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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. Open the CatalystEX software.
3. From the File menu select Open STL...
4. Navigate to and select the STL file that you have created.
Selecting the scale of your STL file:
Before you process a part for printing, you can change the size of the part within the build envelope. Every
part has a pre-defined size within the STL file. After you have opened the file you can change the size of
the part produced from the STL file by changing the scale. The scale always relates to the original STL file
size definition.
For example: a cube that is defined as 2 X 2 X 2 can be built to be 4 X 4 X 4 by simply changing the scale
to 2.0. If after changing the scale to 2.0, you decide that a size of 3 X 3 X 3 would be preferred, change the
scale to 1.5 - the scale relates to the original size of 2.0, NOT the resulting 4.0 from the first scale change.
Click within the scale input box to type a scale of your choice.
Selecting the orientation of your STL file:
The Orientation tab has an expanded preview window. It provides options for viewing a part, measuring a
part, orienting a part, processing a part and viewing the layers of a part. How a part is oriented in the
preview window will determine how the part is oriented when it prints.
Orientation impacts build speed, part strength, surface finish and material consumption. Orientation can
also affect the ability of CatalystEX to repair any problems with the STL file.
You can choose to auto orient your part, which allows CatalystEX to determine the best orientation for the
part for the fastest build time and least material usage, or you can manually change the orientation of your
part.
Orientation Considerations:
Build Speed - Closely related to material use. A lesser amount of supports will allow for a faster build
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speed.
Another factor affecting build speed is the axis orientation. The printer can build faster across the
X-Y plane than it can along the Z axis. Orienting a part so that it is shorter within the modeling
envelope will produce a quicker build.
Part Strength - A model is stronger within a layer than it is across layers. Depending upon what fea-
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tures you want your part to demonstrate, you may need to orient your part to have its greatest strength
across a specific area. For example a tab that needs to be pressed would be weakest if you are apply-
ing pressure across layers.
Surface Finish - Much like orientating for strength, how the part is orientated will determine how the
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surface finish will look and allow the printer to provide the smoothest finish for a specific area. For
example, if building a cylinder, orienting the cylinder upright will have a smoother surface finish than
building it on its side.
STL File Repair - It is possible for an STL file to have errors while appearing to be trouble free. If the
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STL file contains errors, CatalystEX may have problems processing the file. CatalystEX has the ability
Document Number 206465-0001
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User Guide
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