3D Systems ProJet 1200 User Manual Download Page 6

1

3D Systems, Inc.

1

 INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the ProJet

®

 1200 3D printer . 

The ProJet 1200 professional 3D Printer produces small, detailed parts for casting, prototyping and end-use parts from 3-D solid 

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models . It is intended to be used as a 3-dimensional output device to communicate design intent with 

durable, physical parts . Parts produced can be used in all phases of design, from a concept build to functional testing and assembly 

verification. For example, a part can be used as a tool to communicate design intent, to verify the fit of a new or existing component part 

or to create a rugged, plastic prototype of a new invention. Parts made on the ProJet 1200 are ideal for dental wax-ups, jewelry and 

other castings, and durable, stiff parts are also great for plastic prototypes .

These parts are generated in the rapid prototyping (RP) environment under the control of the printer operators . It does not require a 

special technical staff to supervise the system . All design and process considerations are compatible with an RP environment . The 

three-dimensional solid parts that are printed consist of an ultraviolet (UV) curable material . The resin transfer mechanism provides a 

controlled layer thickness of VisiJet® part material which is deposited and patterned using a proprietary imager technology which 3D 

Systems

®

 has developed . When creating the pattern, the VisiJet® material undergoes a phase change . This phase change converts 

the liquid material into a solid polymer . When the print is complete, the part adheres to the print pad . This pad along with the part is 

removed from the print platform and the part is cleaned and cured to provide a finished part.

COPYRIGHT

©2014 by 3D Systems

®

 . All rights reserved .

Under the copyright laws, this user guide may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of 3D Systems . The ProJet  

logo is a trademark of 3D Systems and is registered in the U .S . Use of this logo without the prior written consent of 3D Systems may 

constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws .

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate . Other company and product names mentioned 

herein are trademarks of their respective companies . Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes 

neither an endorsement nor a recommendation .

The product described in this user guide incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by method claims of certain U .S . 

and foreign patents and other intellectual property rights that are owned by 3D Systems

®

 . Reverse engineering is prohibited .

VisiJet

®

 is a registered trademark of 3D Systems .

FCC NOTICE

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class “A” digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules . 

These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference . This equipment generates, uses, and can 

radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference 

to radio communications . Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user 

will be required to correct the interference at their expense.

COMPLIANCE

This equipment conforms with International Electric Committee (IEC) 60950-1 and meets the requirements of the applicable EC 
directives .

Summary of Contents for ProJet 1200

Page 1: ...ProJet 1200 Professional 3D Printer User Guide Original Instructions ...

Page 2: ... Material Cartridge 5 VisiJet FTX Cartridge Removal 5 VisiJet FTX Material Disposal 5 VisiJet FTX Material Handling 5 VisiJet FTX Material Safety 6 VisiJet FTX Material Usage 6 ULTRAVIOLET UV SAFETY 6 3 AT A GLANCE 7 About the Printer 7 Connections 8 4 SPECIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 9 Specifications 9 Printer 9 VisiJet FTX Material 9 5 UNPACKING AND SETTING UP YOUR PROJET 1200 10 Contents 10 Unpa...

Page 3: ...nnecting The Printer 22 Connecting Printer Using a USB Connection 22 Activating Printer 24 Test Material Cartridge 24 7 OPERATING THE PRINTER 25 Software Overview 25 Printing A Part 26 Transform Parts 27 Arrange Parts 27 Generating and Editing Supports 28 Sending the Job to Print 29 Print to File 29 8 FEATURES OF GEOMAGIC PRINT 30 PART MANIPULATION 30 Scale Part 30 Manual Orient 30 Changing Z Comp...

Page 4: ... Cleaner 34 Special Consideration when Cleaning Parts 35 Changing the Isopropyl Alcohol in Containers 1 and 2 35 Cleaning Parts with 70 Isopropyl Alcohol 35 Cure and Post Process the Part 36 10 USER MAINTENANCE 37 Replacing the Curing Bulb 37 Cleaning the Unit 38 11 SERVICE AND SUPPORT 39 REPACKING 39 REPACKING THE PROJET 1200 39 12 9 ...

Page 5: ...iv 3D Systems Inc ...

Page 6: ...d the part is cleaned and cured to provide a finished part COPYRIGHT 2014 by 3D Systems All rights reserved Under the copyright laws this user guide may not be copied in whole or in part without the written consent of 3D Systems The ProJet logo is a trademark of 3D Systems and is registered in the U S Use of this logo without the prior written consent of 3D Systems may constitute trademark infring...

