Material shrinkage occurs in thermosets as they transition from liquid state to solid state during the curing process.
The 3D SPRINT™ Client Software has features that allow the user to compensate for the natural shrinkage of the material in order to fine tune the accuracy of a part.
These shrink compensation values serve as general guidelines to setting shrink compensation. Part building and cleaning in a controlled process will best determine the optimal shrink compensation values for a particular geometry.
ProJet® MJP 2500W / IC Default Shrink Compensation Values for all materials (as of 20180607) are as follows. New default values MAY be rolled out without software update notification.
Printer | Material | X Value | Y Value | Z Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
ProJet® MJP 2500W | VisiJet® M2 Cast (Part Wax) | 0.60% | 0.60% | 0.00% |
ProJet® MJP 2500 IC | VisiJet® M2 ICast (Part Wax) | 0.55% | 0.65% | 0.25% |
Identify the exact X and Y dimensions of the part using a CAD program.
Build and clean the part and take measurements of the finished part.
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NOTE: If the measurement of the finished part is different from the measurement of the CAD model, fine tune the accuracy using scaling factors. |
Use the following formula to calculate the scaling percentage to be used for fine tuning the build:
XCAD = XCAD x (1 + X Scaling Factor) x (XPART / (divided by) XCAD)
YCAD = YCAD x (1 + Y Scaling Factor) x (YPART / YCAD)
Therefore,
X Scaling Factor = (XCAD - XPART) / XPART x 100 (answer will be a percentage)
Y Scaling Factor = (YCAD - YPART) / YPART x 100 (answer will be a percentage)
Example:
X measurement of CAD model = 3.000"
Y measurement of CAD model = 5.000"
X measurement of printed part = 2.998"
Y measurement of printed part = 4.989"
X Scaling Factor = (3.000 - 2.998) / 2.998 x 100 = 0.067%
Y Scaling Factor = (5.00 - 4.989) / 4.989 x 100 = 0.22%
Applying Shrink Compensation Values
There are two ways (Methods A and B) to select or enter new custom Shrink Compensation for the job.
Enter standard Shrink Compensation Values for the material or entire print job.
Select the Add Button.
Select Shrink Compensation Values for this material.
Print your part(s) with scaling factors and confirm by measuring. Process may need to be repeated depending on the various geometries of parts.