Stratasys XLRFID Users Manual

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User Guide

D R A F T

2013

English

Objet1000 - Connex 2

3D Printer System

16 June

2013

D R A F T 16 June

D R A F T

2013

Trademarks

This documentation contains proprietary information of Stratasys Ltd. This information is supplied solely to assist authorized users of Objet1000 Connex 2 3D printing systems. No part of this document may be used for other purposes, and it may not be disclosed to other parties.

The specifications on which this document is based are subject to change without notice.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, nor stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from Stratasys Ltd.

If this document is distributed as a PDF file, you may print it for internal use.

The following are registered trademarks of Stratasys Ltd.: Stratasys®, Objet®, FullCure®.

The following are trademarks of Stratasys Ltd.: Eden, Eden500V, Eden350V, Eden350, Eden330, Eden260, Eden260V, Eden250, Connex, Connex500, Connex350, Objet30, Objet30 Pro, Objet30 OrthoDesk, Objet30 Scholar, Objet24, Alaris, Alaris30, PolyJet, PolyJet Matrix, CADMatrix, PolyLog, Objet Studio, Job Manager, SHR, Clear, Durus, DurusWhite, MED610, MED690, ObjetGreen, RoseClear, TangoBlack, TangoBlackPlus, TangoGray, TangoPlus, VeroBlue, VeroGray, VeroWhite, VeroWhitePlus, VeroBlack.

Microsoft and Microsoft XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All names of products and services cited in this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

FCC Compliance

The equipment referred to in this guide has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. Objet 3D printing systems generate, use and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

The 3D printer referred to in this guide contains a transmitter module, FCC ID YH6 XLRFID.

NOTE: Stratasys is not responsible for radio or TV interference caused by unauthorized modification to this equipment. Such modification could void the users authority to operate the equipment.

Equipment Recycling

In the European Union, this symbol indicates that when the last user wishes to discard a product, it must be sent to appropriate facilities for recovery and recycling. For information about proper disposal, check your purchase contract, or contact the supplier of the equipment.

Limitation of Liability

The product, software or services are being provided on an as is and as available basis. Except as may be stated specifically in your contract, Stratasys Ltd. expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non infringement.

You understand and agree that Stratasys Ltd. shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses (even if Stratasys has been advised of the possibility of such damages), resulting from: (i) the use or the inability to use the product or software; (ii) the cost of procurement of substitute goods and services resulting from any products, goods, data, software, information or services purchased; (iii) unauthorized access to or alteration of your products, software or data; (iv) statements or conduct of any third party; (v) any other matter relating to the product, software, or services.

The text and drawings herein are for illustration and reference only. The specifications on which they are based are subject to change. Stratasys Ltd. may, at any time and without notice, make changes to this document. Stratasys Ltd., for itself and on behalf of its subsidiaries, assumes no liability for technical or editorial errors or omissions made herein, and shall not be liable for incidental, consequential, indirect, or special damages, including, without limitation, loss of use, loss or alteration of data, delays, or lost profits or savings arising from the use of this document.

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Patents

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2013

This product is covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents:

5,386,500

6,259,962

6,569,373

6,658,314

6,850,334

7,183,335

7,209,797

7,225,045

7,364,686

7,369,915

7,479,510

7,500,846

7,604,768

7,628,857

7,658,976

7,725,209

Stratasys Ltd.

http://www.stratasys.com

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Contents

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1 About This Guide

Using This Guide ............................................................................................................................... 12

For More Information........................................................................................................................ 12

Terms Used in This Guide................................................................................................................ 13

2 Safety

Safety Features ................................................................................................................................... 22

Symbols and Warning Labels .......................................................................................................... 23

Safety Guidelines ............................................................................................................................... 24

Printer Installation .............................................................................................................................. 24

Printer Operation ................................................................................................................................ 24

UV Radiation ....................................................................................................................................... 24

Printer Maintenance ........................................................................................................................... 24

Model and Support Materials ........................................................................................................... 25

First Aid for Working with Printing Materials.............................................................................. 26

Contact with Skin................................................................................................................................ 26

Contact with Eyes ............................................................................................................................... 26

Ingestion ............................................................................................................................................... 26

Inhalation ............................................................................................................................................. 26

Waste Disposal ................................................................................................................................... 27

3 Introducing the Objet 3D Printing System

Welcome to Connex........................................................................................................................... 32

Work Configurations......................................................................................................................... 33

Source Files ......................................................................................................................................... 34

STL Files ............................................................................................................................................... 34

SLC Files ............................................................................................................................................... 34

Connex Workflows ............................................................................................................................ 35

Printing Materials .............................................................................................................................. 36

Storage .................................................................................................................................................. 36

Shelf Life............................................................................................................................................... 36

Exposure to Light................................................................................................................................ 36

Safety Considerations......................................................................................................................... 36

Disposal ................................................................................................................................................ 37

Work Environment ............................................................................................................................ 37

Preparing Files for Use with Objet 3D Printing Systems ............................................................. 38

Converting CAD Files to STL Format.............................................................................................. 38

Converting Files to SLC Format ....................................................................................................... 38

Objet Studio Software ....................................................................................................................... 39

4 Installing Objet Software

How to Install Software for the Objet 3D Printing System.......................................................... 42

How to Uninstall Objet Studio......................................................................................................... 45

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5 Using Objet Studio

Launching Objet Studio .................................................................................................................... 53

Windows® 7 Security Warning......................................................................................................... 53

Objet Studio Interface ......................................................................................................................... 54

Ribbon Commands..............................................................................................................................56

Objet Studio Commands Menu .........................................................................................................58

Model Tree Pane .................................................................................................................................. 58

Preparing Models for Production.................................................................................................... 59

OBJDF Files: Overview ....................................................................................................................... 59

Model Files ........................................................................................................................................... 59

Placing Objects on the Build Tray ...................................................................................................510

Opening Objet Tray Files..................................................................................................................514

Quick Access Model Commands ....................................................................................................516

Copying and Pasting Objects........................................................................................................... 517

Selecting Objects ................................................................................................................................518

Splitting Objects into Components ................................................................................................. 518

Model Material Settings ...................................................................................................................520

Changing the Model Material..........................................................................................................521

Digital Materials ................................................................................................................................ 521

Assigning a Model Material to Objects .......................................................................................... 522

Surface Finish..................................................................................................................................... 523

Coating Objects .................................................................................................................................. 523

Assigning Properties to Hidden Objects........................................................................................ 525

Positioning Objects on the Build Tray .......................................................................................... 526

Automatic Orientation......................................................................................................................526

Automatic Placement........................................................................................................................ 527

Manual Positioning ...........................................................................................................................528

Model Orientation............................................................................................................................ 529

Manipulating Objects on the Build Tray ...................................................................................... 530

Positioning Objects on the Z Axis...................................................................................................530

Valid Object Placement.....................................................................................................................531

Using a Grid to Position Objects ..................................................................................................... 532

Measurement Units........................................................................................................................... 533

Setting Model Dimensions ............................................................................................................... 534

Repositioning Objects ....................................................................................................................... 534

Changing an Objects Orientation................................................................................................... 536

Grouping and Ungrouping Objects ................................................................................................537

Freezing Model Orientation............................................................................................................. 538

Display Options................................................................................................................................ 539

Viewing Objects .................................................................................................................................539

Screen Layout .....................................................................................................................................541

Tray Perspective ................................................................................................................................542

Setting Object Colors.........................................................................................................................543

Loading Large Files ...........................................................................................................................544

Large File Manipulation ...................................................................................................................544

Zoom Options ....................................................................................................................................546

Handling Completed Trays............................................................................................................ 547

Tray Validation ..................................................................................................................................547

Production Estimates ........................................................................................................................548

Printing Modes ..................................................................................................................................548

E mailing Objet Digital Files............................................................................................................ 549

Printing the Tray File ........................................................................................................................550

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Applying Additional Objet Studio Features................................................................................ 554

Dividing Objects................................................................................................................................ 554

Choosing the Support Strength ...................................................................................................... 555

Hollow Filling Models with Support Material ..................................................................... 556

Displaying the Cross Section of Objects ........................................................................................ 557

Saving the Screen Display as an Image File.................................................................................. 558

Exporting and Importing Objet Build Trays................................................................................. 559

Customizing Objet Studio .............................................................................................................. 560

Creating a Quick Access Toolbar.................................................................................................... 560

Hiding the Ribbon ............................................................................................................................ 561

Display Colors ................................................................................................................................... 562

Keyboard Shortcuts .......................................................................................................................... 563

Setting User Preferences .................................................................................................................. 564

Professional Mode Features ........................................................................................................... 565

Default Settings ................................................................................................................................. 566

Open GL Driver Configuration ...................................................................................................... 567

Getting Additional Objet Studio Assistance ................................................................................ 569

Objet Studio Version, Material Module and Licensed Features ............................................... 569

Monitoring and Managing Print Jobs ........................................................................................... 572

Job Manager Screen .......................................................................................................................... 572

Setting the Printer Connection ........................................................................................................ 574

Off line Mode .................................................................................................................................... 575

Setting the Remote Printer Connection (Client Mode)................................................................ 576

Job Manager Commands ................................................................................................................. 576

Configuring User Alerts................................................................................................................... 579

Printing the Tray ............................................................................................................................... 580

Additional Server Features.............................................................................................................. 580

6 Operating & Maintaining the Objet1000 Connex 2 3D Printer

Starting the Objet1000 Printer .......................................................................................................... 62

Loading Model and Support Cartridges ........................................................................................ 64

Producing Models.............................................................................................................................. 65

Printer Interface Color Key................................................................................................................ 67

Printing Indicators .............................................................................................................................. 68

Resuming Production After Printing has Stopped ....................................................................... 69

Changing the Model Material ........................................................................................................ 611

Advanced Settings ............................................................................................................................ 614

Keeping the Printer in Idle Mode.................................................................................................. 616

Shutting Down the Printer ............................................................................................................. 617

Maintaining the Printer................................................................................................................... 619

Routine Maintenance Schedule....................................................................................................... 619

Cleaning the Print Heads................................................................................................................. 620

Pattern Test ........................................................................................................................................ 623

Improving Print Quality .................................................................................................................. 624

Cleaning and Replacing the Wiper ................................................................................................ 624

Cleaning the Roller Waste Collector and Inspecting the Roller Scraper .................................. 627

Replacing the Roller Scraper ........................................................................................................... 629

Aligning the Print Heads ................................................................................................................. 632

Replacing Print Heads...................................................................................................................... 636

Testing and Calibrating the UV Lamps ......................................................................................... 636

Calibrating the Load Cells ............................................................................................................... 640

Replacing the UV Lamps ................................................................................................................. 642

Built in Tests ...................................................................................................................................... 647

Replacing the Waste Container....................................................................................................... 653

.Cleaning the Exterior Panels .......................................................................................................... 653

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About This Guide

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Using This Guide................................................................................. 2

For More Information......................................................................... 2

Terms Used in This Guide.................................................................. 3

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About This Guide

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Using This Guide

This user guide provides instructions for installing, operating and maintaining Objet 3D printing systems. It explains how to use features, and provides practical examples to guide you as you use the system.

The text and figures in this guide are based on the 3 D printer, printer software version 100.2.0 and Objet Studio software version 9.2.

This guide assumes that:

all the hardware, software, and network components of your Objet



system are installed, configured, and operating correctly.

the operator has a working knowledge of the Windows®PC platform.



For More Information

Visit http://www.stratasys.com/ for more details about Objet printer technology, products and consumables, and for service and support contacts.

For other documents that relate to Objet1000 Connex 2 3 D printing systems, and for this document in other languages, contact your regional Stratasys Customer Support office.

