User's Manual

Introducing the Objet 3D Printing System
3–8
DOC-06800 Rev. A
Preparing Files for Use with Objet 3D Printing Systems
Before using files with Objet 3D printing systems, you must convert them
in your CAD program to either stl files or slc files. (For an explanation of
these file formats, see Source Files on page 3 4.)
After converting the model files, it is recommended that you check them for
defects in an STL repair application (such as Magics, by Materialise
®
)
before opening them in Objet Studio and producing the model.
Converting
CAD Files to
STL Format
This procedure may vary slightly, depending on the CAD software used,
but the following instructions generally apply.
To convert a file to STL format (in a CAD program):
1. From the
File
menu, select
Save As
.
2. In the Save As dialog box, open the Save As Type pull down menu and
select
*.STL
.
3. Click
Options
and set the following parameters:
•
Total Qualityapproximately 0.01 mm (deviation tolerance /
linear dimension tolerance)
•
Detail Qualityapproximately 5° (angle tolerance)
Note: Lowering these values produces more accurate models, but
results in larger files and longer loading and processing times. For this
reason, it is generally not recommended that you use lower values.
4. In the file format option, choose binary or ASCII. (Both binary and
ASCII formats can be used in Objet Studio. However, binary files are
smaller, so this option is recommended.)
5. Click
OK
or
Save
.
Converting
Files to SLC
Format
When converting files to SLC format, it is recommended that you set a layer
thickness of 15 microns (0.015 mm). Since SLC files cannot be orientated in
Objet Studio, it is important that models are properly orientated before
being saved as SLC files. Considerations for suitable model orientation are
explained in Model Orientation on page 5 29.
For more information, search for “CAD to STL” on objet.com.
D R A F T
16 June
2013