To Create a Tray Assembly
This procedure provides information on how to add parts and assemblies to a tray, create a pattern, position them on the tray, and change their sizes.
1. To create a new tray assembly, click File > New, under Type select Manufacturing, and under Sub-type, select Additive Manufacturing.
2. To select a template, follows these steps:
a. Clear the Use default template option and click OK. The New File Options dialog box opens.
b. Select a Template from the list, or click Browse to select another template.
c. Under Parameters, edit the required values.
3. Click OK. The Tray tab opens.
4. Click
Assemble. The
Open dialog box opens. Select a model to add to the tray and click
Open. The model is added to the tray with a dragger and the
Component Placement tab is displayed.
5. Place the model on the tray and define constraints if necessary.
| To allow movement of models on the tray, when you exit the placement tool, the constraints are removed. |
6. On the
Component Placement tab, click
.
7. Continue adding parts and assemblies to the tray.
8. To automatically position the models on the tray, click
Auto-position and select one of the following:
◦ To position the models using the
Creo algorithm, click
Arrange on Tray.
◦ To position the models using the 3D printer algorithm, click
Printer Auto Position. This option is available when a 3D printer is connected.
| You can lock the position or the rotation of a model on the tray. Right-click the model and select Fix Location or Fix Rotation. When a model is locked, automatic position does not affect it. |
9. To move the models on the tray using a dragger, click the model, and on the mini toolbar, click
Edit Definition and position the model.
10. When you connect to a printer through a Materialise build processor, to generate support structures, click
Generate Support. Support structures are generated for all the models in the tray assembly.
11. To create a pattern that allows you to print several copies of a model, click
Pattern and follow these steps:
a. Select the model you intend to duplicate. The Pattern tab opens, with the default Fill pattern option selected.
b. Use the draggers to define the amount of copies you wish to create.
c. To define a pattern using another method, select another pattern method and define the required parameters.
d. Click
. The
Pattern tab closes.
12. To perform automatic nesting, click
Nesting. The models change their position to utilize the tray volume.
13. To modify the size of the models, click
Global Scale >
Scale All and on the
Scale tab, use the slider or type a value in the box. The new scale is set to be the actual size.
14. To reset the scale of the models to the original size, click
Global Scale >
Reset All.
15. To move assembly entities through an allowable range of motion, click Operations > Drag Components, and select the entity you want to move.