If you have any questions about the information presented in this document, or if you have any comments or suggestions for future editions, please send a message to c support@stratasys.com.

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Terms Used in This Guide

build tray In Objet Studio: The surface displayed on the screen that

represents the actual build tray in the printer.

In the printer: The surface upon which models are produced.

cleaning fluid Cleanser for flushing material feed tubes and the printing

block, used to completely remove Model and Support material from the system before loading another type of material in the printer and before long term shutdown. The cleaning fluid is supplied in material cartridges.

client/user workstation The workstation on which Objet software is installed, used

for preparing build trays for production on Objet printers. (There is no limit to the number of client workstations in the local network.)

Objet printer The Objet 3D printer referred to in this guide.

Printer computer The computer inside the Objet printer that operates it. (This is

sometimes referred to as the embedded computer.)

Printer interface The GUI (graphical user interface) used for controlling the

Objet printer.

Printer software Software running on the computer inside the Objet printer,

that controls all printer operations.

Digital Material Combinations of model materials fabricated in the printer

from the two basic model materials installed.

Digital Material Mode The printer mode used to print a job using two different

model materials. (This mode can also be used to eliminate the need for performing the Material Replacement procedure when printing with a single model material.)

host/server workstation The workstation that interfaces directly with the Objet printer

and is typically positioned next to it.

Job Manager The part of Objet Studio software that manages production

jobs before they are sent to the Objet printer.

mixed part Models whose parts are printed using more than one model

material.

mixed tray A build tray containing objects, each of which is designed to

be printed using a different model material.

Model material Material used for building models.

Objet Studio The software with which users prepare jobs for producing

models.

OBJDF (Objet Digital Format) The extension of a file that contains information about the

geometry of an object and the materials required to print it. objdf files are created in Objet Studio.

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OBJTF (Objet Tray Format) The extension of a file that contains all of the information

needed for a model printing job on Objet 3D printers. An objtf file is used to send a print job to an Objet 3D printer.

OBJZF (Objet Z Format) The extension of a compressed wrapper file containing all

of the files used in an Objet Studio build tray. Using objzf files, a printing job can be saved as a single file, for convenient storage and transfer.

PolyJet Matrix The technology of printing models by jetting multiple

materials simultaneously from the print heads. This technology enables Objet1000 Connex 2 printers to print in Digital Material mode.

resin The base substance from which photopolymer printing

materials are made for use in Objet printers. In Objet Studio and printer application screens, resin refers to cartridges of model and support materials.

SLC A file type used with Objet software. (These files are bitmaps

of individual slices of the object. For more information, see page 3 4.)

STL A file type used with Objet software. (For more information,

see page 3 4.)

Support material Material used for supporting the structure of models during

production.

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Safety Features ............................................................................................. 2

Symbols and Warning Labels .................................................................... 3

Safety Guidelines......................................................................................... 4

Printer Installation ......................................................................................... 4

Printer Operation ........................................................................................... 4

UV Radiation .................................................................................................. 4

Printer Maintenance ...................................................................................... 4

Model and Support Materials ...................................................................... 5

First Aid for Working with Printing Materials ....................................... 6

Waste Disposal............................................................................................. 7

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Safety Features

Objet 3D printers are designed to comply with CE and FCC standards. They are equipped with the following safety features:

Interlock Switch The power supplied to the UV lamp and the

motion motors is turned off when the doors are opened.

WARNING: Do not defeat (override) the interlock switch. Doing so could result in serious personal injury. If the interlock switch

does not function correctly, do not use the printer, and contact your service provider.

Safety Lock The doors are locked while the printer is

UV Screening The transparent section of the doors blocks

Circuit Breaker The power to the printer is turned off in case of

working. The lock is released when the printer reverts to pause or stop mode.

WARNING: Do not defeat (override) the safety lock. Doing so could result in serious personal injury.

If the safety lock does not function correctly, do not use the printer, and contact your service provider.

harmful UV radiation, allowing the operator to view the model as it is being made.

electrical overcurrent.

Note: The circuit breaker is only accessible to service personnel.

Grounded Chassis The chassis of the printer is grounded, to

prevent electrical shock.

Note: The power outlet must be properly grounded, in accordance with the local electric code, to provide this protection.

Emergency Stop Emergency stop switches are located on the

front and back of the printer.

Important: Pushing the emergency stop switch disconnects power to motors only. It does not disconnect the power supply to the printer; printer circuits remain on.

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Figure 2-1: Objet1000—front view

Figure 2-2: Emergency Stop Switch—Push to stop motors, turn to release

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If the Objet 3D printing system is not used as specified in this guide, the

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safety features may not provide adequate protection.

Symbols and Warning Labels

This following table lists the warning labels located on or in Objet printers.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Warning Symbol

Meaning Location Comments

Hazard (general)

Hot surface On the print head

High voltage Near .

Ultraviolet radiation

On the name plate on the back of the printer.

block.

Near the power supply enclosures.

Read the instructions in this document before operating the printer.

Risk of burns. Do not touch this surface after printing.

Risk of electric shock.

Risk of injury from ultraviolet radiation.

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Moving parts Risk of injury from

moving parts.

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Safety Guidelines

The following general guidelines, together with the instructions provided throughout this user guide, ensure user safety while operating and maintaining the Objet system. If the system is not operated as specified,

the user s safety may be compromised!

Printer Installation

Printer Operation

Installation and removal of the printer should only be done by qualified service personnel.

Connect the printer to the electric outlet using a power cord that is safety certified.

The electric outlet should be easily accessible, near the printer.

Never connect the power plug to an outlet that does not have a ground (earth) wire, and never disconnect the ground. Doing so might expose the operator to serious danger from electric shock.

Leave a minimum of centimeters between ventilation openings and walls or other objects.

The printer should only be operated by persons trained by a Stratasys customer support representative.

All personnel operating or maintaining the printer should know the location of first aid and emergency equipment and how to use it. Never

block access to this equipment!

Keep fingers and other body parts clear of the printer cover when closing it.

Never attempt to open the main cover of the printer while it is working!

Never override the interlock safety switch!

If the interlock safety switch ever fails, do not use the printer.

Several parts of the printer remain extremely hot even after it has stopped operating. Avoid touching the UV lamps and the print block.

UV Radiation

Printer Maintenance

2–4

The UV lamps used in the printer emit dangerous radiation.

If the UV lamps remain on when the printer cover is open, do not stare directly at the UV light. Shut down the printer and call your Stratasys service provider.

Service operations should be performed only by qualified personnel who have been instructed in relevant safety precautions.

Notify co workers and those who have access to the Objet system before beginning non routine and hazardous work.

Report any potential dangers and safety-related accidents to your safety officer or to other appropriate authorities.

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Model and Support Materials

Model and support materials are made of chemical substances. Although precautions must be taken when handling these materials directly, all model and support materials used by the Objet system are handled in sealed cartridges. Normally, operators of the printer should never be directly exposed to hazardous materials. In the unlikely event of a leak or spill, follow the instructions that are included with the printing material cartridge used.

Store cartridges of model and support materials indoors, in a dry area with adequate ventilation, between 16 27 degrees Celsius (60 81 degrees Fahrenheit). Never expose them to flames, heat, sparks, or direct sunlight.

Keep model and support materials away from areas where food and drink are stored, prepared and consumed.

Uncured printing material is considered a hazardous substance, requiring certain precautions when directly handling it. To prevent skin irritation, wear neoprene or nitrile gloves. If there is any chance that model and support materials might splash into the eyes, wear safety goggles. Prolonged direct contact with printing materials can cause an allergic reaction.

When handling UV cured models that may not be completely cured on the surface, common latex gloves are adequate.

To prevent respiratory irritation, ventilate areas where model and support materials are used. The ventilation system should totally replace the air at least 20 times per hour.

Clean up model material and support material spills with disposable towels or other absorbent, non reusable material, such as sawdust or activated charcoal. Rinse the spill area with denatured or isopropyl alcohol (IPA), followed by soap and water. Dispose of the absorbent material in accordance with local regulations.

Do not wash contaminated clothing at home; clothing should be professionally laundered.

Dispose of contaminated shoes, belts and other leather items in accordance with any applicable regulations. Absorbed printing material may re expose the user when these items are worn.

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First Aid for Working with Printing Materials

In general, try to avoid direct contact with uncured printing material. If skin or eyes come into contact with it, wash the area immediately and thoroughly with water, and follow these first aid instructions.

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that accompanies printing materials contains important safety information. Keep this in an accessible place where these materials are used and stored.

Contact with Skin

Contact with Eyes

If uncured printing material comes in contact with skin, wash the affected area immediately and thoroughly with soap and cool water, then remove contaminated clothing. Pay particular attention to flushing the hair, ears, nose and other parts of the body that are not easily cleaned.

Use cool water to prevent skin pores from opening, so that the liquid material does not easily penetrate the skin.

Do not use solvents to clean skin.

If large areas of skin have been exposed, or if prolonged contact results in blisters, seek medical attention. In any case, if irritation persists, seek medical attention.

Avoid the accidental transfer of printing material from the hands to other areas of the body, especially to the eyes.

If protective cream was used, do not reapply it until the skin has been completely cleansed.

If uncured printing material comes in contact with the eyes, flush immediately with large amounts of water for 15 minutes and seek medical attention.

Avoid sunlight, fluorescent light, and other sources of ultraviolet radiation.

The wearing of contact lenses when handling liquid printing materials is not recommended. If the liquid splashes into the eyes when contact lenses are worn, immediately remove the lenses and flush the eyes with water.

Clean and disinfect the contaminated lenses.

Do not wear contact lenses until eye irritation disappears.

Ingestion

Inhalation

2–6

If printing material is swallowed, refer to the instructions included with the cartridge. Seek medical attention immediately.

Vapors from printing materials can be irritating to the respiratory system. If respiratory irritation occurs, expose the victim to fresh air immediately.

If the victim has stopped breathing, perform artificial respiration or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Seek medical attention immediately.

Keep the patient warm but not hot.

Never feed anything by mouth to an unconscious person.

Oxygen should be administered by authorized personnel only.

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Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Fully cured printed models can be disposed of as ordinary office trash. However, special care is required when handling printer waste.

When removing the waste container from the Objet printer, wear neoprene or nitrile gloves.

To prevent liquid waste from splashing into the eyes, wear safety goggles.

Liquid waste from the Objet printer is classified as hazardous industrial waste. Therefore, printing material waste must be packaged and disposed of in a manner that prevents human contact with it and contamination of water sources.

Empty model material and support material cartridges contain residue of their contents. Some leakage of this residue may occur through the broken cartridge seal. Therefore, handle and store empty cartridges with care.

Do not attempt to reuse empty cartridges, and do not puncture them.

Dispose of used cartridges and waste containers in accordance with local regulations.

Discard contaminated clothing, shoes, empty containers, etc., in accordance with any applicable regulations.

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Introducing the

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Objet 3D Printing System

Work Configurations .......................................................................... 3

Source Files........................................................................................... 4

STL Files ................................................................................................. 4

SLC Files ................................................................................................. 4

Connex Workflows.............................................................................. 5

Printing Materials................................................................................ 6

Storage .................................................................................................... 6

Shelf Life ................................................................................................. 6

Exposure to Light .................................................................................. 6

Safety Considerations........................................................................... 6

Disposal .................................................................................................. 7

Work Environment.............................................................................. 7

Preparing Files for Use with Objet 3D Printing Systems .............. 8

Converting CAD Files to STL Format ................................................ 8

Converting Files to SLC Format.......................................................... 8

Objet Studio Software ......................................................................... 9

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Introducing the Objet 3D Printing System

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Welcome to Connex

The advanced capabilities of the Objet 3 D printing system are made possible by PolyJet Matrix technology, specially developed by Objet for printing models simultaneously with different model materials. For the first time, you can achieve the following results when printing 3 D models:

You can prepare models for printing with designated model materials

•

and then print themusing two basic model materials loaded in the printer, or combinations of these materials (digital materials).

