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µ-Dimension 180-00108 uPrint User Manual

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  • Page 1 User Guide...

  • Page 2: Legal Notice

    Material. Conforms to ANSI/UL std. 60950-1-2003 Certified to CAN/CSA C22.2 no. 60950-1-03 The uPrint by Dimension system conforms with the following standards, accordance with the EU Machinery, Low Voltage and Electromagnetic Compatibility Directives: EU 98/37/EEC, EU 73/23/EEC...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction How to use this guide ............................6 Safety ................................7 Overview Finding more information ..........................11 Setup Minimum requirements: ..........................12 Workspace requirements: ........................12 Facility requirements & environmental specifications: ................12 Work station requirements: ........................12 Unpacking the Startup Kit ..........................13 Unpacking the Material Bay ...........................14 Unpacking the Printer ............................15 Set up the material bay and printer ........................16...

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Selecting the orientation of your STL file: ....................37 Selecting model interior fill style: ......................38 Selecting support style: ...........................38 Adding your STL file to the pack: ......................38 Printing your STL file: ..........................38 Building a part ..............................39 Starting a build from a remote location: ....................39 Starting a build from the display panel: ....................39 The display panel during build ........................40 Chamber Lights .............................40...
  • Page 5 Table of Contents Preventive Maintenance Daily ................................69 Empty the purge bucket ..........................69 Inspect the tip wipe assembly .........................69 Inspect the tip shields ..........................69 Remove Debris Buildup ..........................69 Vacuum Build Chamber ..........................69 Clean Door ..............................69 500 Hour maintenance ..........................69 Replace the tip wipe assembly ........................69 Replace the tip shields ..........................69 2000 Hour maintenance ..........................70 Tip replacement ............................70...

  • Page 6: Introduction

    Welcome to the new dimension of 3D modeling! How to use this guide This User Guide is laid out in easy to follow sections which cover Set-up, Operation, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting.

  • Page 7: Safety

    Introduction Safety The following classifications are used throughout this guide. CAUTION: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury. WARNING: Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in serious injury. Hot Surface: The hot surface sign indicates the presence of devices with high temperatures.

  • Page 8: Overview

    Overview Overview uPrint builds models from CAD STL files. The system builds three-dimensional parts by extruding a bead of ABSplus through a computer-controlled extrusion head, producing high quality parts that are ready to use immediately after completion. Figure 1: Front and left side view of printer. Front view Left side view Extrusion Head...

  • Page 9: Overview

    Overview Figure 2: Rear view of printer Optional Material Bay Support Material Tube Optional Model Material Tube UPS Connection Material Bay Material Bay Cable Connector Model Material Tube RJ-45 Network Connector Circuit Breaker Diagnostics Cable Connector AC Power Cord Connector Material Bay Communications Cable Model Material Y Connector Optional Support Material Tube...
  • Page 10 Overview Figure 3: Material spools and carriers Model material spool Model material carrier Support material spool Support material carrier Figure 4: Modeling base Modeling base User Guide Document Number 206465-0001...

  • Page 11: Finding More Information

    Overview Figure 5: Welcome Kit contents The uPrint system consists of two primary components — the uPrint 3D printer and material bay. ® Catalyst EX is the preprocessing software that runs on Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista platform. uPrint’s build envelope measures 203 x 152 x 152 mm (8 x 6 x 6 in). Each material carrier contains 492 cc (30 cu.

  • Page 12: Setup

    Setup Setup Minimum requirements: Workspace requirements: System specifications Printer height 762mm (30 in.) Printer width 660mm (26 in.) Printer depth 660mm (26 in.) Printer weight 59 Kg (130 lbs.) Material bay height 153mm (6 in.) Material bay width 660mm (26 in.) Material bay depth 660mm (26 in.) Material bay weight...

  • Page 13: Unpacking The Startup Kit

    Setup Unpacking the Startup Kit 1. Carefully cut the top of the box, open and remove the contents. 2. Remove the Welcome Kit box (A) and open. 3. Remove the model and support material spools (B). 4. Remove the material guide tubes (B). 5.

  • Page 14: Unpacking The Material Bay

    Setup Unpacking the Material Bay 1. Carefully cut the top of the box, open and lay it on its side. 2. Remove the material bay (A). 3. Remove the material bay cable (B). 4. Remove the model and support carriers (C). Figure 7: Material Bay User Guide Document Number 206465-0001...