Page 7: ... The warranty period for the ProJet 1200 3D printer is for one 1 year and starts at the earliest of i the date your ProJet 1200 3D printer is activated or ii ninety 90 days after the ProJet 1200 3D Printer is shipped from 3D Systems to the end customer or to the reseller or retailer that sold the ProJet 1200 3D Printer to the end customer THIS WARRANTY IS THE ONLY WARRANTY PROVIDED FOR THE PROJET ...

Page 8: ...ltage can cause severe burns or death Access panels are for service only and should be opened only by certified service personnel or trained maintenance personnel Hot Surface Hazard A hot surface is accessible in the vicinity of this sign or behind the access panel Avoid contact Hot surfaces can cause severe burns Access panels are for service only and should be opened only by certified service pe...

Page 9: ...rile gloves should be worn when operating this equipment Hazardous voltage exists inside the electrical module Injury or death from electrical shock can result if the system s electrical box covers are removed When installing replacement modules ensure the power is off before removing panels HIGH VOLTAGE POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY High Voltage Potential If the electrical module is in need of repa...

Page 10: ...Leaks indicate a serious malfunction The first priority is to protect users from inadvertently touching the material Handling uncured material requires the use of gloves and other protective equipment to ensure there is no direct skin contact If uncured spills occur promptly remove the spilled material and dispose of the waste material according to local environmental regulations If a problem with...

Page 11: ...ety glasses with side shields to provide eye protection in the event of a leak or spill of uncured print material Respiratory Protection Because of the printer s built in controls respiratory protection is not necessary during normal operation The status screen in the client software will prompt the user to change the printer s air filters at prescribed times Individual use may vary depending on t...

Page 12: ...play B Print Door C Elevator Guide Rods D Elevator E Print Platform Clamp Lever F Print Platform G Material Cartridge Clamp H Print Cartridge Support I Material Cartridge Clamp Lever J UV Curing Bulb Socket K Curing Chamber Carousel L UV Curing Bulb M Curing Chamber Door N Curing Chamber ...

Page 13: ...8 3D Systems Inc CONNECTIONS A B C A Ethernet B USB C Power Input ...

Page 14: ...al Properties Condition Values Values Values Values Values Values Name VisiJet FTX Green VisiJet FTX Cast VisiJet FTX Gray VisiJet FTX Clear VisiJet FTX Silver VisiJet FTX Gold Composition UV Curable Plastic UV Curable Plastic with Wax UV Curable Plastic UV Curable Plastic UV Curable Plastic with Metallic Flakes UV Curable Plastic with Metallic Flakes Color Dark Green Light Green Gray Clear Metall...

Page 15: ...Inc 5 UNPACKING AND SETTING UP YOUR PROJET 1200 CONTENTS A ProJet 1200 B VisiJet FTX Green Consumable Cartridge C Build Platform D USB Cable E Plastic Insert F Foam Insert G Power Supply Curing Bulb D A C E H B F H G ...

Page 16: ...e all foam and packing material for the future repacking of your ProJet 1200 Shipping the printer without original packing materials may cause damage to the printer 1 Pull the grip handle tabs A 2 Remove the grip handles from the box 3 Lift the outer box off the printer A ...

Page 17: ...ter near direct sunlight If the material cartridge is exposed to direct sunlight the resin will begin to cure NOTE There should be a utility power outlet and an active network port nearby NOTE There should be a minimum of 6 152 mm air space between the back of the printer and any other object NOTE There should be at least 10 254 mm air space on either side of the printer 6 Remove the protective fi...

Page 18: ...t useless 8 Open the print door and remove the plastic insert A from the material cartridge support NOTE If necessary lift the print material cartridge clamp lever C to gain more clearance 9 Remove the foam insert B from inbetween the material cartridge support and the clamp lever C NOTE When installing the UV curing bulb ensure the plastic insert is reinserted in the material cartridge clamp The ...

Page 19: ...dge support assembly may dislodge or become damaged It is strongly recommended that the packing foam is inserted into the material cartridge support and then the cartridge clamp secured with the material cartridge clamp lever 1 Open the curing door 2 Hold the Curing Bulb with tissue paper or paper towel with notch facing up 3 Insert end of bulb down in hole and bulb base up into socket ensuring it...

