F370 3D Printer

[[|100px|left|top|]] [[|300px|thumb|upright=1.5|]]
The Stratasys F370 printer is an FDM (fused deposit modeling) printer capable of producing highly accurate parts, whether for prototyping or functional use. The F370 shares the same brand and concept as the Dimension printer, but with subtle differences in operation and maintenance. The F370 boasts the largest build plate in the Prototype lab. Combined with its high accuracy and consistency, the F370 can be left overnight to print multiple parts from throughout the day with little worry about print failures.

The Stratasys printers utilize dissolving support material that leaves no surface damage from breaking off supports and allows for creative parts that are impossible on other printers. This printer is a great option for highly detailed or complex parts, parts containing holes that require high tolerances, parts that take advantage of the dissolving support material, bulk prints, or overflow from the Prusa printers when they are full.

What else?

Documentation

• Product Home Page
• User Guide
• Operation and Maintenance Manual
• GrabCAD Help Page

Training

Workflow Chronology

The basic workflow for using the F370 will be as follows:

• Preparing the Printer
• Preparing Your File for Print
• Printing Your Part
• Soaking Your Part

Each section below will have specific information relevant to each step. You are encouraged to speak with a lab volunteer for advice and guidance for any step of the process.

Preparing the F370

• Powering on the Printer

The F370 can be powered on by pressing the large power button next to the touch screen console on the front of the printer. The printer may take up to 15 minutes to boot up, so do this step first if you plan to print soon.

• Before you can open your part in GrabCAD, make sure your part is in the .STL format.

• Acceptable Prints
  • The maximum part size is 14 x 10 x 14 inches, or 35.56 x 25.4 x 35.56 centimeters. Any part that large should be shown to a lab volunteer to discuss options.
  • Generally, a part will be fit for the F370 or Dimension printer if it is highly detailed and/or has holes that require fairly high tolerances. If it is a small, detailed part, a Form 2 printer should suffice. If the part is quick and simple, a Prusa will likely suffice.
  • If your part is designed to take advantage of the dissolving support material the Stratasys machines use, then verify with a lab volunteer that it will be okay to print.
  • Even if you are certain your part belongs on the Dimension or F370, double check with a lab volunteer before you add it to the pack. Their goal is to help you, but the Prototype Lab would like to avoid excessively expensive and/or unnecessary prints.

Using GrabCAD

GrabCAD Print is the software shared by the F370 and Dimension printer. It allows one to easily orient and view the part that needs to be printed. Both printers are web based, which allows one to start the print from the one of the lab's computers.

On Opening GrabCAD, make sure that you select the printer you want to use for the part you want to print; in this case, the F370, which will appear as "f370D30365". The volunteers in the lab can help you determine which printer would work best. The menu the the right of the image shows the printer options, ?????????????????? After ensuring you have the software correctly set up, open your file and place it on the build plate, Note: your file has to be in STL format to work with any printing software. The build plate is correctly scaled to the actual build plate, so when sizing up or down you can check the size and placement of the print with the build plate.

Water Bath Workflow

• Link to more detailed bath page.
• This section will contain basic information on what to do with the parts and bath, with basic safety info (gloves, goggles, washing yourself, spill, etc) and "see bath page for more detailed information" on particular topics.

Mentors Only

This section will be for information that pertains only to Aces and Mentors.