Parts of the same model can be madesimultaneouslyfrom different

•

materials.

Models made from digital materials can have unique physical

•

properties, depending on the materials used.

You can print objects that have a coating made from a different

•

material than the main part of the object.

In addition, because Objet printers can be loaded with two different materials, and can print simultaneously with combinations of them, you can streamline and economize the process of producing models:

You can print models made from different (single) materials on the

•

same build tray (mixed tray), in the same print job. This eliminates the time consuming need and expense of loading another material, flushing the system, and sending a separate job to be printed.

You can quickly alternate printing jobs with either of the model

•

materials loadedor with material combinationsagain, without the need and expense of replacing materials.

The Objet system also enables you to split models into component parts (shells) so you can isolate, manipulate and print parts of a model. However, you have ultimate control when separating models into shells by preparing stl files with your CAD software. Then, with Objet software, you can assign model materials and other characteristics to the shells.

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Figure 3-1: The 3D Printer

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Work Configurations

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The Objet 3D printing system can be set up as a single station system or as a multi station system. When connected to a local computer network, the system can serve multiple users. In such configurations, each user workstation (client) prepares files with Objet Studio software for production. A server (host), typically next to the 3D printer, acts as a job manager that sends production jobs to the printer for production.

Figure 3 2 shows the printer set up in a multi client configuration.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Client workstations

Printer

Figure 3-2: Multi-client network configuration

When installing the Objet software, you choose whether to install it as a client station or as a master station (server or standalone station).

The Objet software arranges the jobs it receives according to their priorities, model material type, and other factors. In multi workstation configurations, the operator of the servertypically the production administratorhas total control over the jobs sent to the 3D printer, and can prioritize and delete jobs, review job history and reprint a job, and so on.

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Source Files

Objet 3D printing systems produce three dimensional models designed with most 3D CAD tools and with other job specific 3D applications. Objet systems accept:

STL Files

•

SLC Files

•

Objet systems feature the capability of producing both types of model files simultaneously.

STL Files

SLC Files

STL is short for Standard Triangulation Language. This language views any object as a collection of surfaces, and describes each surface of the object as a collection of triangles.

For example, a square can be described as two triangles; a cube (six squares) as 12 triangles. Curved surfaces need more triangles to describe them. The higher the tolerance (for smooth surfaces), the more triangles are needed. The result is that high quality object descriptions mean very heavy files.

Most CAD software can export STL files. The Objet system utilizes these files for building models (rapid prototyping), and also for directly making molds for mass producing items.

STL files can be ASCII (text) files or binary files. The content of the ASCII file begins with solid and ends with end solid (both lower case). Between these keywords is a list of the triangles that describes the faces of the solid model. Each triangle defines a single normal vector directed away from the solids surface, followed by its X Y Z coordinates. These are expressed as Cartesian coordinates and are floating point values. The coordinates of all triangles should be positive and should fall within the volume of the model.

SLC is short for Stereo Lithography Contour. SLC files describe two dimensional contours of the three dimensional models. These contour lines are polylines.

SLC files are ASCII (text) files that save models as a series of slices. This means that models based on SLC files cannot be orientated; only their scale (size) and position on the build tray can be controlled. For this reason, the models orientation must be suitable for production before it is saved as an SLC file. Because of the nature of SLC files, the appearance of models in Objet Studio may be different than the solid object images displayed from STL files.

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Connex Workflows

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With Objet Connex 3 D printing systems, you have great flexibility in preparing model files and printing them. Below are the major workflows that have been made possible by PolyJet Matrix technology on Connex systems. You can find detailed instructions for implementing the listed tasks in chapter 5 (Using Objet Studio).

Stage Workflow A Workflow B Workflow C

CAD program

•

Design a 3 D object.

Save as a single stl file.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Design a 3 D object.

•

Save the object as an

•

assembly of stl files.

Objet Studio

Objet Printer

WaterJet

Open (Insert) the stl

•

file.

Separate the object

•

into its components (shells).

Assign materials to

•

the components.

Save the object as an objdf file (optional).

•

Save the build tray. / Send the build to the printer.

•

Open (Insert) the stl

•

files as an assembly.

Assign materials to

•

the assemblys components.

Models are produced in the printer.

Remove the support material from the models.

•

Open (Import) an

•

objdf file. (objdf files contain model material information.)

Finished model

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Finished model.

workflows, from design to finished models

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Printing Materials

Objet printers produce models by jetting thin layers of printing materials on the build tray, until the complete model is formed. Two types of material are used in this process:

Model materialwhich makes up the finished model

•

Support materialwhich fills gaps and spaces in the model during

•

printing, and is removed after printing

Storage

Shelf Life

Materials used for printing models with Objet printers are made of resins, which are composed of reactive monomers and oligomers. Although printing materials are supplied in sealed, UV proof cartridges, care must be taken when storing and handling them. Follow these guidelines to protect operators and the environment, and to ensure optimum results.

To ensure product stability, do not allow these materials to come into

•

contact with metal. Plastics made from monomer soluble substances (such as polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride) are not suitable for storing Objet printing materials.

When not in use, keep material cartridges tightly sealed to prevent

•

contamination, the effects of exposure to UV radiation, and accidental spillage.

Store material cartridges indoors, in a dry area with adequate

•

ventilation, between 1627 degrees Celsius (6081 degrees Fahrenheit). If exposed to heat or flames, cartridges may burst or ignite.

Signs of premature polymerization in material cartridges may include

•

bulging, leaking, the emission of heat, and unusual odor. Exposure to heat can cause resin to gel in the cartridge.

Make sure that material cartridges are stored in accordance with all

•

local regulations and other applicable requirements.

Materials used for producing models have a limited shelf life. The expiry date on the label is valid when properly stored in an undamaged, unopened cartridge. Always rotate your stock, so that the cartridge with the earliest date is used first.

Exposure to Light

Safety Considerations

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If printing materials are not in their sealed cartridges, make sure to shield them from sunlight and other sources of UV radiation, such as fluorescent and mercury vapor lights. Exposure to UV radiation causes an increase in viscosity and, eventually, solidification.

Before being cured, resins are hazardous materials. To prevent possible health hazards, follow these precautions regarding printing materials:

Do not expose to flames, heat or sparks.

•

Prevent contact with skin and eyes.

•

Ventilate areas where they are handled.

•

Keep them separate from food and drink.

•

Cured plastic parts, however, are safe. They can be handled and stored without precautions.

You can find more safety information about resins in “Safety Guidelines” on page 2-4, and “First Aid for Working with Printing Materials” on page 2-6.

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Disposal

Dispose of cartridges of Objet model and support material in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. If necessary, the cartridges can be disassembled for recycling.

Work Environment

Extreme heat and humidity conditions can adversely affect the operation of the Objet 3D printer. Therefore, it is recommended that you use ventilation or air conditioning systems, if necessary, to keep the work area within the following ranges:

18 25 C (64 77 F)

•

30%70% relative humidity

•

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Preparing Files for Use with Objet 3D Printing Systems

Before using files with Objet 3D printing systems, you must convert them in your CAD program to either stl files or slc files. (For an explanation of these file formats, see Source Files on page 3 4.)

After converting the model files, it is recommended that you check them for defects in an STL repair application (such as Magics, by Materialise®) before opening them in Objet Studio and producing the model.

Converting CAD Files to STL Format

This procedure may vary slightly, depending on the CAD software used, but the following instructions generally apply.

To convert a file to STL format (in a CAD program):

1. From the

2. In the Save As dialog box, open the Save As Type pull down menu and select

3. Click

Total Qualityapproximately 0.01 mm (deviation tolerance /

•

linear dimension tolerance)

Detail Qualityapproximately 5° (angle tolerance)

•

Note: Lowering these values produces more accurate models, but results in larger files and longer loading and processing times. For this reason, it is generally not recommended that you use lower values.

4. In the file format option, choose binary or ASCII. (Both binary and ASCII formats can be used in Objet Studio. However, binary files are smaller, so this option is recommended.)

5. ClickOKor

For more information, search for “CAD to STL” on objet.com.

File

*.STL

Options

menu, select

and set the following parameters:

Save

Save As

Converting Files to SLC Format

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When converting files to SLC format, it is recommended that you set a layer thickness of 15 microns (0.015 mm). Since SLC files cannot be orientated in Objet Studio, it is important that models are properly orientated before being saved as SLC files. Considerations for suitable model orientation are explained in Model Orientation on page 5 29.

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Objet Studio Software

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Objet Studio software for the Objet 3D printing system consists of two main screens:

Tray Settings / Model Settings

•

Job Manager

•

Tray Settings / Model Settings

In the Tray Settings and Model Settings screens, you prepare source files for production in Objet 3 D printers. Objet Studio offers you a wide variety of file preparation options, but always consists of the following basic procedure:

1. Inserting one or more objects on the build tray

2. Positioning the object(s) on the tray

3. Configuring object and tray parameters

4. Saving the tray configuration as an objtf (Objet Tray Format) file

5. Sending the objtf file to the Objet 3D printer for production

Using Objet Studio to perform these tasks is described in detail in chapter 5, Using Objet Studio.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Job Manager

The Job Manager screen is different for client workstations and for the computer connected directly to the Objet 3D printer.

In Objet Studio installed on the directly connected computer (server),

•

the Job Manager screen displays the queue and status for all jobs sent to the 3D printer by the server itself and by all client computers on the network. All jobs displayed can be edited and manipulated.

In Objet Studio installed on client computers, the Job Manager screen

•

displays the queue and status only for jobs sent to a 3D printer server from that computer. Only these jobs can be edited and manipulated from the client computer.

Client computers can be connected, via the local network, to different Objet 3D printers, but only to one at a time. The Job Manager screen displays the status of the 3D printer to which the client is currently connected.

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Installing Objet Software

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How to Install Software for the Objet 3D Printing System ........... 2

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How to Install Software for the Objet 3D Printing System

The Objet Studio setup wizard guides you when installing the Objet software. During installation, you must choose to install either the server (host) application or the client application.

To install Objet software:

1. Insert the Objet Studio CD into the disk drive.

2. Right click the

Start

button and select

for displaying files on the computer).

3. Open the CD drive folder and select

4. If you are installing an Objet Studio upgrade, make sure that your printer is compatible with it by checking the list displayed.

Explore

Setup

(or use any other method

Figure 4-3: Objet Studio compatibility check

5. To install Objet Studio, you must agree to the license agreement. After reading its terms, click

If you click

Figure 4-1:Objet Studio installation wizard—Welcome screen

6. Click

Yes

, the following screen should appear.

to begin installation.

to continue, orNoto close the wizard.

Yes

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7. In the Select Features screen, select the required installation option.

Objet Studio for a server computer

Select

if you are installing Objet Studio on a server (host) computer



...

the computer directly connected to an Objet printer.

if you are installing Objet Studio on a standalone (off line)



computer.

Objet Studio for client workstations

Select

if you are installing Objet Studio on a client workstationa remote computer that prepares print jobs and then sends them to a server computer.

Figure 4-2: Objet Studio configuration selection

8. In the Select Installation Folder screen, verify the destination folder and click

It is recommended that you do not change the default destination folder.

Click

Disk Space

to check the space in the destination folder.

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Figure 4-3: Objet Studio installation-folder selection

9. In the Confirm Installation screen, click

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to begin installation.

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Installation begins and a progress bar appears, showing the progress of the installation process.

Figure 4-4: Installation progress bar

When the Objet program installation is complete, the final InstallShield Wizard screen appears.

