The Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing process of layering extruded material makes FDM parts porous. This can be a benefit for some applications such as Thermoforming that requires air to be drawn through a tool. However, sealing a part to hold an airtight vacuum may be necessary for other applications. In 2016 I wrote a blog, FDM Build Parameters to Create a Vacuum, using software parameters to create a denser filled part. This method requires using advanced Insight software […]
Toolpaths are the machine’s movements that build the parts we want, either in subtractive or additive technologies. One of the key differences between additive and subtractive methods is the porosity of the created part. Porosity is the number of voids by volume in any material. Most if not all subtractive processes (while using the same 3D printable materials like ASA/ABS) will result in non-porous parts. However, due to the FDM nature of additive technology, the parts created will be porous. […]
The toggle-head technology that we find in the Dimension 1200es and Fortus 250mc is a genius design that allows both sides of the toggle head to apply material by tilting the tips back and forth. The way that it does this is by forcing the head in the X-axis either to the far right or left, and a toggle bar under the head plate pops the head one direction or the other. Although in our experience, the alignment of the […]
In GrabCAD Print, the Arrange tool has two options for automatic arrangement: “Arrange tray” and “Arrange project.” They work in the same way, except that Arrange tray will only arrange parts on the current tray, and Arrange project will arrange all parts across all of the trays. Here’s how they work: Each part has a theoretical bounding box (cube shape) drawn around its largest dimensions. The parts are then placed on the tray(s) starting in the home corner (varies by […]
Using Stratasys’ newest rubber-like material (Agilus White) is necessary to change the durometer. Its use in VRMLs and OBJs is limited right now, but it is possible. There isn’t a button or bar in GrabCAD Print that allows you to adjust it. You must load Agilus White instead of Vero White in your color palette. When you do this, it will print the soft Agilus White where it would normally print the rigid Vero White. You adjust the durometer by changing […]
Printer waste contains partially cured polymeric material, collected during normal operation and maintenance of the printer. For safety and environmental reasons, this material is kept in a special leak-proof, disposable container. The container has a capacity of 1.8 kilograms of waste material—usually enough for several weeks of printer use. The printer application displays a warning message when there are 1.5 kilograms of material in the container and stops the printing when the net weight reaches 1.8 kilograms. Above 1.5 kilograms, […]
There are times when your printer may experience a loss of extrusion condition. The print head may be moving with no material coming out of one or both of the tips. To diagnose and recover from a loss of extrusion condition go into Maintenance Mode. Press Maintenance-Machine-Head The head will move to the center of the chamber. The display will read Model Drive Motor Stopped. Press Forward and the drive motor should start turning. It may take up to 30 seconds […]
Welcome to the third part of our step-by-step walkthrough of the “General Tour of GrabCAD Advance FDM Mode” series. In this section, we will dive into the core that makes up GrabCAD – Advance FDM Mode. Let’s dive right into the powerful Selection Menu and it’s sub tabs of Body and Face. Starting with a blitz through “how to get there” Launch GrabCAD Once on the landing page, be sure to click on the 4th Icon to get into the […]
Adding texture to your FDM 3D prints is a cool and clever way to hide layer lines on vertical walls. Doing this can really make your parts look professional and practical. Follow along this simple tutorial to create your own textured parts in SOLIDWORKS. 1. Open your model. 2. Highlight the face(s) that you want to add the texture to and then go to edit appearance. 3. On the Right side of the screen, open the “Miscellaneous” folder and select […]
When you need to put complex assemblies together that have a lot of different pieces it can be a challenge to do it efficiently, let alone easily. What makes a job like this much better is creating a custom fixture to hold of your parts in place while you do the assembly. This allows you to put the parts together much safer, quicker, and more efficiently, which is what matters when working on a high capacity assembly line or even […]