  • Page 15: Unpacking The Printer

    Setup Unpacking the Printer 1. Place the printer close to the area where it will be located. 2. Remove the handles from the box, pulling the tabs outward. 3. Carefully cut the top of the box open, do NOT cut the straps that contain the box. 4.

  • Page 16: Set Up The Material Bay And Printer

    Setup Set up the material bay and printer Once the printer and the material bay are unpacked, they will need to be aligned and stacked before operation. 1. Place the material bay on a stable, flat surface where you will have your uPrint 3D printer located. 2.
  • Page 17 Setup 5. Open the printer door and remove the substrate and Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) emitter and dis- card. See Figure 11. 6. Remove the shipping foam from the Z stage guide rods and recycle. See Figure 11. 7. Cut the tie wraps holding the belt retaining clips in place, remove the belt retaining clips and recycle. Figure 11.

  • Page 18: Inserting A Modeling Base

    Setup Inserting a modeling base The modeling base is the plastic tray on which models are built. You will need to use a new modeling base for every build. 1. Make sure the two retainers are turned down so they do not interfere with modeling base installation. 2.

  • Page 19: Connecting The Printer And Material Bay(S)

    Setup Connecting the printer and material bay(s). 1. Connect the material tubes from the material bay(s) to the printer. The material tube with the red stripe is for the model material and the material tube with the black stripe is for support material. See Figure Note: If you are using the optional second material bay, the longer...

  • Page 20: Power Cable

    Setup Power cable Connecting the power cable: 1. Connect the power cable to the back of the printer. 2. Connect the power cable to the dedicated power outlet. See Figure Note: Do not use an extension cord or a power strip, using these can possibly cause intermittent power issues.

  • Page 21: Powering On

    Setup Figure 16: Network connection Powering ON Figure 17: Circuit breaker and power switch Circuit breaker Power switch 1. Turn the circuit breaker to the ON position. 2. Turn the power switch to the ON position. Note: After powering the printer ON, it may take up to 5 minutes for the system to boot up completely.

  • Page 22: Initial Language Setup

    Setup Initial Language Setup Upon first start up of the uPrint 3D printer, you will need to set your default language. Setting your default language: 1. From the display panel press Maintenance. 2. Press Setup. 3. Press Select Language. 4. Select the default language you will be using and press the corresponding button. •...

  • Page 23: Verifying System Software

    Setup Verifying system software: 1. Press Maintenance on the uPrint display panel. 2. The display will show the current version number and build number the printer has installed. Compare this build number to the build number that is on the CD from the Welcome Kit. The latest system soft- ware CD will be included in your Welcome Kit.

  • Page 24: Setting The Static Network Address

    Setup Setting the static network address: 1. Obtain your static network address from your Network Administrator. 2. From Idle (or Ready to Build), press Maintenance on the display panel. The display will show Main- tenance and the software version. 3. Press System. 4.

  • Page 25: Connecting Directly To Your Pc

    Setup 12. If your printer is not displayed in the Add 3D Printer pop-up window, you will need to add the printer IP address manually. A. From the General Tab, click the Manage 3D Printers button. B. Click the Add Manually button in the lower right corner of the pop-up window. C.

  • Page 26: System Software

    Setup C. Enter the dynamic IP address for your printer (from step 2B) in the appropriate field. D. Select the appropriate printer type from the drop down list. E. Click Add Printer and close the 3D Printer pop-up window. F. If you get an “Error: Unable to connect to printer” message it may be that your PC is not configured for dynamic networking.

  • Page 27: Installing Material Spools Into Material Carriers

    Setup Installing material spools into material carriers An instructional video can be viewed at http://www.uPrintDimension.com/productinformation/customerinfo 1. Place on a flat surface, unlatch and open carrier. See Figure Note: Save the enclosed bag for storage. The storage bag is used to store material spools when they are not in use and will help keep moisture out of the material.
  • Page 28 Setup Figure 20: Place model material spool into model material carrier Model Support Note: Model (red) and support (black) carriers are different. The material guide tubes install on the opposite side. See Figure 8. Close the carrier with the material guide in place. Latch both buckles completely (the red tab must snap in to place on each buckle).

  • Page 29: Adding Material Carriers To Single Material Bay

    Setup Adding material carriers to single material bay Once material spools have been inserted into the carriers, you will need to add the carrier to the material bay. If using dual material bays see “Adding material carriers to the dual material bays” on page 30 An instructional video can be viewed at http://www.uPrintDimension.com/productinformation/customerinfo 1.