4–4

Figure 4-5: Final installation screen

10. Restart the computer to complete the software installation.

Note: Make sure to remove the CD from the disk drive before restarting the

computer.

The installation process ends when the appropriate icon(s) appear on the computer desktop:

Objet Studio



Stop Job Manager (for servers and standalone stations)



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How to Uninstall Objet Studio

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If there is ever a need to uninstall the Objet Studio software, do not attempt to do so from the Windows Control Panel. (This does not completely remove all software components.) Instead

From the Start menu, select

Studio.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

All Programs > Objet Studio > Uninstall Objet

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Using Objet Studio

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Launching Objet Studio...................................................................... 3

Windows® 7 Security Warning........................................................... 3

Objet Studio Interface ........................................................................... 4

Ribbon Commands ............................................................................... 6

Objet Studio Commands Menu .......................................................... 8

Model Tree Pane.................................................................................... 8

Preparing Models for Production ..................................................... 9

OBJDF Files: Overview......................................................................... 9

Model Files............................................................................................. 9

Placing Objects on the Build Tray..................................................... 10

Opening Objet Tray Files ................................................................... 14

Quick Access Model Commands...................................................... 16

Copying and Pasting Objects ............................................................ 17

Selecting Objects.................................................................................. 18

Splitting Objects into Components ................................................... 18

Model Material Settings ..................................................................... 20

Changing the Model Material ........................................................... 21

Digital Materials .................................................................................. 21

Assigning a Model Material to Objects............................................ 22

Surface Finish....................................................................................... 23

Coating Objects.................................................................................... 23

Assigning Properties to Hidden Objects ......................................... 25

Positioning Objects on the Build Tray............................................ 26

Automatic Orientation ....................................................................... 26

Automatic Placement ......................................................................... 27

Manual Positioning ............................................................................. 28

Model Orientation............................................................................. 29

Manipulating Objects on the Build Tray........................................ 30

Positioning Objects on the Z Axis .................................................... 30

Valid Object Placement....................................................................... 31

Using a Grid to Position Objects ....................................................... 32

Measurement Units............................................................................. 33

Setting Model Dimensions................................................................. 34

Repositioning Objects......................................................................... 34

Changing an Objects Orientation..................................................... 36

Grouping and Ungrouping Objects.................................................. 37

Freezing Model Orientation .............................................................. 38

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Display Options................................................................................. 39

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Viewing Objects................................................................................... 39

Screen Layout ...................................................................................... 41

Tray Perspective .................................................................................. 42

Setting Object Colors .......................................................................... 43

Loading Large Files ............................................................................ 44

Large File Manipulation ..................................................................... 44

Zoom Options ...................................................................................... 46

Handling Completed Trays ............................................................. 47

Tray Validation .................................................................................... 47

Production Estimates.......................................................................... 48

Printing Modes .................................................................................... 48

E mailing Objet Digital Files ............................................................. 49

Printing the Tray File .......................................................................... 50

Applying Additional Objet Studio Features ................................. 54

Dividing Objects.................................................................................. 54

Choosing the Support Strength......................................................... 55

Hollow Filling Models with Support Material ....................... 56

Displaying the Cross Section of Objects .......................................... 57

Saving the Screen Display as an Image File .................................... 58

Exporting and Importing Objet Build Trays ................................... 59

Customizing Objet Studio................................................................ 60

Creating a Quick Access Toolbar...................................................... 60

Hiding the Ribbon............................................................................... 61

Display Colors ..................................................................................... 62

Keyboard Shortcuts ............................................................................ 63

Setting User Preferences..................................................................... 64

Professional Mode Features............................................................. 65

Default Settings ................................................................................... 66

Open GL Driver Configuration......................................................... 67

Getting Additional Objet Studio Assistance ................................. 69

Objet Studio Version, Material Module and Licensed Features. 69

Monitoring and Managing Print Jobs ............................................ 72

Job Manager Screen ............................................................................ 72

Setting the Printer Connection .......................................................... 74

Off line Mode....................................................................................... 75

Setting the Remote Printer Connection (Client Mode).................. 76

Job Manager Commands ................................................................... 76

Configuring User Alerts ..................................................................... 79

Printing the Tray.................................................................................. 80

Additional Server Features ................................................................ 80

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Launching Objet Studio

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After you install Objet Studio, a launch icon appears on the Windows desktop. Open the application by double clicking this icon, or by selecting Objet Studio from the

Start

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

menu.

Windows® 7 Security Warning

Depending on the User Account Control settings in Windows®7, you may see the following warning when opening Objet Studio.

Figure 5-1: Security Warning

If you click

Yes

, Objet Studio opens. However, this warning message will appear each time you open the program, unless you change the User Account Control settings.

To prevent the warning message from appearing again:

1. Click the link at the bottom of the security warning dialog box (

when these notifications appear

Change

2. In the User Account Control Settings screen, move the slider to Never

notify.

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Figure 5-2: Changing the User Account Control settings

3. ClickOK.

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Objet Studio Interface

4. In the following dialog box, click

Figure 5-3: Confirming the change in the User Account Control settings

Yes

When Objet Studio opens, the Tray Settings screen appears, showing an empty build tray.

Objet Studio

Commands

Quick Access

toolbar

Model Tree

pane

Help

Standard toolbar

Active ribbon

Job Manager tab

Figure 5-4: Objet Studio opening screen

The Objet Studio interface consists of two main screens:

Tray Settingsfor arranging models and preparing them for printing.

•

This screen is described below.

Job Managerfor monitoring and managing print jobs.

•

This screen is described in Monitoring and Managing Print Jobs on page 72.

Each screen is controlled by menus and icons on its own ribbon. An additional ribbon, Model Settings, displays controls for configuring and manipulating selected models.

Objet Studio anticipates your workflow by displaying and enabling the options relevant to your current task. For example, when you first open Objet Studio, the Model Settings ribbon is disabled until you place a model on the build tray. Similarly, menu options available from the Standard Toolbar menus are enabled or disabled to match the current workflow.

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The ribbon, colors used, and several other interface features can be customized. How to change the appearance of the interface is explained in Customizing Objet Studio on page 60.

Instructions for using the commands for preparing models for production and sending jobs to the printer, appear later in this chapter.

Figure 5-5: Tray Settings ribbon

Figure 5-6: Model Settings ribbon

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Ribbon Commands

The following table lists the Tray Settings and Model Settings ribbon command groups, and shows when they are enabled, and where they appear.

Group Purpose When

enabled

Setting display colors.

Selecting perspective and zoom level.

Choose to select a plane, elements, or element groups (assemblies).

Always.

Models are on the build tray.

Tray Settings Ribbon

Model Settings Ribbon

Change the perspective of the active pane.

Assigning model material(s).

Undoing or redoing actions.

Opening and saving files.

Models are on the build tray.

Build tray

•

is empty. Models are

•

not selected.

After an action or object selection.

Models are not selected

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Group Purpose When

enabled

Placing model files on the build tray

Pre build/build commands.

Setting model dimensions.

Cutting, copying, pasting and deleting models.

Moving, rotating and resizing models.

Always.

Models are on the build tray.

A model is selected.

Tray Settings Ribbon

Model Settings Ribbon

Assigning a

•

material to a model or shell. Separating a

•

model into shells.

Assigning model finish and setting support strength/ hollow.

Setting a models unit of measure (millimeters or inches).

A model is selected.

To quickly identify an icon, move the cursor over it to display a tooltip. The “Undo” and “Redo” tooltips change to reflect your last Objet Studio action.

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Objet Studio Commands Menu

Clicking the icon in the upper left corner opens the Objet Studio Commands menu. This menu displays basic application commands and options.

Figure 5-7: Objet Studio Commands menu

The Options button opens a dialog box for customizing Objet Studio.

Model Tree Pane

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Figure 5-8: Options dialog box

The Model Tree pane lists the objects placed on the build tray in a parent child hierarchy. By default, the pane floats that is, you can move it to another position on the screen and resize it. Alternatively, you can fix its position at the left of the application window, and even hide it.

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Preparing Models for Production

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Model preparation involves the following basic steps:

1. Place objects or assemblies on the build tray.

2. If necessary, manipulate the objects orientation and position.

3. Select the materials and model finish.

Just as Objet printers can produce different models on the build tray using different materials, you can produce components of a model with different materials. To do this, each part of the model must be a separate stl file. If the models component parts were not saved in the CAD software as separate stl files, you can use Objet Studio to separate the model into component parts. (This is described in Splitting Objects into Components on page 18 and in Dividing Objects on page 54.)

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

OBJDF Files: Overview

An objdf file describes both the geometry of a single object and the materials, and finish required to print it. The objdf file can represent an object that is a single stl file, or an object assembled from component stl files.

Objet Studio enables you to split an stl file representing a complex object into an assembly of component stl files, and save the assembly as an objdf file. Each part (stl file) described by the objdf file can have its own model material characteristic, so that the Objet printer produces the component parts from specific materials.

Another use for objdf files is for saving a group of separate objects on the build tray as one unit, together with their relative positions and materials. This is especially useful for producing models in the future with the same materials. In fact, when you save objdf files, you specify materials for printing models without regard to the material cartridges loaded in the printer. The same object can later be placed on build trays for printing. Each time you send a build tray to the printer, you decide whether to allow printing with substitute materials or only with the materials specified.

The Connex version of Objet Studio enables you to display, manipulate and print component parts of a model assembly that was saved as an objdf file, since each component is a separate stl file. This can be useful for printing only specific parts of a model.

Further explanations of files, and their features, appear throughout this chapter.

Model Files

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To produce models, you open one or more model files in Objet Studio and position objects on the build tray. You can place objects on the build tray in several ways:

by inserting individual stl or slc files (or an assembly of stl files).

•

by inserting an objdf file (an assembly).

•

by pasting objects that you copied to the Windows clipboard.

•

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Placing Objects on the Build Tray

To place an object on the build tray using stl, slc or files:

1. Open the Insert dialog box

From the Object menu, select

•

Insert

or

On the Tray Settings ribbon, click .

•

or

Right click on the build tray, and select

•

Insert

from the context

menu.

The Insert dialog box appears.

Figure 5-9: Insert dialog box

2. In the Look in field, display the appropriate folder.

3. In the Files of type field, select the file types to display (stl, slc, objdf).

4. Select the desired file, and make sure that it appears in the File name

field.

If the Preview check box is selected, the object is displayed in the dialog box, as shown in figure 5 9.

Note: You can open several stl files at once, to place several models on the

build tray. If you select multiple stl files that make up an assembly, you can select all or some of the parts. To print the entire model, select all of an assembly’s component stl files, and select the Assembly check box. This positions the parts as a complete, integrated model instead of as independent parts. The effects of selecting the Assembly check box—in both the model tree and the build tray display—are shown in the following figures.

5–10

Figure 5-10: Assembly check box selected—stl files are placed as an assembly

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Figure 5-11: Assembly check box not selected—stl files are placed as parts

The Model Settings ribbon is displayed when objects are placed on the build tray.

5. Select any of the following options, as required:

Units

•

Millimeters or inches for the objects units of measure.

The 3D file contains the object s proportions, but not its units of measure. Therefore, make sure to correctly select either

inches

when inserting an object. Otherwise, the size of the object

millimeters

on the build tray will be either much too large or much too small. To change the measurement units of objects already placed on the tray, see Measurement Units on page 33.

Number of copies

•

How many copies of this object to place on the

build tray.

Orient Automatically

•

Automatically orient objects on the build

tray for efficient model building.

Assembly

•

Mark this check box if you selected multiple stl files

that are part of an assembly.

Note: The Extents values displayed in the Coordinates section of the Insert

dialog box, represent the maximum dimensions of the object on each axis. These dimensions correspond to the virtual “bounding box” surrounding the object see figure 5-51 on page 40).

