![stratasys catalyst ex download stratasys catalyst ex download](https://jamesdeakin.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/catalyst1.jpeg)
The Z stage (platen) rises to its starting position, just a few thousandths of an inch (or tenths of a millimeter) from the material extrusion tips that protrude from the liquefier. The 3D printer heats the build chamber and brings the plastic liquefier up to operating temperature. Select your job from the queue, and press the machines start button. Insert a base and close the chamber door. Insert the part-material and the support-material cartridges the system will automatically feed the material filament to the extrusion head. Then it outputs a build file, which defines precise motion control paths.Ĭlick print to send the build file to the 3D printer.
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It sections the design into layers and creates toolpaths for both the part and its disposable support structures.
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Select an orientation and then let the software do the rest. Pick a build and support style to match your applications requirements. In Catalyst or Insight software, open your CAD file (in STL format), and select a material, color and slice thickness. Lets take a closer look at the FDM process from start to finish. The Z stage platen (d) moves down to give the part the third dimension.
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In the heated chamber (c), the head moves in the X- and Y-axes while liquefying and depositing material. Material cartridges (a) supply plastic filament to the extrusion head (b). Image shows a part in various stages of the build process.įDM machines have build volume capacities ranging roughly from 288 cu. The automated three-step process is quick and simple: Finish up by either washing or stripping away the support material that held the part in place.įDM builds three-dimensional parts by melting and advancing a fine ribbon of plastic through a computer-controlled extrusion head, producing parts that are ready to use. When the part is complete, open the chamber and remove it. Alternating between part material and support material, the system deposits layers as thin as 0.005 inch (0.13 mm). Heat is applied to soften the plastics, which are extruded in a ribbon, roughly the size of a human hair.
![stratasys catalyst ex download stratasys catalyst ex download](https://images.cati.com/f00000000221344/www.cati.com/wp-content/uploads/j35-pro-printer-b.jpg)
Two materials, one to make the part, and one to support it, enter the extrusion head. Press print to start the building process. This step is automatic when using Catalyst EX. Using the sectioning data, the software then generates tool paths or building instructions which will drive the extrusion head. The preprocessing software calculates sections and slices the part design into many layers, ranging from 0.005 inches (0.127 mm) to 0.013 inches (0.3302 mm) in height. In operation, your first step is to import a design file, pick options, and create slices (layers). The FDM process begins in one of two build-preparation programs, Catalyst EX or Insight. (slicing or sectioning CAD design into layers) This guide will walk you step by step through the FDM process.ģD Printing with FDM: How it Works of 5 Stratasys FDM machines create functional parts by extruding and depositing thermoplastic materials in layers. At the core of each system is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). This includes the product lines Dimension, uPrint, and Fortus as well as Hewlett Packards Designjet line. Stratasys manufactures several lines of machines, including 3D printers and their big brothers, 3D production systems (or production 3D printers). This makes very complex parts easy to produce. How does a 3D printer work? Beginning with computer-aided design (CAD) data, which defines a tool path, the 3D printer extrudes and deposits molten thermoplastic in layers to build the part from the bottom up. Installations range from a single machine in a hobbyists basement to manufacturing centers with dozens of systems. The 3D printing process is so easy and yet so powerful that both home-based businesses and Fortune 500 companies count on it. The term 3D printer was a trademark of Stratasys Inc, which, in 1999, the company allowed to enter the public domain and become a generic industry term.Ī 3D printer simplifies and accelerates the process of making prototypes and finished goods. This is the opposite of traditional subtractive manufacturing processes, which produce objects by cutting material away from a block to create the shape desired. Additive manufacturing produces objects in a succession of layers from the bottom, up. 3D PRINTING WITH FDM: How it WorksBy Joe Hiemenz, Stratasys, Inc.Ī 3D printer is a machine that creates objects from plastic or other materials using an additive manufacturing process.