Fortus 400mc: Material Changeover

Before starting the changeover process, navigate to Modeler Status > Material Status

Take note of the amount of material left in each canister

Gather all of the supplies needed for the changeover: new material canisters, appropriate tips, and the ball-end Allen wrench included with the machine

Make sure the model and support material are compatible with each other and that you've chosen the correct tips for each

From the main menu, navigate to Operator Control > Change Tips/Mat'l

This will guide you through all the necessary steps in the correct order

It is strongly recommended that you use this material changeover option rather than doing it manually using the Load/Unload Mat'l menu

Select Unload Model and Support.. and wait for the machine to unload the canisters

It will unload first the model canister and then the support canister. The canister LED will first flash rapidly, then it will flash at a slower rate when the canister is ready to be removed

Once unloaded, remove the canister(s) from the machine and insert the new canister(s)

For more detail on this process, see steps 2 and 3 of this guide

Label any partially used canisters with a sticky note that includes the material type, amount of material left (from step 1), and the date it was removed from the machine

Navigate to the next page in the changeover process by choosing Select Materials/Tips..

Cycle through the possible combinations of tips by using the Select Tips command. Stop when the configuration displayed matches the tips you just installed

Select Reset Tip Odometers.. and take note of the values associated with each tip. Add that number to the cumulative value on the sticky note inside each tip container

Press the Enter key to clear the odometer value of the tip(s) that were changed

Unlock the oven door from the Reset Tip Odometers page and place a build sheet on the platen

See step 4 of this guide for details and troubleshooting about inserting a build sheet

Once the build sheet is secure, navigate to Select Calibration Part Position > Locate Part Start

Use the 2, 4, 6, and 8 keys to jog the head to the desired start position. It is recommended that you place the first calibration part at the front left corner of the build sheet

When selecting a part start, the model tip indicates the front left corner of the bounding box of the part

Press Enter to set the part start, then select Load and Calibrate..

Whenever the new model material has a different oven temperature from the previous material, there is a required oven stabilization time

If you used the Change Tips/Mat'l option, the machine will determine the appropriate stabilization time and will print the calibration part automatically when that time has passed