  • Page 30: Loading Material To The Head For The Single Material Bay

    Setup Loading material to the head for the single material bay 1. Once the material carriers have been added to the material bays, press Load... next, press Load Both. The display will show Loading Model. After the model material has loaded to the head the display will show Loading Support.
  • Page 31 Setup Figure 25: Adding carriers to the dual material bay Press Material... 2. Add the model material carriers to the first model material bay (M1) and the second model material bay (M2) by inserting the carrier into the material bay and pushing the carrier in until it latches. See Figure 3.
  • Page 32 Setup Figure 27: Load selected Press Load selected 4. After the selected material bays have been loaded to the head, the display will show Preparing and the inactive model material bay, for example, Preparing M2. This will repeat for the inactive support material bay.

  • Page 33: Building A Test Part

    Setup Building a test part Factory test parts have been pre-loaded onto the operating system of your printer. To familiarize yourself with the building process, it is recommended that you build one of these test parts before attempting to build one of your own files. Once the printer has reached Idle, material has been loaded and a modeling base has been installed, you can build a test part with the printer.

  • Page 34: Operation

    Operation Operation Powering on Refer to “Powering ON” on page 21 for instructions. Display panel and keypad The main user interface is the Display Panel and Keypad. See Figure Figure 29: uPrint display panel and keypad Display Panel Keypad Buttons Lower Displays The uPrint display panel and keypad consist of a multiple-line LCD display with two buttons used for scrolling through messages and four single-line displays, each with one button for making selections.

  • Page 35: System Software Overview

    Operation System software overview This is a brief overview of the sections on the Display Panel. Idle: If there is no part being built and no part in the build queue, the display will show that the printer is • Idle.

  • Page 36: Catalystex Overview

    Operation CatalystEX overview This is a brief overview of the sections in the CatalystEX software. General tab: This section is where you can select the model fill and support style. You can also • change the STL units and STL scale in this section. Orientation tab: This section allows you to rotate and resize your parts.

  • Page 37: Processing Your Stl File For Printing

    Operation Processing your STL file for printing Opening your STL file with CatalystEX: 1. Create an STL file using your CAD software. Refer to your CAD software help section for more information about converting your CAD drawings into STL files. 2.

  • Page 38: Selecting Model Interior Fill Style

    Operation to automatically correct some STL file errors. How the part is orientated can impact this automated repair function. Selecting model interior fill style: This establishes the type of fill used for the interior areas of the part. There are three types of model interior that you can choose from.

  • Page 39: Building A Part

    Operation Building a part If a part has not been sent to your printer for building, the build queue will be empty. If the build queue is empty the display panel will show Idle or Ready to build. Choose whether or not you want to start a build from a remote location or from the display panel at the printer.

  • Page 40: The Display Panel During Build

    Operation The display panel during build The top two lines of the display panel will show the printer status. See Figure 32. The bottom line of the display panel will show the amount of model and support material that remains in the carriers. Figure 32: Display panel during build Single material bay Printer status...

  • Page 41: Pausing A Build

    Operation Pausing a build While building a part, you may want to pause the build to allow for material replacement. To pause the build at any time, from the display panel press Pause. Note: The printer will complete the current tool path before pausing.

  • Page 42: Remove A Part From The Modeling Base

    Operation 4. Close the chamber door. 5. After you have opened and closed the door, the display will show Part Removed? ONLY after remov- ing the part and replacing the modeling base, from the display panel press Yes. CAUTION If you press Yes before removing the part, the printer can be damaged. After you press Yes, the display will show the status as Idle or Ready to Build for the next part in the queue.

  • Page 43: Emptying The Purge Bucket

    Operation Emptying the purge bucket Empty the purge bucket after each build to avoid part quality issues or damage to the printer. WARNING Wear gloves when emptying the purge bucket. 1. With a gloved hand, lift up on the purge bucket and pull it off of the two mounts. See Figure 33 Figure 33: Emptying the purge bucket Purge bucket mounts...
  • Page 44 Operation CAUTION Do not push the material through the filament guide back into the carrier, doing so can cause material to break or become tangled. 6. Open the carrier. 7. Rotate the spool to rewind the material, leaving 2 inches (50mm) remaining at the filament guide. See Figure 34 Figure 34: Rewinding the material spool Rewind the material back onto...

  • Page 45: Material Bay Leds

    Operation CAUTION Do not push the material through the filament guide back into the carrier, doing so can cause material to break or become tangled. 6. Open the carrier. 7. Rotate the spool to rewind the material, leaving 2 inches (50mm) remaining at the filament guide. See Figure 35 Figure 35: Rewinding the material spool Rewind the material back onto...

