Objet Eden500V User Manual

Contents

Objet Eden500V User Manual Manual pdf 24 page image

Introducing the Eden 3-D Printing System3–4 DOC-00500 Rev. FSTL Files STL is short for Standard Triangulation Language. This language views anyobject as a collection of surfaces, and describes each surface of the object asa collection of triangles.For example, a square can be described as two triangles; a cube (sixsquares) as 12 triangles. Curved surfaces need more triangles to describethem. The higher the tolerance (for smooth surfaces), the more triangles areneeded. The result is that high‐quality object descriptions mean very heavyfiles.Most CAD software can export STL files. The Eden system utilizes thesefiles for building models (rapid prototyping), and also for directly makingmolds for mass‐producing items.STL files are ASCII (text) files. The content of each file begins with “solid”and ends with “end‐solid” (both lower case). Between these keywords is alist of the triangles that describes the faces of the solid model. Each triangledefines a single normal vector directed away from the solid’s surface,followed by its X‐Y‐Z coordinates. These are expressed as Cartesiancoordinates and are floating‐point values. The coordinates of all trianglesshould be positive and should fall within the volume of the model.SLC Files SLC is short for Stereo‐Lithography Contour. SLC files describe two‐dimensional contours of the three‐dimensional models. These contour linesare polylines.SLC files are ASCII (text) files that save models as a series of slices. Thismeans that models based on SLC files cannot be orientated; only their scale(size) and position on the build tray can be controlled. For this reason, themodel’s orientation must be suitable for production before it is saved as anSLC file. Because of the nature of SLC files, the appearance of models inObjet Studio may be different than the solid‐object images displayed fromSTL files.Printing MaterialsMaterials used for printing models with Eden printers are made of resins,which are composed of reactive monomers and oligomers. Care must betaken when storing and handling them, both to protect operators and theenvironment, and to ensure their effectiveness.Signs of premature polymerization in material cartridges may includebulging, leaking, the emission of heat, and unusual odor. Exposure to heatcan cause resin to gel in the cartridge. To prevent this, observe the followingguidelines when handling and storing Eden modeling and supportmaterials.