The first step in 3D printing is creating a file that 3D printing software can parse. There are four key steps to go from a part model to a 3D printed part: importing the part file from CAD into the software, turning that imported part file into a printable file, sending one or more of these files to your printer, and managing your printer(s) to maximize uptime and throughput.
Different 3D printing software programs can vary greatly, but all have the same core elements and parse a unified file type.
