Loading Model And Support Cartridges - Stratasys Connex500 User Manual

Operating & Maintaining the Connex500/350 3D Printer

Loading Model and Support Cartridges

6–4
Connex printers use two cartridges of Model material and two cartridges of
Support material, each weighing 3.6 kilograms when full. A graphical
representation of the cartridges loaded and their current weight appears in
the printer interface (see figure 6‐3).
The printer uses RFID technology to automatically identify cartridges of
printing material. For this purpose, an RFID module is part of the printer
hardware. Tampering with this module will render the printer inoperable and
may void Stratasys warranties and service contracts.
Important: If you need to replace the Model material currently
installed with another type, see "Changing the Printing Material"
on page 11. Otherwise, make sure to replace the Model cartridge
with one containing the same type of material.
To load Model and Support material:
1. On the front of the printer (see figure 6‐1), pull open the doors of the
storage compartment.
2. If you are replacing a cartridge, grasp its handle and pull the cartridge
out, taking care not to twist or turn it.
3. Load Model and Support cartridges into their respective
compartments—the Model cartridge on the right, and the Support
cartridge on the left. (Note that the cartridges only fit into their correct
compartments.)
You should feel some resistance, as a needle pierces the cartridge.
4. Check the printer interface to make sure that the new cartridge is
detected and that its weight is displayed (see figure 6‐3).
5. Close the storage‐compartment door.
Tips about loading and replacing material cartridges:
You can load partially used cartridges, as long as they contain more than
100 grams of material.
You can replace material cartridges either before or during printing.
If printing stops for an extended time before you replace a material
cartridge, the printer may go into Standby or Idle mode. If this happens,
see "Resuming Production After Printing has Stopped" on page 9.
You can replace partially used cartridges to avoid the need for replacing
them during printing.
The cartridge type is automatically detected by the printer. If you replace
a cartridge containing different Model material, a message appears
recommending that you run the Material Replacement wizard to flush out
the old material.
DOC-13025 Rev. A