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6. Click

Insert

Objet Studio places the object on the build tray, and in the model tree.

Model Tree pane

Model Toolbar

Figure 5-12: Default screen layout

The Model Settings ribbon is displayed when objects are placed on the build tray.

If the object is over a certain size, the Loading Placed Elements dialog box may appear.

Figure 5-13: Loading Placed Elements dialog box

You can speed up the opening of large files by changing the Large Files settings—see “Loading Large Files” on page 44).

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Opening files Before placing files on the build tray, Objet Studio must extract the

component stl files together with information about their relative position and model materials. To do this, Objet Studio creates a folder with the same name as the file, in the same location.

Figure 5-14: Insert dialog box (file)

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Opening Objet Tray Files

You can open trays that were saved as objtf files. This is useful, for example, if you saved a tray after preparing it for printing, and now you want to make changes before printing it.

To place an object saved as an Objet Tray File (objtf) file on the build tray:

1. From the File group, click .

or

From the Objet Studio Commands, select

Open

The Open dialog box is displayed.

Figure 5-15: Objet Tray File Open dialog box

2. Select the desired file, and make sure that it appears in the File name

field.

If the Preview check box is selected, the object is displayed.

3. Click

Open

Objet Studio opens the tray file.

The objtf file is actually a file containing instructions for printing—which stl files to print and their position on the build tray. Because the objtf file references the stl files used, they must remain in the same file location as when the objtf file was saved.

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STL file loading

preference

If there are identically named stl files in more than one location, you need to ensure that the correct component stl files are linked to the objtf file. For example, if there are identically named stl files on one drive and on a flash drive (this can occur if you copy the original files to a working folder), you can set the default location from which files are loaded.

To set the Load Order:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Options

or

In the Objet Studio Commands Menu, click

Options

2. In the Options dialog box, display the Settings tab.

Figure 5-16: Options dialog box, Settings tab

3. Under Load Search Order, select an option:

to load files from the location where they were last saved.

Local

•

Original

•

to load files in their original location.

4. ClickOK.

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Quick-Access Model

You can access common commands for working with objects on the build tray with the convenient Model Toolbar and context menus.

Commands

Model Toolbar Select an object in the tray to display the Model Toolbar that contains icons

to perform common tasks.

Figure 5-17: Model Toolbar

The table below describes the Model Toolbar icons.

Icon Description

Applies a matte finish to the model.

Applies a glossy finish to the model.

Opens the Advanced Properties dialog box for setting the Grid Style and the Hollow option.

Right-click model

Enables dragging an object (see page 5 34).

Opens the Transform dialog box for changing the objects position and scale.

Toggles the Lock Model Orientation setting.

Allows you to choose the printing materials.

Enables you to apply a coating to the model, or change the coating previously applied.

If you right click on an object, a pop up context menu is displayed from which you can also select the model finish, change its position and scale, and set the Grid Style and Hollow options.

You can also create a Quick Access toolbar with your most commonly used icons grouped together. See “Creating a Quick Access Toolbar” on page 60.

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Copying and Pasting Objects

If you need to duplicate objects on the build tray, you can insert the same object from its file more than once. An easier way, however, is to copy and paste the object. You can copy objects from the build tray or the model treeindividual or multiple parts or assemblies. The objects copied remain in the Windows clipboard until you paste them onto the build tray.

You can also copy objects from one tray and paste them onto another, in the same way as you copy text from one document and paste it into another one. However, Objet Studio allows only one tray to be open at a time. For each build tray you need to work with (at the same time), you must open a separate Objet Studio window, by running the application again (from the Windows Start menu).

Having multiple Objet Studio windows open can be convenient when you need to manipulate or configure objects before inserting them in your production build tray. For example, if you need to change the model material of an object (saved as an objdf file) to match the model material already used in the production build tray, you must do so before inserting the object—on another tray. Copying and pasting also allows you to use objects already configured on previously-used build trays for newer projects.

You perform the Copy and Paste commands as in other Windows applications:

from the right click context menu.

•

by using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, respectively).

•

The Paste Special command (from the objects right click context menu) enables you to place duplicate objects even more efficiently:

You can specify the number of duplicates to place on the build tray at

•

once.

You can set the distance, on each axis, between the duplicate objects.

•

You can manipulate mirror images of the original object, and flip them

•

on selected axes.

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Figure 5-18: Paste Special dialog box

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Selecting Objects

To manipulate an object on the build tray or assign characteristics to it (model material, building style etc.), you must first select the object. You select an object by clicking it, either on the tray or in the model tree. Its image on the build tray changes color (to light blue, by default) and its name is highlighted in the model tree. You can select multiple objects by drawing a box around them with the mouse cursor, or by pressing the or

keys while clicking additional objects.

Shift

Ctrl

Alternatively, select or de select objects using the following Edit menu commands:

Select All

•

Invert Selection

•

Undo Select object

•

Figure 5-19: Edit menu

Sometimes, you need to select individual elements of an assembly. Other times, you need to select the entire assembly. The Selection icon displayed on the ribbon determines what will be selected when you click on the model:

Splitting Objects into Components

To change the selection action:

1. On the Tray Settings or Model Settings ribbon

a. Click the Selection icon: or .

b. On the flyout toolbar, click the appropriate icon:

Select Element

Select Group

Figure 5-20: Selection flyout toolbar

You can convert a complex object to an assembly of component parts. To do so, you split the stl file that represents the object into a group of separate stl files, each one representing a component. (This is referred to in the Objet Studio interface as separating the object into shells.) You can then assign a model material to each stl file, and you can save the newly created assembly as an objdf file.

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To split an object into an assembly of component parts:

1. If the object is not displayed, place it on the build tray by inserting its stl

file (see Placing Objects on the Build Tray on page 10).

The object appearson the build tray and in the model tree paneas a single part. It is assigned, by default, the primary model material. (If Objet Studio is configured with a secondary material, you can assign itor a digital materialto the entire object. This is explained in Model Material Settings on page 20.)

Figure 5-21: Object placed on the build tray from a single stl file

Note: There is no need to resize or arrange the object on the build tray at

this time.

2. With the object selected:

From the Object menu, select

•

Separate into Shells

or

On the ribbon, click .

•

A dialog box opens in which you can specify where to save the component stl files. (By default, Objet Studio offers to save the new files in a folder in the same location as the original stl file.)

Figure 5-22: Folder selection for saving stl files after splitting into shells

3. ClickOK.

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Objet Studio splits the object into an assembly of component parts, each a separate stl file (shell).

The object appearson the build tray and in the model treeas an assembly of parts (shells). You can assign each part a different model material (This is explained in Model Material Settings on page 20).

Figure 5-23: Object after being converted to an assembly of component parts

Model-Material Settings

Before placing objects on the build tray in Objet Studio, you should pay attention to the material selection settings on the Tray Settings ribbon.

Figure 5-24: Material selection settings

By default, the material selection settings on the ribbon correspond to

•

the model cartridges loaded in the printer.

The materials displayed are basic model materials. These materials can

•

later be combined to create digital materials (see Digital Materials on page 21).

The material displayed on the top (VeroWhite, in the figure above) is

•

considered the primary model material (Model 1). It is assigned to objects that do not have a material assignment when you place them on the build tray. For example, since stl files do not contain information about the model material, Objet Studio assigns the primary model material to them. Also, if you try to insert objdf files whose assigned materials are not recognized by your version of Objet Studio, you can insert the file by substituting the primary model material for the missing materials.

•

Select

Single Material

if you want to print using only one material both of the material drop down menus contain the same material. If you decide to print with multiple materials, the material in the top drop down menu remains assigned to the object until you select another material.

If you insert an objdf file into an empty build tray, and the model

•

material assignment does not match the settings on the Tray Settings ribbon, these settings are changed automatically. However, if there is an

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object already on the build tray whose materials do not match the material assignment in the objdf file, you cannot place the new object on the tray. To print this object, you have the following options:

Instead of printing it on the same build tray, print the new object as a separate job.

Change the materials assigned to objects on the build tray to match those assigned to the new object (see Changing the Model

Material and Assigning a Model Material to Objects, below).

Change the materials assigned to the new object before inserting it, so there is no conflict with the settings on the Tray Settings ribbon.

To change the materials assigned to an object before inserting it:

1. Open another Objet Studio window, by running the application from the Windows Start menu.

2. Insert the new object (objdf file) into the empty build tray.

3. Change the material selection settings on the Tray Settings ribbon to those used on the other build tray.

4. Assign materials to the object (see Assigning a Model Material to Objects on page 22).

5. Select the object and copy it.

6. Display the other Objet Studio window, and paste the object onto the build tray.

Changing the Model Material

Digital Materials

Note: You can save the object with the new materials either as a new objdf

file, or by saving the original file with the changes.

When you design a build tray in Objet Studio, you can use model materials that may not be currently installed in the printer. Because the installed materials are displayed by default, change the material selection settings on the Tray Settings ribbon, if necessary.

When two different model materials appear on the ribbon, you can produce objects from either material or from a combination of themdigital materials. Different pairs of model materials enable you to print objects using unique digital materials. Certain digital materials can produce objects with different shades of color. Combinations of model materials that have different mechanical properties result in digital materials with unique characteristics.

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To view the digital materials available for printing objects (using two basic model materials):

1. Make sure that you have selected the appropriate model materials, and

Multiple Materials

that

Figure 5-25: Material selection with two basic model materials

is selected.

2. Click .

The Material Selection Guide appears, showing the basic model materials (at the top of the list) and the digital materials available (combinations of them).

Assigning a Model Material to Objects

Figure 5-26: Material Selection Guide, showing the digital materials available with the basic model materials

You can assign any of the available digital materials to objects on the build tray.

To assign a model material to objects:

1. Select an object on the build tray (see Selecting Objects on page 18).

When an object is selected, its propertiesincluding model materials are displayed on the Model Toolbar and on the ribbon.

Ribbon

Model Toolbar

Figure 5-27: Object properties, on ribbon and Model Toolbar

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2. Display the material pull down menu and select the desired material.

Figure 5-28: Menu for assigning materials to objects

When you de select the object on the build tray, it is displayed, by default, with the color of the material you selected. In the same way, you can assign model materials to each of the independent objects on the build tray.

To separate an object into independent, component parts (each an stl file), see “Splitting Objects into Components” on page 18.

Surface Finish

Coating Objects

Models can be printed with a matte or glossy surface finish. To create a matte finish, the printer surrounds models with a thin layer of support material.

To set the model finish:

1. Select the model.

2. Select

Model Settings ribbon, Options group

•

Model Toolbar

•

right click context menu (when selecting the model)

•

Matte

Glossy

in one of the following places:

You can configure Objet Studio to distinguish between objects surface finish on the build tray by color. To configure how Objet Studio displays objects, see Setting Object Colors on page 43.

You can print composite models where the surface layer is a different material than the inside. This can be useful to achieve unique mechanical and textural characteristics. This technique is called coating.

To coat an object with a different model material:

1. Select an object on the build tray.

2. On the Model Toolbar or the Model Settings ribbon, click .

The Coat with dialog box opens.

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3. Select

Coat With

and, from the pull down menu, select the coating

material.

Figure 5-29: Coating material selected

4. In the Thickness field, enter a coating thickness between 0.3 and 3 millimeters.

Note: The coating thickness does not affect the external dimensions of the

object, which remain unchanged. The coating layer replaces part of the main model material.

5. Click

Apply

Note: When you de-select objects, they are displayed, by default, with

colors representing the model-material. Even after adding a coating to an object, its color remains that of the main material, not the color of the coating material.

