RE: SLS problem follow on

From: Miller, Michael W (michael.w.miller@boeing.com)
Date: Wed Feb 26 2003 - 03:02:28 EET


I've encountered plety of failed builds on my sls2000 where it just "up and dies". I have noticed that large numbers of parts on a layer and complex cross-sections requiring lots of laser-ons and laser-offs drove up the incidents of computer lock. Using outline also increased chance of failure. Nasty builds that required almost a minute just to load the scanner are also prone to this.
 
Question: Are the newer machines (2500, pluses, and Vanguards) more reliable?
 

Disclaimer: Engineer and out the other!
Experience is something you get right after you need it.
Michael W Miller (michael.w.miller@boeing.com) 206-655-3289
The Boeing Company M/C 45-17 66-ZA-2320
Rapid Product Manufacturing 655-4366 Lab 655-4365
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Tilton [mailto:stilton@protoprod.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 7:51 AM
To: 'Brian Caulfield'; Rapid Mailing List
Subject: RE: SLS problem follow on

I ran into the "maximum number of parts" issue a long time ago.
 
I had large arrays of very small parts and after the machine crashed (stalled, whatever you want to call it) I sent the info to 3D systems. (or was it still DTM?)
 
Anyway, the techies quickly got back to me and told me I had WAY too many parts being built simultaneously.
 
If memory serves correctly, they recommended that I limit things to 64 parts being scanned on any one build layer. 32 if outline was turned on.
 
So now I have resorted to setting up the array of parts and then using the "combine to one STL" tool.
It seems to work okay I guess. Although I'd still prefer that each part fill and outline individually.
 
 
I remember being irritated at the time it happened.
I thought that sort of information should have been shared during training or explained somewhere in the documentation.
There's no way I was the first person to ever come across that problem.
 
But then that sort of thing has happened more than once, so it doesn't faze me anymore.
 
I've had builds stall for HOURS before, but haven't had the powder melt or burn.
I wonder what caused your machine to get so hot to burn things up.
 
Good luck
 
Scott Tilton
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Caulfield [mailto:brian.caulfield@nuigalway.ie]
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 10:09 AM
To: Rapid Mailing List
Subject: SLS problem follow on
 
Hi guys,
    Thanks for all the responses, there are alot of good heads out there! Just to ellobrate more the error message that I saw was " Insufficient Scanner Command". The N2 levels were fine. What is the maximum number of parts that can be built at one time on the machine does anybody know? I was building a large number of test specimens and I am wondering whether this is the cause, but I made a built previous to this with simialr settings and part numbers and everything was fine. I was building part out of Duraform.
    Once again thanks for the responses and ideas
 
Brian



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