Polyjet Printing in GrabCAD Print
This tutorial is an intro to the settings options available in GrabCAD Print for PolyJet printing.
PolyJet is a 3D printing technology developed by Stratasys that allows for rigid, opaque, multi-color, transparent and flexible prints. PolyJet uses multiple print heads to deposit liquid plastic onto a clean build platform layer by layer in high resolution. The material is cured as it is deposited and to support material a print can be water blasted to remove a majority of the material.
GrabCAD Print is the software developed by GrabCAD to plan and execute prints for Stratasys printers. With this tool, users can import CAD assemblies onto the build tray, plan printing jobs more efficiently, and remotely monitor a print.
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Step 1: Get Started with GrabCAD Print
- If you have not yet installed GrabCAD Print on your computer or you need to connect to a printer, head over to this site to install it.
- After you have installed GrabCAD Print please read steps 1-4 of the GrabCAD FDM printing tutorial here.
Other resources
If you are setting up your PolyJet printer and need help connecting your computer's network to the printer please head over to this site.
Finally, head over here to find printer user guides.
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Step 2: Choose Surface Finish
To access the setting options, click on the Print Settings icon.
There are two surface finish options, Matte or Glossy.
Here is a model created by Alexa Nahum that has a glossy finish on top and a matte finish on the bottom.
Glossy takes less time and material and creates smooth surfaces.
Matte allows you to capture sharp edges, fine features, and details.
Note
If you require a uniform surface finish or texture, select the matte finish because surfaces that require support materials will print in matte.
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Step 3: Material Options
With PolyJet printers there are a variety of material types that you can choose from and mix together to create parts with different colors or different material properties.
Today we will be demonstrating the PolyJet's printing options with this model of a Stratasys J750 printer that we will print in a J750 printer.
To look through the materials available to you go to settings and select Change Materials
Select to load the materials currently on your printer.
The printer above currently has Vero materials loaded.
Vero material and Veroflex, a more flexible version of the material, allows users to create a wide range of colors.
PolyJet offers users a great variety in material properties. Below are just a few of the many materials options available for PolyJet printers.
Tango - Simulates rubber and flexible materials
MED - A Biocompatible material
Durus - Ideal for simulating parts that need to bend or require high impact resistance
Rigur - Good for parts that require high-temperature resistance and strength
Shore A value
When using flexible materials such as Tango we can 3D print models that have Shore-A values that are comparable to those in rubber bands, tire treads, and shoe heels. With the Shore-A level setting, we can modify the hardness of flexible materials to meet our requirements.
Support Material Options:
There are two material options with PolyJet printing:
FullCure 705 - Can be removed through water jet cleaning or by hand
SUP 706 - Soluble support material, ideal for architectural models, jewelry, or other parts that are too small or delicate to clean by waterjet
For more detailed information on the material properties of these options or to get help choosing a material, go to this site.
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Step 4: Color Options
With PolyJet Printing you can highlight detailed patterns and features with the two color options.
- Solid Model Coloring
- Color Coating
Model Color
With this option, we can apply color to the whole model using the color picker or the digital colors.
However, the range of colors is limited by the materials loaded in the printer.
Let's say the printer is out of the VeroMagenta V material.
If we look at the model now
the gray that we selected is not possible because the is not any VeroMagenta to add to the mix. In this case, we might decide to choose a different color.
Note
When printing a solid color model we have the option to hollow out the model and select the shell thickness.
Coating
To save the amount of color materials consumed a color coating can be applied to the surface.
With this option, the interior of a print will be printed in one plain color and only the exterior will print in full color.
Models can only be printed from the library of Digital Materials.
To coat, we must also choose a thickness for the full colored exterior.
Let's Compare
Here is a model with the main body colored with a purple color. Let's see how much of each color is consumed when we compare a solid color model with a color coating.
Click the Estimate button in the bottom right corner of the page.
With the coating used for the estimate on the right, we saved 778 cubic inches of VeroMagenta material with the high mix. In that model, the interior layers are primarily filled with VeroPureWhite. And only 130 cubic inches of VeroMagenta is used to coat the exterior.
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Step 5: Send to Print
When we are satisfied with our settings click the Print button in the bottom right corner of the page.
We can also look at the queue for the printer and if the wait is too long we can use a different printer in our network.
Right now we are second in the queue.
That's a brief overview of the settings offered for PolyJet Printing. Have fun!
