---
title: "AdditiveDFM — know how it'll warp before it comes off the plate wrong"
url: https://partimation.com/additive/
description: "AdditiveDFM screens a model for print-readiness — support volume and stair-stepping at every candidate orientation — and predicts SLM thermal distortion before you commit a build. Should-cost on the same engine as machining and casting. Start free."
product: "AdditiveDFM"
domain: additivedfm.com
---

# Know how it'll warp — before it comes off the plate wrong.

*Printability screen · SLM distortion · orientation · should-cost*

AdditiveDFM screens a model for print-readiness — support-material volume and stair-stepping at every candidate orientation — and predicts SLM thermal distortion before you commit a build. The should-cost comes off the same engine that prices machining, fabrication, and casting, so you can compare additive against a traditional process on a real number, not a hunch.

- **Print-readiness** — support volume and stair-stepping quantified at every orientation
- **Distortion, predicted** — SLM thermal distortion modeled before the build
- **Process-comparable** — should-cost on the same engine as machining and casting
- **Before the plate** — every check runs on the model, not the build

Free to start · no credit card · your files stay yours.

## A build shouldn't be how you find out a part won't print.

- **Printability problems, found on the plate** — Overhangs that need supports you didn't plan for, walls too thin to survive, powder trapped in a cavity — these usually surface mid-build, not on the model.
- **Warp, discovered after the fact** — Metal parts distort under their own thermal history, and without a prediction ahead of time, the first sign of how much is the part coming off the plate out of tolerance.
- **Print vs. traditional is a gut call** — Deciding whether a part should be printed, machined, or cast usually comes down to who's in the room, not a should-cost comparison you can actually defend.

## See the print problems, the warp, and the price — before the build.

- **Printability, checked automatically — Support cost and stair-stepping, quantified at every orientation** — The orientation choices that actually drive a build's cost and surface finish get computed before the file ever reaches the machine — support volume and stair-stepping severity, side by side for every candidate orientation.
- **Warp, predicted not discovered — SLM thermal distortion modeled before you commit the build** — A physics-based distortion prediction runs on the part's own geometry and orientation, so you know roughly how it'll move before metal is ever melted.
- **Compare processes on a real number — Additive vs. machining vs. casting, priced the same way** — The should-cost engine behind AdditiveDFM is the same one behind every Partimation quote, so choosing print over a traditional process is a cost comparison, not a guess.
- **Orientation and supports, worked out for you — Build prep that starts from the check, not from scratch** — Printability findings feed directly into orientation and support decisions, so build prep starts from what the model actually needs, not a blank plate.

## Four steps from a model to a build-ready part.

1. **Drop the model** — Upload a 3D model. No setup, no template — the printability screen starts immediately.
2. **See the orientation trade-offs** — Support-material volume and stair-stepping severity come back for every candidate orientation, so the best one is a number, not a guess.
3. **Check the distortion** — SLM thermal-distortion prediction runs against the part's geometry and orientation.
4. **Compare the price** — Should-cost comes out of the same engine behind every Partimation quote, so print and traditional processes are directly comparable.

## Start free. Upgrade when it's saving you a failed build.

Priced for a one-person bureau and a production AM shop alike. Checking a part is unmetered — run as many as you like.

| Tier | Price (EUR / USD / GBP) | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | €0 / $0 / £0 | 10 parts a month; Printability screen; Advisory analysis, draft resolution; No credit card |
| Pro | €199 /seat · mo / $199 /seat · mo / £169 /seat · mo | Unlimited parts, full resolution; SLM distortion prediction; Should-cost, reports, exports; 30 simulation runs a month |
| Shop | €699 /mo · 5 seats / $699 /mo · 5 seats / £595 /mo · 5 seats | Everything in Pro; Your machine & material library; Quote calibration + API access; 150 pooled simulation runs a month |
| On-prem | €15k yr 1, then €10k renewal / $15k yr 1, then $10k renewal / £12.5k yr 1, then £8.5k renewal | Runs on your hardware; Unlimited simulation, no metering; Signed updates, never phones home; 10 seats · optional device lock |
| Enterprise | from €25k / from $25k / from £21k /yr | Multi-site licensing, custom material data, a model tuned on your own build history, and an SLA. |

EUR and GBP prices exclude VAT, added at checkout where it applies. Early adopters keep their price as the suite grows.

## In the cloud by default. Behind your firewall when it has to be.

- **Cloud — Nothing to install** — Sign in and check a part from any browser. We run the compute, ship the updates, and keep your data yours — the shared model only ever learns from your own builds to calibrate distortion predictions.
- **On-prem & air-gapped — For parts that can't leave the building** — Aerospace and anyone under NDA can run the whole thing on their own hardware. Licenses and updates are signed files — it never phones home, so an air-gapped install stays air-gapped.

## New to 3D printing? Skip the jargon.

AdditiveDFM is built for AM service bureaus and OEM engineering teams who live in orientation and distortion trade-offs every day. If you just want a plain-language answer — will it print, in what, and for how much — PrintDFM is the same checks and the same cost engine, explained without the vocabulary.

**AdditiveDFM → PrintDFM — Same engine, no glossary required** — What PrintDFM covers today, in plain terms:

- FDM (polymer)
- SLS/MJF (polymer powder)
- SLM (metal powder)
- Should-cost, one engine

## Frequently asked questions

#### How do I know a part will print cleanly before I run a build?

A print-readiness screen returns support-material volume and stair-stepping for the build, across FDM, SLS/MJF, and SLM. Those two numbers set what a build costs and how the surface comes off the machine, and both are computed on the model you upload rather than found on the plate. No build file and no machine setup are needed first.

#### Will it tell me how a metal part is going to warp?

A thermal-distortion trend check flags the shelves and overhangs most likely to curl into the recoater blade on a metal SLM build. Treat it as a trend indicator, not a build simulation: it names where the risk sits, and does not return a compensated geometry to build against. Redesign the shelf, or plan the supports around it.

#### Does the distortion check apply to plastic parts too?

The distortion trend check runs on metal alloys that fit the SLM build envelope, and only there. Polymer parts get the print-readiness screen instead — support-material volume and stair-stepping on FDM and SLS/MJF. Even on metal, the check is a trend indicator rather than a build simulation, and returns no compensated geometry.

#### What does stair-stepping tell me about a part?

Stair-stepping measures how much the layer structure will show on sloped and curved surfaces at the build orientation used. Alongside support volume, it is what decides whether a printed surface needs post-processing before it meets the drawing. A part that looks right as a model can miss its surface callout on the layer lines alone.

## Related pages

- [PrintDFM](https://partimation.com/additive/3d-printing/)
- [ProcessDFM](https://partimation.com/process-selection/)
- [SimDFM](https://partimation.com/simulation/)
- [MoldDFM](https://partimation.com/molding/)

## Put your next build through it.

Check a real part free in your browser, or book a walkthrough set up for your machines and materials.

## Tell us about your builds.

We reply within one business day.

> AdditiveDFM is decision support, not a guarantee — every flag and every distortion prediction names the check or model behind it. Validate against your own machine and material data before you commit a build.