  • Page 46: Replacing Material Spools

    Operation Replacing material spools Removing a spool of material from the carrier: 1. Place the carrier on a flat stable surface. 2. Unlatch the carrier and open. 3. Remove the spool of material. Discard any pieces of material that may remain in the carrier. 4.
  • Page 47 Operation 6. Locate the two material retaining clips on the carrier. See Figure Figure 37: Material retaining clips Material retaining clips 7. Place the material guide in the material guide slot on the spool. See Figure 8. Place the material in the material detents. See Figure Figure 38: Material guide slot and detents Material detents...

  • Page 48: Auto Power Down

    Operation Figure 39: Installing material retaining clips Place clip here and push down to lock in place 11. Remove the material spool from the material carrier. See Figure Figure 40: Properly installed material retaining clips. 12. Place the material spool in the storage bag that came with the material carrier. Note: When not loaded in the printer, always store material spools in the material carrier or the storage bag that came with the...

  • Page 49: Powering Off

    Operation Powering off To power off the printer, turn the power switch to the OFF position. You can do this at anytime without harming the printer. No other steps are necessary. If this is done while the printer is building a part, the current part will not be completed.

  • Page 50: Troubleshooting And Maintenance

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Troubleshooting and Maintenance Troubleshooting Checklist Problem or error Solution message on display panel No power Verify power cord is securely plugged in. Verify that the circuit breaker (at rear of system) and the power switch (on left side panel of system) are both in the ON position.
  • Page 51 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Problem or error Solution message on display panel Material Error Remove the carrier and verify material is coming out of the Filament error material guide. Verify material pulls freely from the carrier. Verify the material tubes are free of material. Reload material.

  • Page 52: Fault Determination Codes

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Fault determination codes If a fault occurs which would prevent uPrint from executing an operator request, the system will begin to shut down and cool. The panel will display one or two error codes. An error-code list (with the filename “error.txt”) can be found on the CD-ROM for the system software.
  • Page 53 Troubleshooting and Maintenance 1. From the display panel press Cancel and remove any parts from the printer. 2. Insert a new modeling base. 3. From Idle, press Maintenance A. Press Machine. B. Press Head. The head will come to rest in the center of the chamber and the Z platform will change position.

  • Page 54: Clogged Extrusion Tip

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Clogged extrusion tip Occasionally, an extrusion tip may clog with material. This is often accompanied by a loss of extrusion (LOE). A clogged tip will prohibit material load and part building. Note: It is recommended that you read and understand this entire procedure before performing any of the work.
  • Page 55 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Figure 42: Remove the air plenum Press tabs in to remove air Press tabs in to remove air plenum plenum 6. Move the material idler wheel out of the way on the side that is clogged. Use a 7/64 and 1/8 T-Handle as illustrated in Figure 44 (model side shown).
  • Page 56 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Figure 44: Create access space for cleaning - model side shown 7. Move the toggle bar to ‘deactivate’ the clogged tip. Note: Push the toggle bar to the right to deactivate the support side. Push the toggle bar to the left to deactivate the model side.

  • Page 57: Recovering From Loss Of Extrusion

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance 11. Use the 7/64 T-Handle to hold pressure against the toggle spring and keep the idler wheel away from the material. Remove the 1/8 T-Handle. 12. Press Blower Off on the interface panel. With the head blower off the temperature of the extrusion tube will increase.
  • Page 58 Troubleshooting and Maintenance WARNING The head area is hot. Use leather gloves when working in this area of printer. 2. Remove head cover by squeezing raised pads on sides of cover. See Figure 41 3. Place the tip toggle bar in neutral position (bar will extend equally from both sides of head). This can be done manually - push on the extended bar end.

  • Page 59: Cycling Power

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Note: Move only one idler wheel assembly at a time. Finish cleaning around the moved wheel and restore it to its normal position before moving the other idler wheel. Having both wheels out of position simultaneously could stretch the spring.

  • Page 60: Tip Wipe Assembly

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Tip wipe assembly The tip wipe assembly should be replaced approximately every 500 hours. 1. Completely power down the printer. See “Powering off” on page 2. Move the head to the right of the printer to gain access to the tip wipe assembly. Figure 46: Move the toggle head to the right 3.

