The Objet is our highest resolution 3d-printer3D-printer. It's a fairly advanced (if old) UV resin printer, and while it's much less user friendly than a Prusa SLA printer, it can create very high quality prints. It works by "wiping" a single layer of UV resin at a time. This avoids some of the thermal / curing deformations that can occur with the Prusa.
The prints are quite expensive, but the machine should be used every 5-8 days in order to keep the material flowing in the tubes.
material will harden and go to waste in the tubes if it's not used somewhat regularly.
This is the user manual: Alaris30_user_manual.pdf
There is a printed copy of the manual in the lab, with markups of the most relevant segments for day-to-day use.
The currently available material is called VeroWhite. It is some kind of acrylic, hard and brittle.
VeroWhite_datasheet_hazards.pdf
Material_specifications_VeroWhite.pdf
Quick-start guide:
The printer setup consists of the machine itself and two computers. One computer runs the Alaris software that controls the machine. The other computer runs the Objet Studio software, which handles model slicing and acts as a job server for the printer controller. Both computers are connected to the same display, mouse, and keyboard. To switch between the two machines quickly hit scroll lock twice followed by enter.
The computer password is TrollM66.
- Turn the Alaris computer on. Open the Alaris software. Let the machine start up, until the display says Idle.
- Before using the printer it must be cleaned. Use Options → Wizards → Head Cleaning Wizard. After the print head moves all the way to the right and the build plate moves down, reach underneath the print head and clean the roller and print heads with a fine cloth from the drawer under the printer and wiping alcohol. Place the mirror from the drawer under the print head to inspect the roller as you clean it – any stains or dirt on the roller will damage your print.
After completing the wizard, wipe off the build plate as well. It must be entirely clean before printing. - Now the machine is ready to print. Switch to the Objet Studio machine by hitting scroll lock twice followed by enter. On this machine, open Objet Studio.
- Import your STL file. Allow the software to place your object by clicking Automatic Placement in the toolbar. To rotate your model, right click it and click 'transform'.
- Select whether you want a glossy or matte surface finish by right clicking your models. Matte requires more post processing as the entire model will be covered with a thin layer of support material.
- Ready to print. Click File → Build Plate. Save your build job as appropriate.
- The Job Manager should open. Check that there are no errors. When the job is done preprocessing, switch back to the Alaris machine. Scroll lock x2, enter.
- Click the big red button to connect to the job manager. The machine should start warming up and perform its pre flight check. This can take around 15 minutes, and may have to be done more than once if the machine has not been used for a while. This is because the machine will try to flush out old material from its tubing. If it doesn't get it all it may error out, just try to restart the job in the job manager.
Enjoy your expensive 3D print!
Removing support material – Objet_WaterJet_User_Guide.pdf We will not be using this official cleaning station. But the cleaning principles will be the same, some kind of high-pressure water nozzle.
The currently available material is called VeroWhite, and has the following spesifications.
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