Objet30 Pro Status Active Superusers Ivan Penskiy (ipenskiy[at]umd[dot]edu) Important documents and useful links Objet30 Pro user guide Materials Data Sheet Converting CAD To STL (Best Practices from Stratasys) STL files manipulation (Best Practices from Stratasys) Overview This is an Objet30 Pro PolyJet 3D printer. PolyJet is an additive manufacturing process similar to inkjet printing, but instead of ink it uses photosensitive polymers. This printer is capable of printing a variety of materials at high resolution. Location E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory building 228, Room 3119a.. Printer specifications Maximum Build Size (XYZ) 294 x 192 x 148.6 mm (11.57 x 7.55 x 5.85 in) Resolution X,Y-axes: 600 dpi Z-axis: 900 dpi Accuracy up to 0.1 mm (3.9 mil), depending on part geometry, size, orientation, material and post-processing Minimum Layer Thickness 28 microns (1.1 mil) 16 microns (0.6 mil) for VeroClear material Model materials Rigid Opaque: VeroBlue* (RGD840), VeroWhitePlus (RGD835), VeroGray (RGD850), VeroBlackPlus (RGD875) Transparent: VeroClear (RGD810) Simulated Polypropylene (RGD450 and RDG430) High Temperature (RGD525) Support Materials SUP705* (WaterJet removable) SUP706 (soluble) * - currently available materials in RAL Reservation Objet30 Pro must be reserved before using. The reservation is done using the Google calendar. You will be able to reserve the equipment personally after attending the RAL lab orientation and then following the steps below to gain access to the equipment. Please estimate reservation times (they can be changed after the fact) and limit your reservations to a 12 hour maximum to ensure other users also have access to the system. Video demonstration The following videos demonstrate capabilities and the main steps of operating Objet30 Pro: Workflow overview Details of workflow Details of Objet Studio Note: these are promotional and instructional videos. They are included for demonstrational purposes only. The details of actual operational procedures in RRL can differ! Standard operating procedure Design for 3D printing Transferring design Starting the printing job Logging usage Removing parts Cleaning parts Design for 3D printing: Designs can be made in any software capable of saving models in STL format (e.g. AutoCad, SolidWorks, ProE, etc.). The computer connected to the 3D printer has no CAD software on it. Files must be brought over on a flash drive and cannot be edited at the 3D printer. Remember to set the appropriate tolerances in your STL files: tolerances should be smaller than the smallest feature in your design. Don't make tolerances much smaller than 3D printer resolution. Also, be mindful that small tolerances produce larger files. See Stratasys-STL for more details on STL creation. Transferring design: Note: the 3D printer has two computers: one for the printer itself and one for the interfacing software. The monitor and keyboard are shared between them using a keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) switch. Log into the Objet30 Pro computers, both tower and 3D printer itself (Login: RRL Student, Passw: RRL2014). Save your files on the local drive: create your folder in the "STL Files" folder (located on Desktop) and save them there. Important: the computer does not have access to the Internet, so don’t email the designs to yourself. Starting the printing job: Notation: 3D printer interface; desktop PC interface. Turning on the Objet30 Pro printer Switch to the Objet30 Pro computer, and open the "Objet" program Click the red button, turning it green, to bring the printer online Switch to the desktop PC, and open "Objet Studio" Adding parts to the tray in "Objet Studio" Choose "Insert Part" Browse for the part, stored locally in the STL folder on the desktop (you have already copied it here!) If multiple copies of the same part are needed, change the "number of copies" to the desired number on the "Insert Component" dialog box If needed, scale the part before inserting Repeat until all desired pieces are on the tray Organizing parts on the tray Choose "Automatic Placement" to minimize the printing time, OR Manually arrange parts on the tray by dragging and rotating them Validating the tray Perform the validation step to check for errors Building the tray Press build. A dialog box will come up asking to save the tray. Save the tray in the "Trays" folder under your name Objet Studio software: the ribbon is enlarged showing the "Insert", "Placement", "Validate", and "Build" icons Logging usage: Open Excel spreadsheet "Usage.xlsx" (saved on the Desktop) and fill out a new line with your information following the format of the previous entries. Removing parts: Removing parts Lift Objet30 Pro cover and get scraper from the drawer under the printer Scrape off parts, including support material and initial plastic layer Cleaning off the work surface Wet a shop towel from the spray bottle and wipe off the surface Closing down the software Close cover of the Objet30 Pro Close "Objet Studio" software and lock the computer LEAVE OPEN the "Objet" software and lock the computer Cleaning parts: Most material can be removed mechanically. Additionally, support material can be removed with a water jet or by soaking the models in a 2% solution of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). The method of support material removal is up to the user based upon geometry and the size of parts. Gaining access to equipment Preparation Scheduling training Preparation: Read the Standard operating procedure section. Scheduling training: Once you are confident in the topics from the previous section, email the lab manager (Ivan Penskiy, ipenskiy[at]umd[dot]edu) to schedule training. Usually it takes 1 20-30 min session to become an authorized user.