Page 20: ...TE Always wear nitrile gloves when wiping off cartridge holder to ensure no material gets on skin NOTE Before opening FTX Gray Silver and Gold cartridges hold the cartridge securely and shake firmly but carefully for about 30 seconds to mix the contents 3 Check material cartridge to ensure tab is folded over and facing the front of machine if not fold over now 4 Insert the material cartridge into ...

Page 21: ...ng material and slide the cartridge back into the cartridge support Make sure the cartridge sets securely into the pocket and push down the clamp to lock in place NOTE It is advised to only put a cartridge in the machine and clamp it once Repeating clamping can break the seal between the film and the cartridge Use special care when replacing cartridge after stirring procedure to ensure the seal re...

Page 22: ...cores RAM 4 GB 8 GB or more Virtual Memory in Win 7 and Win 8 it is recommended to use the default option Automatically manage paging file size for all drives HARD DISK 400MB of available hard disk space for installation additional free space is required during installation Temporary file cache requires about 3 GB free disk space for every 100 million points SSD or 10 000RPM HDD GPU NVidia or AMD ...

Page 23: ...istration an email will be sent to you with a link to the 3D Systems 3DS Central login page Installing the ProJet 1200 Software 3DS Central is the location where you can access user manuals installation guides service procedures software and firmware information You must create an account to gain access to these resources 1 Go to https 3dscentral 3dsystems com and enter your name and password 2 Se...

Page 24: ...Double click file that was just downloaded to begin installing software Install Application 1 Open the downloaded installer 2 The first screen to appear in the download process is Calculating Information screen 3 Select Next 4 This screen will allow user to select the path for the information to be stored a If the default path is sufficient select Next b If user wishes to select somewhere else sel...

Page 25: ...tallation screen appears with a status bar at the bottom of the left pane displaying the status of the installation When bar is completing green the next screen will appear 7 The last step in the process is when the Finalizing Installation screen appears at this point select Finish 8 Installation is now complete ...

Page 26: ... 1 On the Help tab in the Help Group click Check for Updates 2 A dialog will appear showing available updates 3 Choose available updates to install and click Update NOTE It is recommended to keep printer firmware updated to avoid compatibility issues Create Service Log 1 On the Help tab in the Help Group click Create Service Log 2 Use this function when submitting a service request to your reselle...

Page 27: ...completed the boot process and is ready to connect to a network 2 If connecting to a network connect the printer Ethernet port A to the network with an Ethernet cable If connecting printer via USB connection see CONNECTING PRINTER USING USB CONNECTION below A NOTE Once the printer is connected to the network the IP address will appear NOTE If no IP address displays this could be because your compa...

Page 28: ... company might be on a sub net If this is the case contact your IT Administrator to find the IP address 4 Select the name of the printer from the list and select Set as Current 5 A screen will pop up that will allow you to change the printer name This is useful if you have multiple printers and you want something to identify them such as printer_room202 might be the name you choose If you don t wa...

Page 29: ...w be activated through the 3DSSystems activation server 3 Enter a name for the printer Click Next 4 Choose the printer and click Set As Current this will set the printer as current 5 The printer is now ready to use Test Material Cartridge Before removing label from material cartridge test to ensure cartridge is inserted properly 1 Select Check Cartridge from the Help tab 2 If cartridge is not inse...

Page 30: ...Systems Inc 7 OPERATING THE PRINTER Application overview SOFTWARE OVERVIEW H E G A Quick Access Toolbar B Main Menu C Properties D Structure Tree E Printer and Unit Information F Print Area G Ribbon B A C D F ...

Page 31: ...ial that will be used to print the part 1 Click 2 Select Preferences 3 Select desired material from drop down menu 4 Click Apply NOTE For assistance in selecting which material works best for your application see the FTX Material chart under Section 4 Specifications and Requirements 1 Click Import on the Home tab 2 Select the file you want to import ...

Page 32: ... in the view It will snap to each 10 percent increase or decrease hold Shift to disable snapping NOTE If the Uniform option is unchecked the part can be scaled in each direction separately scaling this way can distort the part model Arrange Parts Arrange parts on the printing platform by Auto Arrange 1 Select Auto Arrange from the Home tab 2 Click OK NOTE The part will be placed in the center of t...

Page 33: ...an also be created manually using the Manual Support command Edit Supports 1 Select Manual Support from the Home Tab 2 Rotate the view below the platform using Right Click Drag 3 Select misplaced supports at the edge and press Delete to remove them 4 Create supports manually by selecting Manual Support from Home tab 5 Selecting size for support and clicking on the solid surface that support is nee...

