It is often advantageous in a design to employ hardware using press fits. The high accuracy and geometrically isotropic nature of 3D Systems’ MultiJet Printing (MJP) technology makes it ideal for press fit applications. Press fitting can be used to assemble two MJP 3D printed parts together to create sliding surfaces for movable assemblies or introduce removable dowel pins for jig and fixture designs.

Press fittings commonly use a precision hole with a metal dowel pin for assembly or alignment purposes. Any deviation in hole size can interrupt the planned part interference and change the resulting forces and frictions, meaning accuracy is critical. 3D Systems’ MJP software uses scale factors to automatically adjust the size of all materials to achieve extremely high precision. Whether printed in a single build or in a different batch, all 3D Systems MJP parts will have a seemingly exact fit for most practical purposes. This capability holds true across print orientations and materials and is demonstrated in the above diagnostic, which shows precision metal dowel pins inserted on all orthogonal sides of a cube structure. This diagnostic additionally shows finely cut triangular features that are true-to-CAD. All faces have consistent geometric accuracy. The below guidelines highlight key considerations when incorporating MJP 3D printing into a workflow that requires metal inserts or press fittings.