How to Install GrabCAD Print on Your Stratasys J Series Printers
This tutorial covers how to set up your GrabCAD Print software for your J750 or any other Stratasys printer in the J series.
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Step 1: Overview
This tutorial covers how to install GrabCAD Print on a Stratasys J series printers, for a brand new install.
There are 6 main steps in the process:
- Download the 2 necessary pieces of software
- Choose Your connection scenario
- Install the Job Manager inside your printer
- Install your GrabCAD Print client (Scenario 1)
- Install your GrabCAD Print client (Scenario 4)
- Add your printer and start printing!
We've split this tutorial up into steps with a short video for each one, but if you want to watch the How-To video in its entirety, here it is below:
There will be segments of the video in each section that follows.
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Step 2: Download the 2 necessary pieces of software
Here is a video covering downloading the 2 needed pieces of software (or you can keep reading below):
If you're still reading, here's what you'll need to complete this install:
GrabCAD Print is the 'client', where you will lay out files on a tray, choose your print settings and materials etc., while the PolyJet Job Manager is a background piece of software that runs inside your printer, accepting jobs as they are sent from different GrabCAD Print clients:
Both are available for download at print.grabcad.com, if you have a GrabCAD Print account.
So, on any computer:
1.Visit GrabCAD.com
2.Select 'Print' in the top navigation bar
3.Select 'Signup for Free' (skip to #5 in this list if you already have a GrabCAD Print account):
4. Fill out your information:
5. After you get your confirmation email, log in to print.grabcad.com and download GrabCAD Print from the big button in the center of the screen (it will be around 430 MB):
6. Next, you’ll need to download the GrabCAD PolyJet Job Manager by going to "Apps":
and scrolling down to the "GrabCAD PolyJet Job Manager" (about 130 MB):
If the printer is in a secure environment, these two pieces of software can be downloaded on any machine and moved into the secure environment via USB drive:
And now you have the two pieces of software you need to continue.
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Step 3: Choose Your Connection Scenario
Your next step is to decide if your J750 (or other J series printer) will be connected to your LAN. This decision will affect where you install each piece of software. Here is a short video on that, or you can keep reading below:
The two most common install is Scenario 1, where you connect your printer to your secure company network and can print from any computer on that network which has GrabCAD Print installed:
Some companies, however, may not wish their J series printer to be on their local network, and in that case you will need a computer NEXT to your printer to "Host" GrabCAD Print. In this case the operator can only send jobs to the queue when they are within a crossover cable's distance from the printer. For reasons I won't get into here, we call this Scenario 4:
So the only step you need to take in this section is:
7. Decide if your J series printer will be connected to your company LAN (Scenario 1) or not (Scenario 4):
And if you need other, less-used options, try these other scenarios.
Once you have decided between Scenario 1 and 4, continue on.
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Step 4: Install your Job Manager
For BOTH Scenario 1 and Scenario 4 users, take the 150 MB PolyJetJobManagerInstaller.exe file you downloaded earlier, and install it on your printer computer (the computer that’s embedded INSIDE your J-series printer).
Here's a video on just that:
- TIP: you will want to make sure you have uninstalled any older versions of the PolyJet Job Manager file (under "Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs")
The only step in this section is:
8. On the embedded computer inside your J-series printer, double click on the PolyJetJobManagerInstaller.exe to install it
When the new Job Manager starts installing, be sure to select the following on the startup screen:
The IP address of 127.0.0.1 is the Job Manager communicating with the printer IN THE SAME COMPUTER as itself, so this address won't change, no matter your install scenario. (Later, we will use a different IP address for OTHER computers to find the printer. But not now.)
Here’s where it can get tricky....
- If you are going into Scenario 1, continue on to the next step.
- If you are going into Scenario 4, SKIP to Step Six: Scenario 4 Users
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Step 5: Scenario 1 Users
If you’re in Scenario 1, continue with the following steps directly on your printer computer.
If you didn't watch the video, what you are doing is giving your printer an IP address with the following steps:
9. On your J-series Embedded machine, go to Network Connections
10. Right click on the LAN connection and open 'Properties'
11. Select 'TCP/IPv4', click 'Properties'
12. Change to use 'automatic' IP address and DNS server:
Next, you need to install GrabCAD Print on your host computer. (Remember from the early steps, you’ve already downloaded the GrabCAD Print client. Now, you’re just installing it.)
To install GrabCAD Print, go to any computer on your LAN where an engineer usually sits and:
13. Double click the 430 MB GrabCAD-Print-Installer.exe file you downloaded in sub-step #5
14. Accept all terms and agreements. (You will need to be the admin on the local machine to install, and the install will take about 5-7 minutes.)
15. Launch GrabCAD Print at the end:
Important tips:
- Make sure the computer you install GrabCAD Print on is also on the same LAN as your printer or else it won't be able to see them.
- Make sure you have Administrative access for the computer you’re installing GrabCAD Print on. (There is another version of GrabCAD Print that does not require Admin rights, but that will be unsupported soon)
- And if you are having trouble downloading, check the support page.
Once GrabCAD Print is up and running, your last step is to simply:
16. Add your printer inside GrabCAD Print.
You’re done! Go to Step Seven: Start Printing.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR PRINTER'S IP ADDRESS, follow these steps:
17. On your embedded printer computer, hit the Start button
18. Type 'cmd' to find the Command Prompt program and run it
19. Type 'ipconfig/all' and hit enter.
20. The IP address will be labelled "IPv4 address":
Enter that IPv4 address into GrabCAD Print on your engineer's work computer to connect, and you should see your machine!
OK, now you’re really done! Head to Step Seven: Start Printing!
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Step 6: Scenario 4 Users
If you’re going into Scenario 4, here are those steps on video:
The main difference here is the presence of a "Host computer", or a separate computer attached to your Printer via crossover cable, where you will send jobs to it:
The first steps are similar to steps #13-15 for to Scenario 1 users, except that now you are installing on your HOST computer:
13. Double click the 430 MB GrabCAD-Print-Installer.exe file you downloaded in sub-step #5
14. Accept all terms and agreements. (You will need to be the admin on the local machine to install, and the install will take about 5-7 minutes.)
15. Launch GrabCAD Print at the end:
Now comes a bigger difference: you must tell the host computer the IP address of the printer, since the printer is not on your LAN. Typically, the IP address of the Printer PC is 10.0.0.1 and the Host PC is 10.0.0.2:
To CHECK those IP addresses if you need to, we can do the same as steps #17-20 for Scenario 1, mainly, using the 'ipconfig' command:
17. On your embedded printer computer, hit the Start button
18. Type 'cmd' to find the Command Prompt program and run it
19. Type 'ipconfig/all' and hit enter.
20. The IP address will be labelled "IPv4 address":
Use that IP address of the EMBEDDED (usually set to 10.0.0.1 by the installer) to find your printer from your Host:
You should then see your printer in GrabCAD Print!
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Step 7: Start Printing!
Ready to start using your Stratasys Printer? Here are some tutorials to help get you started:
- Pre-Printing tips for PolyJet Printing on GrabCAD Print
- PolyJet 3D Printing Best Practices: Tray Assembly & Material Selection
- How to Use the Pantone Color Library in GrabCAD Print
