Basic Concepts

Before you begin using this app, you need to know the basic concepts.

This page discusses:

Before You Begin

Before starting the app, make sure that the Persist Resource Position check box is selected. This option is available in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Digital Manufacturing Apps Common Services Manufacturing Simulation Apps Common Services > 3DSimulation > Environment.

Note: The app performance may vary depending on the type of part used. Do not use parts containing lattices.

About the Help Icon

The Help icon is available in most dialog boxes. It displays visual representations of the various parameters available.

From any dialog box, click Help to display a 3D representation of the parameters available in the work area.

Machine Customization

You can import a DLL file to associate it with the machine in session and display a list of services.

You can also create a virtual machine based on DLL files provided by machine vendors.

Native Services or Virtual Machine Services

You can import a DLL file to associate it with the machine in session. You can then display a list of services that you can add to or override the native services of the application. You can choose between using native or virtual machine services. The services available are as follows:

  • Add or edit rules.
  • Best orientation computation: Specify an orientation in which to print a given part.
  • Nesting computation: Position the parts to print in the build envelope of the machine for a given set of parts and number of instances required.
    Note:

    You can show the build envelope as a cube surrounding a machine with Hide/Show Build Envelope in the Setup section of the action bar.

    Use the Powder Bed Fabrication App to specify the value of the build envelope in the Rectangular Build Envelope section of the Reference Parameters dialog box.

  • Scan path generation: Compute and order the scan path for a set of parts (and their supports) inside the build volume of the machine.
  • Post processor services: Translate the geometry, slices, or scan path into a file that you can send to the machine to start the print.

Before importing the DLL file, you must create a reference DLL file implementing the following API:

int ComputeScanPathInAZone(const char* iParamsAsXML, const Object* iSlice, 
	                    Object *& oScanPath)
A file containing the API is available in <V6_install_dir>\startup\Additive\ExternalServices.h. The table below lists the parameters to define in the reference DLL file:
Parameter Description
iParamsAsXML Input parameter that corresponds to the XML content. The content describes the parameters to use for computation.
iSlice Input parameter that corresponds to the C-structure. The structure contains the geometry of the zone where to generate the scan path and other parameters.
oScanPath Output parameter that corresponds to the structure containing the generated path.

Virtual Machine

You can create a virtual machine based on DLL files provided by machine vendors. The services available are as follows:

  • Best orientation computation: Specify an orientation in which to print a given part.
  • Nesting computation: Position the parts to print in the build envelope of the machine for a given set of parts and number of instances required.
  • Scan path generation: Compute and order the scan path for a set of parts (and their supports) inside the build volume of the machine.
  • Post processor services: Translate the geometry, slices, or scan path into a file that you can send to the machine to start the print.

You can also associate a configuration file to virtual machines. Click a configuration file from the Configuration File list under the Services tab in the Reference Parameters dialog box. You can edit the files available in the Configuration File list under Me > Preferences.

Note: Configuration files may be required to connect the virtual machine to a third-party software.

Managing Machine Vendor Rules

When creating rules with the virtual machine, you can update the list of rules declared on the machine using the associated machine vendor DLL files. Click Update List of Rules under the Rules tab in the Reference Parameters dialog box.

Note: Rules that come from machine vendor DLL files are considered external rules. You cannot add or remove external rules defined on the virtual machine. You can only browse and partially edit them. Some native services may no longer be available when external rules are applied.

Scanning Optics Definition

You can define scanning optics to manage lasers during the printing simulation process. You can give each parameter an associated Name and ID, which appears in the Scanning Optics dialog box.

Trajectories generated by the scan path computation are optimized based on each laser's parameters and position. These new trajectories are stated in the output files.

Scanning Optics Parameters
The following parameters are available:
Parameter Description
Max Scan Speed Specifies the maximum scanning speed. By default, the value is 10m/s.
Max Scan Power Specifies the maximum scanning power. By default, the value is 600W.
Max Jump Speed Specifies the maximum jump speed. By default, the value is 10m/s.
Beam Parameters

The following Beam parameters are available:

Parameter Description
Focal Diameter Specifies the beam focal diameter. By default, the value is 0.2mm.
Maximal Defocusing Length Specifies the maximum defocusing length. By default, the value is 0.1mm.

