Additive Manufacturing > Preparing Models for 3D Printing > To Create a Tray Assembly
  
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 .
Models that are visible on the tray will be printed. Hidden items are not printed.
7. Continue adding parts and assemblies to the tray.
8. To automatically position the models on the tray, click Arrange on Tray 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.
◦ To orient the models on the tray according to the z-axis of the build direction analysis, click Build Direction. See About the Build Direction.
This applies only to part models. For assemblies, even if an assembly includes a part that contains a build direction analysis feature, the assembly is placed on the tray in the same way as for Arrange on Tray. A build direction analysis at any level of the assembly is ignored.
 
* 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. 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.
11. To perform automatic nesting, click Nesting. The models change their position to utilize the tray volume.
12. 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.
13. To reset the scale of the models to the original size, click Global Scale > Reset All.
14. To move assembly entities through an allowable range of motion, click Preparation > Drag Components, and select the entity you want to move.
15. To prevent the lattice from detaching from the solid body when the build process is completed, set the lattice penetration:
a. Click Preparation > Lattice Penetration. The Penetration and Capping tab opens.
b. Type a penetration value in the Lattice Penetration box.
c. For models that contain beams lattice, you can select the Terminate beams with spherical cap check box instead of defining a penetration value. This terminates the beams adjacent to the solid wall with a spherical cap that penetrates the wall.
d. Click Done. The Penetration and Capping tab closes.
You can see the overlapping contours of the lattice and body structures in the slicing viewer.
16. 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. See About Support Structures.