3D printing is more involved than hitting Ctrl + P and grabbing a perfect part a few minutes later. Between that printed part and the 3D model behind it is a 3D printing software, which dissects the model into printable slices and adds support structures when necessary.

But today’s 3D printing software goes far beyond conventional slicing. There are software tools that can automatically adjust the internal volume of parts, maximizing their strength and minimizing material usage. There are also tools that can intelligently modify the printing process, reducing part deformation.

Here’s some 3D printing software you should know about.

One of the most exciting applications of 3D printing software is the ability to optimize the internal volume of parts with lightweight lattices. Lattices can reduce part weight and material use while maintaining strength where needed. They can also maximize surface area (such as for heat exchangers), optimize geometry for energy absorption (such as for shock-absorbing helmets), and more.

While traditional CAD is ill-equipped for intricate lattice design, there are software tools that can automatically generate lattices for given geometries.

nTopology, for example, develops lattice generation software that can be tuned for function or aesthetics. The company’s eponymous software includes a library of lattice structures such as

beams, honeycombs, stochastic lattices, and triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs). Users import their 3D models into nTopology and automatically generate and adjust lattices to suit their requirements.

Lattices are a hot topic. Earlier this month, Altair acquired UK-based startup Gen3D, a developer of additive manufacturing software including Sulis Lattice for lattice generation. Like nTopology, Sulis Lattice allows users to automatically generate and fine-tune a variety of lattice structures for 3D printing. The lattice generation tool will soon be integrated into the Altair Inspire platform.

Another recent acquisition also centered on the internal volume of 3D-printed parts. In April 2022, 3D printing company Markforged acquired software developer Teton Simulation for its SmartSlice software, a cloud-based plug-in for existing slicing software. SmartSlice automatically adjusts the infill of parts based on a finite element analysis with user-specified loads. In so doing, the software aims to reduce the number of printed prototypes to save time and material.

Another approach to 3D printing software is to modify not the structure of a part, but the printing process itself. These solutions aim to solve some of the most common printing problems, such as part deformation.

A recent paper in Additive Manufacturing described a solution for the ongoing issue of thermal stability during metal 3D printing. In this process, metal powders must be heated to extreme temperatures so they can melt and fuse together. However, the flow of heat can expand and contract certain areas of a print and affect its final geometry (and ultimately, its function).

The proposed solution, called SmartScan (not to be confused with SmartSlice), prescribes a way to optimize the path of the printer’s laser to distribute heat more evenly. Although still in the early stages, initial results indicate that SmartScan can reduce part deformation by nearly 50 percent compared to existing approaches. The researchers suggest it is computationally efficient enough for possible online implementation in the future.

Start-up Helio Additive is also developing software to combat heat-based deformation issues with 3D printing. The company’s slicing software uses AI to identify regions of a part that are most likely to become warped during the printing process, and adjusts the toolpath accordingly. Unlike SmartScan, Helio Additive’s software, does not target metal 3D printing and can be used across polymer and composite 3D printing processes.

Helio Additive’s CEO David Hartmann believes that software is key to the future of 3D printing.

“In the last five years, hardware in 3D printing has outpaced the growth of software capabilities, leaving a bottleneck for companies ready to adopt additive in their workflow,” Hartmann commented in TCT Magazine.

He’s right—we’ve seen no shortage of hardware innovations in 3D printing over the last several years, with companies all yearning to deliver on the clear promise of the technology. But 3D printing still has obstacles to overcome.

Ultimately, it may be software as much as hardware that pushes 3D printing forward as a viable process for more manufacturers.