easy to learn and use. Widely used in engineering and design institutions.

The most popular:

• SolidWorks (Dassault Systèmes ) – World most popular solid software. Started at 1996 as the first native window 3D software. Relatively easy to use and learn.
• Autodesk Inventor – A good alternative to SolidWorks with advanced tools for free-form design 
• Solid Edge (Siemens NX) – The first software to combine direct editing with parametric design

The different:

SpaceClaim (Ansys) - direct editing solid software very suitable for use in 3D printing. Unskilled users will find it easy and fast to use and with ability to edit STL files, making it important tool for preparing model to 3D printing

OnShape
The new generation:
OnShape – The first 100% cloud solid software. No installation or dependency on your OS, run on mobile device, tablet or Mac. Easy to use and very modest in hardware resources. OnShape is the best entry tool for the world of design in Solid and is an excellent learning tool for those who wish to continue their professional programs. If you keep your design public, you can try it for free. 


Autodesk Fusion 360 - Autodesk is constantly pushing new capabilities to the Fusion 360 cloud computing platform. The software includes endless capabilities for design, simulation, and manufacturing. The software requires local installation and uses the cloud as a computational power to perform complex operations more quickly and the cost is very 



Autodesk Fusion 360

affordable

Not Solid, hard to use but popular:

Autodesk 3D MAX - Mesh/polygon software. Highly versatile and widely used software for animation purposes. The MAX is not engineering software and is not as easy to use as the solid software. But, it is the only one in the group that allows modeling of characters, animals, and other strange forms. 

Rhino – A 3D Surface software. Most popular for jewelry design and complex organics shapes.

3. Hobby - Free software for makers:

Programs that provide good 3D capabilities at zero cost. Some of those free software includes surprising capabilities that are not available in the expensive Mainstream software. 

Please note that the world of CAD is divided into a number of categories and 3D technologies. In general, Solid software is for mechanical design, Mesh software belongs to the world of animation and organic shapes. With Solid technology, organic shapes can be an impossible task even for an experienced user. 

DesignSpark Mechanical 

The next two software have surprising tools and capabilities that can work for an experienced user. Those who are new to the technology will get a great opportunity to learn the basics. They come from leading commercial companies and can be downloaded and used for free without restrictions. Just note, the solid software can eat all your computer resources. Without a powerful processor and enough RAM, the experience can be frustrating. 

DesignSpark Mechanical - A "naked" version of the SpaceClaim software branded by RS, a hardware manufacturer. Surprising capabilities and good performance with powerful direct editing software. You can import STEP files and save files to STL for 3D printing. The software continues to be updated and includes the ability to edit and use STL files for further building in Solid, unique capabilities that are hard to found in other software. 

PTC Creo Elements PTC is the inventor of the parametric solid. Several years ago, it acquired HP's CoCreate software to access the direct editing capabilities that HP software hade for years. Elements / direct is a great design software, rich in tools and capabilities and can be downloaded and used for free without time limit. The software is limited to 60 parts in one assembly, more than enough for the amateur designer. 

Autodesk 123D Design Until recently, Autodesk was the only company that took seriously the world of Makers and 3D printing with a collection of 3D (and 2D) software designed for the casual user. Recently, the company retires some of the free projects in the 123D software family and it is not available in Autodesk web site anymore. 

Rush and download the software from the alternative link above as long as it is available. 

Few more option to consider:

TinkerCAD - Cloud software and a very easy to use one. It uses unique technology, enables the editing of STL files, and most suitable for old PCs. TinkerCAD is an important tool in the toolbox of any home enthusiast who wants to design STL files. 

FreeCAD - Open source Solid software. Provides tools to convert file formats and the possibility to work with Mesh files. As a design tool, it can not compete with the other programs mentioned here. FreeCAD has great potential but is unstable and not easy to use 

SketchUP - Popular software with a large user base. Very easy to use, designed primarily for the architectural 3D design. It's very easy to get results with the software for simple projects 

Blender - Powerful animation software. The free equivalent to 3D Max. Using a blender can be frustrating. There are countless examples of amazing models made on the web, but the software requires learning and knowledge. It is difficult to operate and is suitable mainly for those who intend to specialize in the field of animation. If you wish to design dragons and monsters Blender may be exactly the software for you.

Remember, 3D CAD should be fun. If it is not, just try other software

Pedro's Tulio QR Multi-Tool

Gal Raz