Xy Gantry Calibration; Z Zero Calibration - Stratasys F170 User Manual

XY GANTRY CALIBRATION

The printer is designed to automatically perform an XY Gantry Calibration as part of its
initialization and startup process. This calibration moves the gantry to ensure it can travel
properly throughout the build envelope and determines the gantry's reference in relation to the
platen. Each time the printer is powered ON, it will automatically perform this calibration. The XY
Gantry Calibration is responsible for finding the home position for the X and Y axes. The home
position is a set location the printer references for all movements.
When performing the XY Gantry Calibration the printer will move the head at a low velocity to the
full extents of travel in the X and Y axis. The homing process uses mechanical hard stops in
conjunction with commanded motion control while actively monitoring servo motor following error.
After XY gantry homing has completed, the extent of travel in X and Y is compared against an
upper and lower limit, and an error is generated if travel is outside of those limits.
The commanded motion used to determine all four gantry hard stop locations is identical. The
controller sets upper time and distance limits for each hard stop location. These limits are used to
ensure hard stop engagement occurs within expected parameters.

Z ZERO CALIBRATION

The printer automatically initiates a Z Zero Calibration before each job is built; "PREPARING" will
be displayed within the Build Status Display of the User Interface while this process is occurring
(see "Build Status Display" on page
build will begin. This calibration requires no user interaction and sets the reference point between
the model tip and the substrate to ensure proper positioning for the first layer of a build.
When performing the Z Zero Calibration a purge of the model tip will be performed. The head will
then be positioned over the back of the platen and the Z stage will move upward until the model
tip is deflected; this deflection is used to calibrate the toggle sensor. The printer will then cool the
model tip to a temperature below 200°C (392°F). Once cooled, the printer will perform four tip
touches, one per each of the four quadrants of the build tray, by moving the Z stage upward
within that quadrant until the model tip is deflected. Z Zero positioning is then determined based
on the average Z stage position of the four tip touches; the printer will set the Z Zero position.
Note: If any of the four tip touches used to determine Z Zero is greater than
0.01" away from the average, homing will fail and the build will be aborted with a
"Substrate Not Level" error.
46). Z Zero Calibration must complete successfully before a
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