  • Page 61: Tip Shield Replacement

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Tip shield replacement Tip shields can become worn or damaged over time. This can have a negative impact on the surface finish and detail of models. Replace the tip shields every 500 hours. Figure 48: Tip Shield Damage 1.
  • Page 62 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Figure 49: Tip Shield Removal Tip plate Insert small standard screwdriver to pry tip shields from tips. Tip shield 4. Clean the tip using the wire brush supplied with the Welcome Kit to remove any debris. See Figure 50 Figure 50: Clean tips with wire brush Clean the tips using a wire brush.

  • Page 63: Extrusion Tip Replacement And Calibration

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Extrusion tip replacement and calibration Replace tips at approximately 2000 hours. Note: Tips can also be damaged by improper care while performing maintenance in the area around the tips. CatalystEX displays the tip time (hrs) - from the Printer Services Tab - Printer Info button (Tip time will reset to zero after replacement).

  • Page 64: Installing Tips

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance B. Use needle nose pliers to grasp the stainless steel shield of the tip. C. Pull the tip shield toward you, then pull down to remove the tip from the heater block. Discard the used tip. See Figure Figure 52: Remove the tips Pull tips down to...
  • Page 65 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Figure 54: Tip shield alignment Align the tip shield so the slotted end is facing the back of the printer 2. With gloved hand, insert the new tip into the heater block. With the slotted side towards the rear of the printer.
  • Page 66 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Note: Make sure the tip remains all the way up against the heater block as you tighten the screws. Figure 56: Tighten heater block clamp screws. Tighten screws Tighten screws 8. Repeat steps 3 through 8 for the other tip if necessary. 9.

  • Page 67: Tip Calibration

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Tip calibration: Tip Replacement requires Tip Calibration. 1. Select Start Part (flashing) - the printer will run two calibration parts. • The printer will automatically build a Z Calibration part, measure the part and calibrate the Z Axis for tip depth and tip level (approximately 5 minutes).

  • Page 68: Chamber Light Bar Replacement

    Troubleshooting and Maintenance Chamber light bar replacement 1. Power down the printer. 2. Locate the wiring harness leading away from the top of the light bar. 3. Disconnect the light bar from the wiring harness by squeezing the wiring harness clip while pulling down.

  • Page 69: Preventive Maintenance

    Preventive Maintenance Preventive Maintenance Daily Empty the purge bucket Empty the purge bucket after each build has completed. Inspect the tip wipe assembly After each build you should inspect the tip wipe assembly to make sure there is no material build up. If there is material build up, clean the tip wipe assembly.

  • Page 70: 2000 Hour Maintenance

    Preventive Maintenance 2000 Hour maintenance Tip replacement See “Extrusion tip replacement and calibration” on page 63. User Guide Document Number 206465-0001...

  • Page 71: Support

    Support Support Registration To register your uPrint 3D printer, visit http://www.uprintdimension.com/productinformation/customerinfo Customer Support Visit http://www.uPrintDimension.com/productinformation/customerinfo for the following: • How to order consumable parts for your uPrint printer. • Technical support contact information for your uPrint printer. • Technical support for your SST tank. •...

  • Page 72: Recycling

    Recycling Recycling Recycle all materials per your local recycling guidelines. Recycling System Component Materials Code Model material guide (red, both halves) Support material guide (black, both halves) ACETAL Material retaining clip (yellow) Material Carrier (clear top, black bottom and bottom cover.

  • Page 73: Removing The Eeproms From The Material Guides

    Recycling Follow your local recycling guidelines when recycling electronic components. Removing the EEproms from the material guides 1. Open the model and support material carriers and remove the material guides. 2. With a small standard screwdriver, pry the two material guide halves apart. See Figure Figure 58: Pry the model material guide apart Pry apart with a small standard...

  • Page 74: Warranty Statement

    uPrint™ Limited Warranty Stratasys, Inc. ("Stratasys") warrants its' uPrint™ 3D Printer system and associated peripheral devices and replacement parts (collectively, the "Product") purchased from Stratasys or an Authorized Stratasys Reseller to be free from defects in material and workmanship according to the terms and conditions stated below: Warranties extend only to the original purchaser of the Product.

  • Page 75: Declaration Of Conformity

    Eden Prairie, MN 55344-2080 Type of Equipment 3D Printer Model Number 180-00108 uPrint 3D Printer 180-00109 uPrint 3D Printer 180-00110 uPrint 3D Printer We declare under our sole responsibility that the devices mentioned above comply with the following EU Directives:...
  • Page 76 7665 Commerce Way Eden Prairie, MN 55344-2080 USA http://www.uPrintDimension.com User Guide 206465-0001...

This manual is also suitable for:

180-00109 uprint180-00110 uprint

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