To inspect, modify or remove the coating applied to an object:

1. On the Model Toolbar or the Model Settings ribbon, click .

The Coat with dialog box opens.

2. Perform one of the following actions

Change the coating settings, and click

•

To remove the coating, clear the Coat With check box and click

•

Apply

To keep the current coating settings, click

•

Apply

ApplyorCancel

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Assigning Properties to Hidden Objects

To enable you to assign materials and other properties to parts of objects that are hidden from view on the build tray display, you can temporarily turn off the display of some objects.

To prevent the display of objects:

1. Right click an object, either on the build tray or in the model tree.

2. From the menu that opens, select one of the following options

, to cause the selected object to disappear.

Hide

•

Hide Others

•

, to cause all other objects on the build tray to

disappear, so that only the selected object is displayed.

Alternately, you can clear the check box next to the name of the object in the model tree to cause that object to disappear.

Figure 5-30: All objects displayed Figure 5-31: Outer object hidden

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Positioning Objects on the Build Tray

To produce models efficiently and with the required finish, it is important to carefully position objects on the build tray. Objet Studio supports the automatic positioning of objects. However, you should check to make sure that the objects are orientated logically for your needs, according to the considerations explained in Model Orientation on page 5 29.

Two things that affect the positioning of objects on the build tray are orientation and placement. You can let Objet Studio determine the optimum orientation and position, or you can control them.

Automatic Orientation

By default, Objet Studio automatically orients objects, when placed on the build tray, for the shortest printing time. (You can later change the orientation manually.) However, you can cancel automatic orientation when placing an object on the build tray.

To place an object on the build tray without automatic orientation:

In the Insert dialog box, make sure Orient Automatically is not selected.

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Figure 5-32: Orient Automatically option disabled

You can change the default setting, so that automatic orientation is not applied unless you select the Orient Automatically check box each time you place an object on the build tray. To do this, see “Default Settings” on page 66.

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Automatic Placement

After placing several objects on the build tray, you can let Objet Studio arrange them on the tray for printing. This ensures that the objects are positioned properly, and that they will be printed in the shortest time and with a minimum of material.

To automatically arrange objects on the build tray:

On the Tray Settings ribbon, click .

or

From the Tools menu, select

Automatic Placement

The effects of automatic positioning are shown in the figures below.

Figure 5-33: Tray before objects are properly arranged

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Figure 5-34: Tray arrangement after applying Automatic Placement

For best results arrange the tray with Automatic Placement, on the Tray

•

Settings ribbon, even if you inserted the objects with the Orient Automatically option.

The physical characteristics of each type of model material you use can

•

affect the positioning of objects on the build tray. Therefore, select the material before running Automatic Placement.

Manual Positioning

You can change the position of objects on the build trayeven if they were inserted with the Orient Automatically option. Considerations for positioning objects are presented in Model Orientation, below. Tools for changing the position of objects are presented in Manipulating Objects on the Build Tray on page 5 30.

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Model Orientation

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The orientation of models on the build tray affects how quickly and efficiently they will be produced by the 3D printer, where and how much support material is used, and whether or not model parts will have a glossy finish. Therefore, you should consider a variety of factors when deciding how to place models on the tray, using the following positioning rules.

X-Y-Z Rule

This rule considers a model s outer dimensions.

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Since the print heads move back and forth along the X axis, the printing time along this axis is relatively short, compared to printing time along the Y axis and Z axis. From this point of view, it is advisable to place the object s largest dimension along the X axis.

Any surfaces that come into contact with support materials become matte.

Since high resolution models are built up, on the Z axis, in 16 or 30 micron layers (according to the selected printing mode, it is very time consuming to print a tall object. From this point of view, it is advisable to place the object s smallest dimension along the Z axis.

Since the print heads measure about 2 inches (5 centimeters) on the Y axis, models measuring less than this (on the Y axis) are printed in one pass. From this point of view, it is advisable to place the object s intermediate dimension along the Y axis.

Tall-Left Rule

This rule considers models where, after being orientated on the build tray according to other considerations, one side is taller than the other.

Since the print heads move along the X axis from left to right, taller sections on the right require the print heads to scan unnecessarily from the left until reaching them. If, on the other hand, the taller sections are positioned on the left of the tray, the print heads only have to scan the model until printing these sectionsonce the lower parts have been completed. Therefore, you should position the taller side of the model, when possible, on the left.

The following rules are based on the fact that support material is not required on the top of the printed model.

Recess-Up Rule

This rule considers models containing surface recesses.

Recesses in the surface (like hollows, drill holes, etc.) should, when possible, be positioned face up.

Fine-Surface Rule

This rule considers models that have one side on which there are fine details (like the keypad side of a telephone).

The side of the model containing fine details should, when possible, be positioned face up. This results in a smooth finish.

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Avoid Support-Material Rule

This rule considers models that have large holes or hollows, open on at least one side (like a pipe or a container).

It may be advantageous to print a model standing up, so support material does not fill the hollow, even though printing the model lying down would be much faster.

Manipulating Objects on the Build Tray

Positioning Objects on the Z-Axis

When you use the automatic positioning option to arrange objects on the build tray (see Automatic Orientation on page 5 26), the objects are positioned directly on the tray. If you do not insert objects with automatic positioning, they often appear either above or below the tray.

In practice, the Objet system prints all models on the build tray on a onemillimeter bed of support material. The importance of positioning objects directly on the build tray with Objet Studio is to correctly display the objects on the screen.

To position objects directly on the tray:

1. Select the object.

2. From the Object menu, select

Lay On

To ensure that objects are always positioned directly on the tray:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Options

, and display the Settings tab.

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Figure 5-35: Options dialog box, Settings tab

2. In the Automatic Lay On (Gravity) section, select

Always

Other Z-axis options (in the Automatic Lay On section):

When under the tray

•

The display of objects that are below the build

tray is automatically changed so that the object is at tray level.

The display of objects that are above or below the build tray is

Never

•

not changed.

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Valid Object Placement

You can ensure that models do not overlap when you position them on the build tray, and that they do not extend beyond the tray.

To ensure valid object placement:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Figure 5-36: Constraints Settings dialog box

2. Select

Dynamic check

invalid object placement while placing objectsOn Drop selected.

•

invalid object placement after moving objectsWhile Drag selected.

•

objects placed beyond the trays boundariesOutside Tray selected.

•

objects that overlapObject Collision selected.

•

Constraints Settings

to identify:

Even if you do not use Dynamic Check when placing objects on the build tray, Objet Studio automatically checks if there is a problem with the positioning of objects on the tray before sending it to the printer. You can also manually check for problems after positioning objects (see “Tray Validation” on page 47).

Note: Because of the unique characteristics of each type of model material

and finish, always check valid placement after changing the material/ finish. Remember that Objet Studio calculates the space occupied by an object including the “bounding box” surrounding it (see figure 5-51 on page 40).

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Using a Grid to Position Objects

Displaying a grid on the image of the build tray can be useful when positioning objects. To use the grid features, select the following menu options.

Menu Option Result

Tools > Grid Displays a grid on the build tray.

Tools > Snap to grid When moving the object, it aligns with the nearest

Tools > Options > Grid

grid line.

Enables you to change the grid origin (X and Y axis meeting point) and appearance.

You can review and configure grid settingsand apply themfrom the Options dialog box.

To view and change grid settings:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Options

, and display the Grid tab.

The current grid settings are displayed.

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Figure 5-37: Options dialog box, Grid tab

2. As required, change the settings, and select or clear the check boxes.

3. Click

ApplyorOK

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3D files contain an object s proportions, but not its units of measure. Therefore, make sure to correctly select either millimeters or inches when inserting an object. Otherwise, the size of the object on the build tray will be either much too large or much too small.

To set the measurement units when inserting an object:

In the Insert dialog box, Units field, select

MillimeterorInch

Figure 5-38: Units field in the Insert dialog box

To change measurement units for a selected object from the Model Settings ribbon:

1. Open the Units flyout toolbar.

Figure 5-39: Units flyout toolbar

2. Select the measurement units desired.

To change measurement units for a selected object from the Standard Toolbar:

1. From the Object menu, select

Change Units

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Figure 5-40: Model Units dialog box

2. In the Model Units dialog box, change the setting and clickOK.

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Setting Model Dimensions

Repositioning Objects

You can change an objects dimensions by changing its size on the X , Y , and Z axes, from the Dimensions group on the Model Settings ribbon.

Figure 5-41: Dimensions on the Model Settings ribbon

If Uniform Scale is enabled, changing the objects dimension on one axis

•

affects the other dimensions, proportionately.

After changing a measurement, press Enter or click in another filed in

•

the Dimensions group.

Note: You can change the height of the objects on the build tray only if this

is allowed by the Objet Studio settings (see “Positioning Objects on the Z-Axis” on page 5-30).

You can manually move and rotate an object on the build tray with the arrow keys, or by dragging it with the mouse.

To manually manipulate an object:

1. Select an object by clicking it on the build tray, or in the model tree pane.

2. Click on the Model Toolbar, or on the Model Settings ribbon.

A frame appears around the object, and the cursor changes to indicate that the object can be moved.

Figure 5-42: Manually moving an object

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3. If you click on a corner of the frame, the cursor changes to indicate that the object can be rotated.

Figure 5-43: Manually rotating an object

4. Manipulate the object with the arrow keys or with the mouse.

Using the Transform

Dialog Box

You can make precise changes to an object by changing the properties in the Transform dialog box.

To access the Transform dialog box (when an object is selected):

Click on the Model Toolbar or on the Model Settings ribbon.

•

From the right click context menu, select

•

From the Object menu, select

•

Figure 5-44: Transform dialog box

Transform

To change an object with the Transform dialog box:

Change any of the values, then click

Apply

to see how the object

changes on the build tray.

Note: The changed values remain in the dialog box after clicking Apply. Therefore, you can make small changes to values in the dialog box to see how the object changes on screen each time you click Apply.

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To reset all of the values in the dialog box:

Click

Reset

To undo all changes made with the Transform dialog box:

Cancel Actions

Click

After closing the Transform dialog box, clicking Undo (on the Model Settings ribbon or from the Edit menu) cancels all changes made with the dialog box.

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Changing an Object’s Orientation

There are several methods for changing the orientation of objects on the build tray.

To rotate an object:

Select the object and use the Object menu options (see also Repositioning Objects on page 5 34).

To re-align an object’s plane:

1. On the Tray Settings or Model Settings ribbon

a. Click the icon in the Selection group: or .

b. On the flyout toolbar, click the Select Plane icon:

or

From the Tools menu, select

Plane Alignment > Select Plane

2. Click on part of an object on the build tray.

The selected plane is displayed.

Alignment toolbar

Selected plane

Figure 5-45: Aligning by plane

3. On the Alignment toolbar, click an appropriate icon to change the alignment.

or

From the Tools menu, select

Plane Alignment

, and select an alignment

option.

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Figure 5-46: Tools menu, Plane Alignment options

To cancel plane selection after re-aligning objects on the build tray:

On the Tray Settings or Model Settings ribbon

a. Click the icon in the Selection group: or .

b. On the flyout toolbar, click the Select Element or Select Group icon:

Grouping and Ungrouping Objects

or

From the Tools menu, select

Plane Alignment > Select Plane

To flip an object 180 degrees on any axis:

1. Select the object.

2. From the Object menu, select

Flip > Flip X / Flip Y / Flip Z

To make precise changes to the object’s orientation on any axis:

1. Select the object.

2. Display the Transform dialog box (see figure 5 44 on page 35).

3. Change the

Rotate

parameters for each axis.

You can manipulate two or more objects on the build tray, at the same time.

Selecting multiple objects

•

Manipulating done to one object affects all selected objects. For example, turning one object on its axis causes all selected objects to turn on their respective axes.

