Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Multi-Material 3D Printing

Modern 3D printing systems make it possible to manufacture components with locally varying physical and optical properties — for example, by using multiple materials simultaneously or by precisely controlling printing parameters.

This enables functions, shapes, and designs to be combined within a single manufacturing process.

At Fraunhofer IGD, we develop specialized software components for the digital process chain of 3D printing. Our work focuses on exploiting multi-material and metamaterial structures, particularly for high-quality full-color 3D printing and functionally graded materials (FGM).

Our solutions create new possibilities for product design, simulation, and industrial manufacturing.

To turn a multi-material component idea into a printable product, Fraunhofer IGD offers two specialized software solutions: one for device-independent print preparation, and another for CAD-based modeling of material distributions.

Many modern products consist of different materials depending on functional requirements, load distribution, or design. Traditional subtractive manufacturing reaches its limits when multiple materials shall be combined – assembling different material components is getting required.

Additive manufacturing provides new freedom: multiple materials can be printed within a single process — including smooth transitions between the materials to avoid thermal stress or to meet mechanical requirements.

Functional gradients – to a certain extent - can also be produced within a single material simply by adjusting printing parameters.

Fraunhofer IGD focuses on the software side, the digital process chain, and addresses challenges such as:

• Modeling material gradients directly on CAD models, even though most CAD systems assume homogeneous material per component
• Metamaterial design using parameter variations instead of material changes
• Combining different printing technologies and base materials in a single workflow
• Ensuring seamless integration of tools along the entire process chain
• Implementing topology optimization to translate global functional requirements into material distributions

3D Color Printing: Mastering Visual Properties

Full-color 3D printing is a special case in which primary materials are deposit based on object color, texture, or gloss.

The goal is visual realism.

Our Cuttlefish® software computes printable results based on voxel data, light transport models, and printer profiles — producing visually optimized and technically feasible output.

We are happy to explore how our technologies can support your applications — tailored, scalable, and future-proof.

We can demonstrate the benefits and develop extensions to meet your specific requirements.