Scope Parameters
Depending on the Shape Type selected (rectangle or circle), the following parameters are available:
Rectangle Circle

Parameter Description
Length By default, the value is the difference between the minimum and maximum Y value.
Width By default, the value is the difference between the minimum and maximum X value.

Parameter Description
Radius By default, the value is: 150mm.

You can edit these parameters directly in the work area.
Mirror Mounting Point Parameters
You can also define the Mirror Mounting Point using the X, Y, and Z coordinates. This is in the top center of the build envelop by default.

Chamber

You can define chamber parameters to specify parameters for the additive machine.

Parameter Description
Gas Inlet Direction Direction of the gas. By default, the value is along the x-axis (value = 0).
Gas Inlet Distribution Type Distribution of the gas in the build chamber: lateral or from center to border.
Gas Inlet Area Area of the entrance of the gas in the build chamber.

Exclusion Zones

Exclusion zones are zones on the build tray or on a part that are designated as zones free of machining. Zones defined as exclusions zones remain in the database while saving data and can be associated to a rule.

You can define exclusion zones on a part using the Edit Exclusion Zones command from the Build Layout dialog box. This command opens the exclusion zone panel and displays the exclusion zone context toolbar.

The exclusion zone panel contains a list of current exclusion zones.

The exclusion zone context toolbar allows you to free-form draw or generate a predefined shape as an exclusion zone. When a new exclusion zone shape is created using the context toolbar, it appears on the build tray and is projected along the z axis up to the maximum height of the machine to create a solid body. You can use the Robot to edit the shape and its placement on the build tray.

For more information, see Commands Accessible from Exclusion Zone Creation and Positioning the Parts on the Build Tray.

Regions

Regions are volumes that you can define on a part. It is useful to define regions if you plan to generate a different slicing and scan path on specific volumes of a part.

To create a region, you must select a closed volume that corresponds to a physical product. It is only possible to define regions if the part contains two or more physical products.

For more information, see Adding Regions.

Supports

Supports stabilize the part during the build process, and reduce residual stress by improving thermal diffusion during the build. You can select multiple supports at once using Ctrl and clicking the required supports.

For more information, see Rules for Generating Supports.

Supported Parts

Only STL parts with closed volumes are compliant with the app. However, if you load an STL part with closed volumes, it is not possible to:

  • Compute the orientation of a part that minimizes the volume of supports.
  • Automatically positions the parts on the build tray using Generate Nesting .

Output

You can generate a file containing geometrical and slicing information.

Output Formats

You can generate the following file formats when exporting: 3MF, SLC, CLI, STL, and AMF.

You can also select VM's extension to set the output format to that of the virtual machine. In this case, the Input Data Type is Custom Export.

Export Parameters

The following methods are available:

Method Description
Geometry without support structure Exports the geometry with the support structure.
Geometry with support structure Exports the geometry without the support structure.
Only support structure Exports only the support structure.

Check Build

You can check the build setup by clicking Check Build in the Generate Output dialog box. The resulting information is displayed in the Messages Reporting dialog box.

Generate Documentation

You can generate a shop floor documentation when exporting by selecting Generate Documentation.

If the Save output(s) in Manufacturing Cell option is activated, the documentation will be stored in the same NC container than the output. If not, it will be stored at the same location than the output.

You can generate the documentation along with the output file for the selected position parts. You can use either a default template or a customized template defined in Me > Preferences > Common Preferences > Additive Manufacturing > Additive Part Preparation.

See Customizing Preferences

Tree Structure

The additive manufacturing process content is located under a manufacturing cell in a PPR Context.

Below are examples of the typical structure and content that appear in the tree when working in the app.

The manufacturing cell contains:

  • A build tray node with elements from your working environment.
  • An instances node for the parts positioned on the build tray and a context menu for instance part.
  • A support zones node for each instance containing the support features grouped based on their type of support.
  • A support features node for each support zone grouped based on type.

In the tree, you can do the following:

  • Multiselect objects and cross-highlight objects from the tree to the work area.
  • Select objects in tree during the command scope.
  • Sort the supports with a context menu on the build tray based on:
    • If there are any supports for the zones, then all the zones with no supports are grouped together.
    • The types of the supports, which could be either edges, point, or tree.