Converting the objects to an assembly

•

Separate objects become parts of one unit. For example, turning the assembly on its axis causes all its component parts to turn as one unit.

To convert objects to an assembly:

1. Select the objects (see Selecting Objects on page 18)

2. From the Object menu, select

Group to Assembly

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In the model tree, the objects now appear as children of a parent (assembly).

Figure 5-47: Assembly in the model tree

After creating an assembly, you can save it as an objdf file, for re use. (Saving the assembly is not necessary for manipulating and printing it).

To save an assembly:

1. Select the assembly (either on the build tray or in the model tree).

2. From the Objet Studio Commands, select Save As.

3. In the

Save As

dialog box, select the objdf format, choose a location,

name the file, and click

Save

Freezing Model Orientation

To separate assemblies into individual objects (stl files):

1. Select the assembly (either on the build tray or in the model tree).

2. From the Object menu, select

Ungroup

In the model tree, the elements are not parts of an assembly.

Figure 5-48: Separate objects in the model tree

If you manipulate an object on the build tray, you can freeze its orientation so that it does not change when you position it automatically (see Automatic Placement on page 5 27).

To freeze an object:

1. Select an object on the build tray.

2. On the Model Settings ribbon, in the Manipulate group, or on the Model Toolbar, click .

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To unfreeze an object:

Select the object and click (to de select it).

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Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Viewing Objects

From the View menu, you can change the way objects are displayed. The default method for displaying models on the build tray is as solid (shaded) objects.

Figure 5-49: Tray and model displayed in Shaded view

The other display options are WireFrame and Points.

To display the build tray in WireFrame view:

From the View menu, select

WireFrame

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Figure 5-50: Tray and model displayed in WireFrame view

To revert to the shaded view:

From the View menu, select

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To display objects as boxes, showing their maximum dimensions instead of their shape:

From the View menu, select

Figure 5-51: Model displayed with bounding box

Display Bounding Box

To display the area around objects needed for support material (to produce a matte finish):

From the View menu, select

Display Thickening Box

Figure 5-52: Model displayed with thickening box

To display the maximum build height:

From the View menu, select

Figure 5-53: Tray 3D Box

Display Tray 3D Box

To display objects without the build tray:

From the View menu, clear (de select) the Display Tray option.

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Screen Layout

Objet Studio automatically adjusts the default screen layout to display the optimum views of the build tray and the model tree. You can view models from different perspectives by changing the screen layout.

To change the screen layout:

On the View flyout toolbar, select

Figure 5-54: Screen layout icons

Single View

4 Views

is the default screen layout.

displays perspective, top, front and right views.

Single View

, or

4 Views

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Figure 5-55: Single-view screen layout

Figure 5-56: 4-view screen layout

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Tray Perspective

The default perspective of the build tray is isometric. You can change the perspective of the active window with one of ten options.

To change the perspective of the build tray in the active window:

1. On the Tray Settings ribbon, open the Perspective flyout toolbar.

Figure 5-57: Perspective flyout toolbar

2. Click the icon that represents the desired perspective.

Tray Positioning To view the tray and models from different directions, you can move the

tray around the screen and change its display angle.

To move the tray in the Objet Studio screen:

Press the mouse wheel while moving the mouse.

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Figure 5-58: Tray after moving it in the Objet Studio display

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To manually rotate the tray:

Press Alt and press the mouse wheel while moving the mouse.

Setting Object Colors

Figure 5-59: Tray after rotating it upside-down

The color of objects on the build tray can indicate how they are printed. Objet Studio enables you to choose the color display so that you can easily see the material, surface and coating of objects.

To choose how colors are applied on the display:

On the Model Settings ribbon, in the Colors group, select one of the options from the flyout toolbar.

Color Indicates Model material

Color indicates Model surface

Color indicates if coating is used

Figure 5-60: Colors display options

Before sending a build tray to the printer, or when you perform tray validation, Objet Studio checks if there is a problem with the stl files or the positioning of objects on the tray. If so, the affected objects are displayed with special colors (see “Tray Validation” on page 5-47).

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Loading Large Files

Very large stl files can be slow to load and may be difficult to manipulate easily on the build tray. If this is the case, you can display just an image of the object on the build tray without loading the entire file. The stl file itself is not changed, and the complete file is sent to the printer.

To display an image of stl files when you place objects on the build tray:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Figure 5-61: Options dialog box, Settings tab

Options

2. In the Large Files section, select

, and display the Settings tab.

Load Partial (reduced)

Large File Manipulation

If you need to work with a detailed model that is composed of a large number of polygons, you can speed up its display and manipulation in Objet Studio by reducing the number of polygons on the screen. Although this may reduce the resolution on the screen, it has no affect on the printed models.

Figure 5-62: Object displayed without polygon reduction

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Figure 5-63: Object displayed with only five percent of its polygons showing

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To use polygon reduction:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Options

or

In the Objet Studio Commands Menu, click

2. In the Options dialog box, display the

Display

Options

tab.

Figure 5-64: Options dialog box, Display tab

3. Select

4. Select

Enable Polygon Reduction

Polygon Reduction (Percent)

5. Enter the percentage of total polygons to display.

When you click

, the display changes.

Apply

Note: The setting affects the static display (when the object is not being

moved).

6. Set display options when the object is being moved (Display while changing view):

Bounding BoxA box representing the objects maximum

•

dimensions is displayed.

Adaptive Polygon ReductionVarying degrees of polygon reduction

•

are applied, as necessary.

Entire ObjectNo polygon reduction is applied.

•

7. To save these settings, so that they will be applied every time you place this object on the build tray, click

8. Click

Apply

to see the results of the settings without closing the dialog

Save Polygon Reduction Data

box.

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Selecting the Entire Object option cancels polygon reduction.

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Object display

options

Zoom Options

The display format affects how quickly objects display. For example, if you

Bounding Box

select

Entire Object

. You can choose display formats for objects when they are

, objects display faster than they do when you select

stationary (static view) and for when you are dragging them (changing view).

To select the object display preference while changing view, and in static view:

1. Select to display objects:

With a Bounding Box (see figure 5 51 on page 40)

•

With Adaptive Polygon Reduction (changing view only)

•

With Polygon Reduction (static view only)

•

Entire Object

•

2. ClickOKwhen done.

While manipulating objects, you often need to view them at different zoom levels.

To change the zoom level:

On the ribbon, open the Zoom flyout toolbar and select an option:

Zoom Object

Zoom Tray

Zoom by Rectangle

Figure 5-65: Zoom flyout toolbar

Zoom Object focuses on the selected object.

Zoom Tray displays the whole tray.

Zoom by Rectangle allows you to display a section of the tray by

selecting it with the mouse.

You can also zoom in and zoom out with the mouse wheel.

You can configure Objet Studio to automatically zoom in on the objects placed on the build tray. See “Automatic Zoom” on page 66.

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Handling Completed Trays

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After you have properly placed all objects on the build tray, you save the tray as an objtf file, which is sent to the 3D printer for production. But before saving the tray, you can check that there would be no problem producing it. You can also calculate how much material would be consumed during production and how much time this would take.

Objet1000 - Connex 2 User Guide

Tray Validation

Before sending a job to the printer for production, you should check that the tray is valid and can be printed.

Note: Because of the unique characteristics of each type of modeling

material, make sure that the correct material is selected before performing Tray Validation.

To validate that the tray can be printed:

On the Tray Settings ribbon, in the Build Process group, click .

or

From the Tools menu, select

Placement Validation

If the tray is not valid, the color of the problematic models on the tray changes according to a pre set code.

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Figure 5-66: Color code

Note: The “Both” color also indicates a problematic stl file.

The validation status appears on the bar at the bottom of the screen.

Figure 5-67: Validation details in status bar

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Production Estimates

Objet Studio enables you to calculate the time and material resources needed for producing trays before sending them to the printer. The time it takes Objet Studio to perform this calculation depends on the number of objects on the tray and their complexity. Calculating the production estimate for a full tray could take up to 15 minutes, depending on your computers specifications.

To calculate the time and materials needed for producing the current tray:

On the Tray Settings ribbon, in the Build Process group, click .

While the estimate is being calculated, a progress bar is displayedon the right side of the status bar (at the bottom of the screen).

Cancel

Figure 5-68: Estimate progress bar

When Objet Studio finishes calculating the production resources, the results are displayed in a dialog box.

Printing Modes

Figure 5-69: Production resource calculations for different printing modes

As shown in the Production Estimates dialog box, the resources needed for producing the models on the tray depend on the printing mode used by the printer when producing the job. You might want to consider these estimates when deciding on the printing mode (see below), and whether or not to allow using substitute model materials when printing the job.

Note: You select the printing mode and material substitute options after

you send the build tray to the printer (see “Printing the Tray File” on page 50).

Objet printers can build models using three possible printing modes.

HQ (High Quality) Mode—

Models are printed in 16 micron layers, resulting in smooth surfaces,

•

suitable for producing fine detailed and delicate items.

Almost twice as much time is required to print most trays, compared to

•

the High Speed setting.

This setting is only available when model material can be used in four

•

print heads, in single material printing.

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Single-material printing: All print heads print models without regard to the source of the model material. This happens in the following situations:

All print heads are supplied with one model material.

•

Each pair of print heads is supplied with a different model material, but

•

models are printed as if they were the same material. The result is an arbitrary mixture of materials in the printed model.

HS (High Speed) Mode—

Models are produced in 30 micron layers, suitable for producing larger

•

models.

Much less time is required to print most trays, compared to the

•

High Quality setting.

This setting is only available when model material can be used in four

•

print heads, in single material printing.

Digital Material Mode—

Used when producing models designed to be fabricated from two

•

model materials.

Used when producing a tray containing two or more models, each

•

designed to be made from a different (single) model material.

Used when producing models from only one of the model materials

•

loaded in the printer by printing with only two of the print heads.

Models are produced in 30 micron layers, but the printing is near high

•

quality.

Printing time is similar to printing time in High Quality mode.

•

Although printing time is longer than with High Speed mode, Digital Material mode can make material replacement unnecessarysaving both time and the cost of wasted model material.

E-mailing Objet Digital Files

Digital Material Mode is selected automatically when more than one model material is assigned to objects on the tray.

You can see estimates of time and material resources needed for printing trays using the different printing modes (see Production Estimates on page 48). You also see these production estimates when you send the tray to the printer. At that time, you can select the printing mode, including an option that enables Objet Studio to print the tray by the most efficient method (see Printing Mode Selection on page 50).

You can easily e mail objdf files using Microsoft®Office Outlook®. Sending objdf files is recommended (instead of stl files) because the size of a file is typically reduced by more than half. An added benefit is that the objdf file contains the model material information for the object.

To e-mail a file:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Outlook opens with the file attached and Subject details added to the e mail form.

2. Enter the e mail address and send the file.

Email Objet Digital File

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Printing the Tray File

When a tray is ready to be printed, it is placed in the Jobs Queue. When the job reaches the head of the queue, Objet Studio pre processes the tray file to create slices, and feeds them to the 3 D printer.

To send the tray to the print queue:

1. On the Tray Settings ribbon, Build Process group, click .

two model

materials

Figure 5-70: Job Summary when printing with multiple model materials

Note: The values displayed are the result of a quick calculation, and

represent a rough estimate of the materials and time input required to print the job. For a more accurate calculation, click

Estimation

Fine

Continue with step 4 on page 5 53.

If printing the tray requires only one model material, the Printing

•

Mode Selection dialog box opens.

Printing-Mode

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Selection

Figure 5-71: Printing Mode Selection dialog box

Note: The values displayed are the result of a quick calculation, and

represent a rough estimate of the materials and time input required to print the job. For a more accurate calculation, click

Estimation

Fine

2. Select the appropriate printing mode.

If you require the job to be printed in High Quality mode, select this

•

option.