Page 34: ...ld file under My Documents 3D Systems Geomagic Print Print to File The print can also be saved as a file 1 Click Print to File on the Home tab 2 Select location and file name and click Save NOTE Before you print a part ensure the proper material type has been selected from the preferences section If you try to submit a print job and the material does not match an error will be shown You will be as...

Page 35: ... part can also be scaled using the red handles on the boundary of the part in the view It will snap to each 10 percent increase or decrease hold Shift to disable snapping NOTE If the Uniform option is unchecked the part can be scaled in each direction separately in that way distort the part model Manual Orient 1 On the Home tab click Interactive Transform 2 Select the part 3 Hover the mouse over t...

Page 36: ...ks best for your application by gradually increasing the value from 0 in one build at a time until your parts are within your required tolerance in the z dimension This may take a few test builds to get just right 1 Click 2 Select Preferences 3 Highlight Z Compensation and Change Value 4 Select Apply Use this chart to help in determining amount of Z compensation you will need to use when building ...

Page 37: ...limit the exposure of the material cartridge to light Always wear protective gloves during post process CAUTION Always follow the precautions noted on the MSDS sheets for any chemical being used 1 Place a towel under the part Rotate the print platform clamp lever up enough to unlock the print platform NOTE Resin may drip from the part The towel is used to collect dripping resin so that printer par...

Page 38: ...d Container 2 2 Place print platform into Container 1 3 Add 99 IPA to Container 1 Use enough IPA to completely submerse the parts 4 Using the print platform handle continuously dip and remove the part into Container 1 for 60 seconds 5 Remove parts from Container 1 Allow excess alcohol to drip from the parts for 30 seconds 6 Place print platform into Container 2 7 Add 99 IPA to Container 2 Use enou...

Page 39: ...o Container 2 Use enough IPA to completely submerse the parts 12 Replace the lid onto Container 2 13 Place Container 2 into the ultrasonic cleaner Make certain the water level is approximately 6mm 1 4 inch above the alcohol level in Container 2 14 Switch the ultrasonic cleaner on for 90 seconds 15 Switch ultrasonic cleaner off and remove Container 2 from the ultrasonic cleaner 16 Remove parts from...

Page 40: ...ith all local state and federal regulations Cleaning Parts with 70 Isopropyl Alcohol You may use 70 as opposed to 99 isopropyl alcohol to clean parts Using 70 IPA requires the following minor modifications to the cleaning procedures The cleaning times increase 2 minutes in Container 1 and 90 seconds in Container 2 It is advised to dry parts gently using compressed air This will be quicker and more...

Page 41: ...e print platform 9 Use your fingers remove the base from the part 10 Use fine grit sandpaper to sand down the unwanted protrusions from the bottom of the part 11 Apply Isopropyl alcohol to a soft cloth and gently clean the part NOTE FTX Clear parts that remain tacky after curing may need to be cured for another cycle Repeat curing cycle until parts are no longer tacky NOTE For more intricate parts...

Page 42: ...stalling the bulb If the printer is rotated to its side or upside down the glass plane under the material cartridge support assembly may dislodge or become damaged It is strongly recommended that the packing foam is inserted into the material cartridge support and then the cartridge clamp secured with the material cartridge clamp lever 1 Remove print platforms from the build chamber and curing cha...

Page 43: ... a part of the print cartridge support Remove the glass and clean any resin fingerprints or any other debris which may have accumulated Glass Print Cartridge Support 1 Holding on to the bulb with tissue or paper towel gently pull bulb down out of socket 1 2 After bulb is loose from socket lift it out of the machine 2 3 To replace the bulb follow the procedure Installing the Curing Bulb on page 14 ...

Page 44: ...ever to the up position if not already up slide the dummy cartridge in and place the cartridge lock lever to the down position 4 Apply a 6 inch piece of painter s tape or any tape that does not leave a residue starting from the cartridge lock lever to the bottom of the machine Ensure the lever does not have any slack NOTE Always wear nitrile gloves when installing or removing the material cartridg...

Page 45: ...upport 8 Place the upper foam insert A on the top of the printer Place the peripherals box B on top of the foam insert as shown 9 Place original box over top of printer so it covers entire machine 10 Insert plastic handles in holes on the sides of the box 11 Press tabs A into side of plastic insert to secure handles to the box A B ...

Page 46: ...3D Systems Inc 3D Systems Inc 333 Three D Systems Circle Rock Hill SC 29730 www 3dsystems com 2014 3D Systems Inc All rights reserved pn 341410 00 Rev E ...

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