Transcript
3D Printer Tool Training Gui Cavalcanti 2/3/2012
Training Goals 1. Intro to Additive Manufacturing 2. Intro to the uPrint
3. Part Design for 3D Printing 4. Part Layout for 3D Printing
5. Printing and Maintenance 6. Part Cleanup
Intro to Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing • Most manufacturing is subtractive – Common additive manufacturing: welding, sewing
• Multiple types of additive prototyping – FDM: Fused Deposition Modeling – SLA: Stereolithography – SLS: Selective Laser Sintering – Objet, ZCorp, and other proprietary processes
Fused Deposition Modeling
Stereolithography
Selective Laser Sintering
Intro to the uPrint
Intro to uPrint • Dimension uPrint SE Plus • Build area of 8” wide x 8” deep x 6” tall • Layer thickness of .010” or .013” • Alkali-soluble support material • Cost of $7.50 per cubic inch of material printed – Cost for trays, support material, etc. included
• Takes *.STL files from most 3D modeling programs and converts them to parts
uPrint SE Plus
uPrint Components 1. uPrint SE Plus Printer 2. uPrint Print Bays 3. Material and Support Spools 4. Print Trays 5. SCA Station
Part Design for 3D Printing
Part Design for 3D Printing Minimum Feature Size:
.020”
.010”
Bead Cross-Section Z X or Y
• Bead width: .020” • Minimum wall size: .040” • Layer thickness: .010” or .013”
Part Design for 3D Printing • Parts shrink after coming out of the printer in a relatively predictable way. – Exterior dimensions shrink to 99.7% of their modeled size. Model
Reality
– Interior dimensions (such as holes) shrink to 98.5% of their modeled size.
Model
Reality
– Thus, a pin printed the exact same size as a hole will not fit in the hole once it’s printed.
Part Design Rules of Thumb • Minimum structural wall thickness: .0625” • No tapping of printed parts; use self-tapping threaded inserts instead
• Printed cylinders should be between .002” and .005” (in real units, not model units) bigger than holes they need to precisely fit into • Wherever possible, include a fillet between .0625” and .125” between all sharp edge transitions .0625” minimum
Part Layout for 3D Printing
Part Layout for 3D Printing • Height often takes 2-3x longer to print than width • Multiple prints of single layers of parts will take significantly less time than one print with multiple layers • Printing on the X-Y plane is accurate to within .005” across 6”; along X-Z or Y-Z is much coarser – Print cylinders so that they stick out of the printing tray; avoid laying them on their side for printing whenever possible
• The more support material is laid down, the more manual work and waiting on the bath you’ll have to do
Printing and Maintenance
Printing and Maintenance • Use the Catalyst software on the Asylum computer to compile your *.STL files – Change model orientation, material density, support density, resolution and more in Catalyst (see documentation)
• All prints must be logged in the sign-in sheet before printing starts • Members will be invoiced via email for the price of the print material ($7.50 per cubic inch of material printed) • Use the
[email protected] mailing list to coordinate long print jobs, notify others of low consumables, etc. • See the Stratasys documentation for more information about maintenance
uPrint Specifics • Only ever turn the printer off with its soft switch, never with its circuit breaker • uPrint requires its own electrical circuit, shared only with the computer and monitor – No SCA station – No extension cords • uPrint is not physically connected to its base, only pick up under the base
Part Cleanup
Part Cleanup Steps 1.
Remove pieces from printing tray
2.
Remove as much support material from parts using hand tools as possible –
Wear safety glasses and vacuum up after you’re done
3.
Turn the SCA on, set a time that’s appropriate (1 hour required to heat up; 1 hour for small parts, 2-4 for larger parts), place parts in the bath
4.
Wait the time specified
5.
Retrieve parts with tongs, gloves, and safety glasses. Note that you can lift the main tray out of the SCA
6.
Wash or dunk parts in clean water
7.
Set parts out on wire rack to dry
SCA (Support Cleaning Apparatus)
• • • • •
On/Off is the upper right hand button Use “Set” and arrow keys to change the on time Allow 1 hour for warm-up If the “Low” light is on, fill with hot water from the sink via cup USE GLOVES AND SAFETY GLASSES AT ALL TIMES
Wash Station • Remove parts from SCA with gloves on • Wash parts in water basin thoroughly • Leave parts on wire rack to dry