Note:The availability of High Quality mode depends on the material selected.

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If you require the job to be printed in High Speed mode, select this

•

option.

If you do not require the job to be printed either in High Quality or

•

High Speed mode, select

Automatic

This setting enables the Objet software to determine (just before printing) the most efficient way to print the tray. Digital Material mode is used if this removes the need to perform the Material Replacement procedure. Otherwise, High Speed mode is used.

For example, if printing the tray requires only one of the model materials loaded in the printer, only the two print heads using that material are used to print modelsDigital Material mode. (High Quality and High Speed modes call for printing model material with four heads, which would require you to perform the Material Replacement procedure.)

On the other hand, if printing the tray can be done using four print heads without running the Material Replacement procedure, High Speed mode is used. This is possible if all print heads are supplied with one model material, or if you allow printing with an arbitrary mixture of similar materials (see below).

Model Quality When Digital Material Mode is Used

Near-high-quality is achieved for most models.

•

A tray of objects inserted from stl files are printed with the standard

•

600 dpi (dots per inch) resolution along the Y-axis—unless glossy finish is required (see “Surface Finish” on page 23).

If there is an assembly on the tray, all of the models on the tray are

•

printed with a resolution of 300 dpi along the Y-axis.

3. Click

. The Model Material Substitution dialog box opensif this is relevant for the tray. (If not, the Job Summary dialog box openscontinue with step 4.)

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Model Material

Substitution

Figure 5-72: Model Material Substitution dialog box

If you allow the use of substitute model materials, the printer will use different materials whose characteristics (strength, flexibility, etc.) are similar to those of the material you assigned to the object when designing the build trayunder the following conditions:

The material you assigned is not installed in the printer at the time

•

of printing.

In this case, the tray is printed with either one or two substitute materials (depending on the materials installed in the printer at the time of printing). If possible, High Speed mode is used.

In addition to the material you selected, there is another (similar)

•

material installed in the printer at the time of printing.

In this case, High Speed mode is used, by printing with a mixture of the two materials (as if they were the same material).

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4. Click

Build

If the build tray file has not been saved, the Save As dialog box opens for you to save it now.

Objet Studio checks if there is a problem with the positioning of objects on the tray. If so, the affected objects are displayed with special colors (see Tray Validation on page 47), and a warning message appears.

Figure 5-73: Tray validation warning message

To cancel the Build command so you can correct the problem, click

•

To print the models as they are positioned on the tray, click

•

Yes

The Job Manager screen opens, so you can monitor the progress of your traysbefore, during, and after printing. See Monitoring and Managing Print Jobs on page 72.

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Applying Additional Objet Studio Features

Dividing Objects

You can use the Split Object feature to produce objects larger than the tray area by dividing the model into separate parts. With this feature, you produce only a specific section of a model.

To split an object:

1. Select the object.

2. From the Object menu, select

Split

3. In the Split Object dialog box, enter the values to determine how Objet Studio will divide the object. You can divide an object along any of its axes, by entering either exact measurements or the number of parts.

Figure 5-74: Split Object dialog box

4. In Save to Folder, enter the folder name.

5. ClickOK.

The composite parts are saved as new stl files with Part 1, Part 2, etc., added to the original file name.

Note: Before printing the newly created stl files, it is recommended that you

check them for defects in an STL-repair application, such as Magics™, by Materialise®.

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Choosing the Support Strength

When producing models, support material fills some hollow and empty sections (see Model Orientation on page 5 29). Objet Studio allows you to adjust the strength of the structure formed with the support material. This adjustment is useful when producing either large/massive models or small/ delicate models. For most purposes, the default setting provides adequate support strength.

To change the strength of the support structure used when printing a model:

1. Select a model on the tray.

2. On the Model Settings ribbon, in the Options group, click

or

On the Model Toolbar, click

•

or

From the right click context menu, select

•

Advanced Properties

The Advanced Properties dialog box opens.

Figure 5-75: Advanced Properties dialog box

3. In the Grid Style section, choose the support strength suitable for the selected model. You can select a different support strength for each model on the tray.

Standard

•

Heavy

•

Lite

•

for models needing average support (most models).

for large models needing much support.

for delicate models needing little support. (This setting makes

it easy to remove the support material.)

Note: If an object is split into shells, the Advanced Properties enabled vary

with the object selection. If a single element is selected only Hollow is enabled. If a group of elements is selected only Grid Style is enabled.

4. Click

Apply

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“Hollow”— Filling Models with Support Material

Many objects placed on the tray from stl files are solid. This means that, when printed, the model will be completely filled with model material. Often, especially with large objects, this is unnecessary. Instead, the model can be filled with support material, which is less costly. It is also advisable to fill models with support material when preparing them for investment casting, since this material burns off more quickly during the process of making the cast.

Objet Studio enables you to print objects on the tray with an outer shell of model material and a center filled with support material. When using this feature, called Hollow, the thickness of the shell should be no less than

0.5 millimeters.

To use the Hollow feature:

1. Select a model on the tray.

or

On the Model Toolbar, click

•

or

From the right click context menu, select

•

Advanced Properties

The Advanced Properties dialog box opens.

2. Select

Hollow

Figure 5-76: Advanced Properties dialog box

3. Set the shell thickness, in millimeters.

4. Click

Apply

Note: There is no change in the display of objects in Objet Studio when

Hollow is selected.

To inspect, change or cancel the Hollow setting:

1. Select a model on the tray.

2. Access the Advanced Properties dialog box, as above.

3. If you change or cancel the Hollow setting, click

Apply

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Displaying the Cross Section of Objects

The Section feature enables you to view the interior of an object by slicing it on any axis. You can then manipulate the object to inspect the interior from different angles. This may be important for deciding on the type of support necessary when producing the model (see Choosing the Support Strength on page 5 55). Displaying an objects cross section only affects how the tray is displayed on the screen; it does not change the object itself.

To display a cross section of the tray:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Section

The Section dialog box opens.

Figure 5-77: Section dialog box

2. Select

Enable Clipping

3. Use the slider controls for the X , Y , and Z axes to cut the tray so that you see the cross section you want.

Figure 5-78: Whole view Figure 5-79: Cross-section view, after

using the Z-slider

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Saving the Screen Display as an Image File

You can save the image displayed in the active viewing screen as a graphic file.

To save the screen display as an image:

1. Press

Ctrl+B

or

From the Objet Studio Commands Menu menu, select

Save Bitmap

The Save Bitmap dialog box opens.

Figure 5-80: Save Bitmap dialog box

2. At the top of the dialog box, select the appropriate folder.

3. At the bottom of the dialog box, enter a file name.

4. Open the Save as type pull down menu, and select the file format.

5. Click

Save

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Exporting and Importing Objet Build Trays

When you save build trays in Objet Studio, they are saved as objtf files. These files contain instructions to Objet Studio and to Objet printers for displaying and producing the stl files used on the tray. To conveniently save all of the files that comprise the build tray, for storing the job, or for transferring it to another location, Objet Studio compresses them into one objzf file. To later use the objzf file, the file must first be expanded in Objet Studio and its component files saved.

Note: If you export an objzf file containing a stl file originally saved as read-

only, you cannot open (import) this objzf file to the folder where the read-only stl file is saved.

To create an objzf file:

1. From the Objet Studio Commands Menu menu, select Export Packed

Job

The Save As dialog box opens.

2. Select the appropriate folder and change the file name (if necessary).

3. Click

Save

To open an objzf file:

Double click on the objtf file.

or

1. From the Objet Studio Commands Menu menu, select

Job

Import Packed

2. In the Open dialog box, display the appropriate folder and select the file.

3. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, display the folder in which you want Objet Studio to expand the compressed file, and clickOK.

The objtf file and associated stl files are expanded and placed in the selected folder, and the tray is displayed in Objet Studio.

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Note: You can also export a print job as an objzf file from the Job Manager

screen—see “Exporting Jobs (objzf)” on page 83.

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Objet Studio

You can customize Objet Studio to suit your particular working needs and preferences. Features that you can customize include:

Creating a quick access toolbar for frequently used commands.

•

Changing the position of the Quick Access toolbar.

•

Minimizing the ribbon.

•

Changing the Objet Studio color theme.

•

Configuring default settings for objects placed on the build tray.

•

Creating a Quick Access Toolbar

As you work with Objet Studio, you may use certain commands frequently. You can create a quick access toolbar to make your work easier.

To create a quick-access toolbar:

1. Above the ribbon tabs, click

The Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu opens.

Figure 5-81: Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu

2. Select a command you want to add to the toolbar.

An icon for the selected command is added to the toolbar.

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Figure 5-82: Quick Access toolbar

To add another command, repeat the above procedure.

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3. To choose from a wider range of commands:

From the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu (see figure 5 81 on

•

page 60), select

More Commands

or

Right click on the Objet Studio Commands icon, or elsewhere on the

•

ribbon, and select

Figure 5-83: Right-click ribbon menu

Customize Quick Access Toobar

The Options dialog box opens.

Hiding the Ribbon

Figure 5-84: Quick Access Toobar Options dialog box

4. Open the drop down list and select either

Commands not on the Ribbon

5. Select a command and click

Add

Popular Commands

6. ClickOK.

To make more room for displaying the build tray, you can hide the Objet Studio ribbons.

To hide the ribbons:

1. Right click anywhere on the ribbon or on the menu bar, or in the Objet Studio Commands Menu .

2. Select

Minimize the Ribbon

The ribbons disappear, but you can temporarily display the ribbon icons by clicking

Tray Settings orJob Manager

on the menu bar. When

you next click outside of the ribbon, it disappears again.

To return the permanent ribbon display:

Repeat the steps above to cancel Minimize the Ribbon.

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Display Colors

You can customize some of the colors used for displaying Objet Studio screens and for displaying objects on the build tray.

To change the colors used in Objet Studio screens:

1. From the Tools menu, select

Define Colors

The Define Colors dialog box appears.

2. In the Define Colors dialog box, click the color patch you want to change:

Tray Color

•

Background Colors

•

Selection Color

•

Figure 5-85: Define Colors dialog box

3. In the Color dialog box, select one of the Basic colors.

or

Define Custom Colors

Click

to expand the dialog box and define a

customized color.

Figure 5-86: Color dialog box (expanded)

4. Click

when done.

The patch color in the dialog box changes according to your selection.

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Changing Color

Themes

Keyboard Shortcuts

Objet Studio offers a choice of four background color themesblue, black, silver and aqua.

Figure 5-87: Background color themes

To change the color theme:

From the Style menu, select one of the options.

•

You can define shortcut keys for frequently used commands.

To define shortcut keys:

1. Above the ribbon tabs, click

The Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu opens.

Figure 5-88: Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu

2. Select

More Commands

The Options dialog box opens (see figure 5 84 on page 61).

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3. Click

Customize

The Customize Keyboard dialog box appears.

Figure 5-89: Customize Keyboard dialog box

4. Select command Categories to display all the commands in that category, for example, all the Model Settings commands.

Current shortcut keys are displayed.

5. Enter the shortcut key in the Press new shortcut key field, and click

Assign

6. If you want to redefine all shortcut keys, click

Reset All

Setting User Preferences

You can change several Objet Studio settings that affect objects placed on the build tray.

To change default settings:

From the Objet Studio Commands Menu, select

Figure 5-90: Setting work preferences

Building Stylesee Surface Finish on page 23.

•

Grid Stylesee Using a Grid to Position Objects on page 32.

•

Application Settingssee Choosing the Support Strength on page 55,

•

User Preferences

and Freezing Model Orientation on page 38.

Coating Objects

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DOC-06800 Rev. A

Stratasys XLRFID Users Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual