Run a 3D Print Analysis
Run an additive manufacturing simulation for the selcted print parts.
-
Click the
button on the Analyze
icon.
- Click
on the Analyze icon to view the run status.
Runs that are being processed or that have not been viewed are shown in the
Run Status table. - Click
on the Analyze icon to view the run history.
Runs that have been viewed previously are shown in the Run
History table. - The
icon indicates that the run was
incomplete. Some but not all of the result types may be available. You
should run a new analysis to generate complete results. - To view multiple runs, hold the Ctrl key while selecting runs, then click the View Now button. If several runs are associated with the same part, the result from the most recently completed run for that part will be activated in the modeling window.
- To open the directory where a run is stored, right-click the run name and select Open Run Folder.
Process Parameters
Process parameters impact what result types are available at the end of the simulation, as well as the processing time an accuracy of results.
- Analysis type
- The analysis type determines what result types will be available at the end of the simulation. Selecting Pure Thermal will generate results for temperature and nodal temperature. Selecting thermo-mechanical will also generate results for displacement, plastic strain, and von Mises stress. Thermal analysis is much faster, as thermo-mechanical analysis requires more processing time due to the greater number of results types.
- Scan strategy
- The scan strategy is determined by the 3D printer, and in most cases only By Layer is available.
- Velocity
- The velocity of the 3D printer laser. This information is unique to the printer model and should be available from your 3D printer.
- Laser power
- The power of the 3D printer laser. This information is unique to the printer model and should be available from your 3D printer.
- Powder layer thickness
- For powder-based 3D printing processes, this indicates the thickness of the powder layer that is spread across the printing bed. This information is unique to the printer model and should be available from your 3D printer.
- Powder absorption
-
The powder absorption in the z-direction is a property of the powder. It depends on the material as well as the grain sizes and grain shape, as well as the grain distribution after spreading.
The energy powder absorption is the fraction of energy really used to melt the powder, the rest is reflected and then lost. It can also be seen as the efficiency of the laser powder interaction.
If the powder absorption is unknown, it should be calibrated so that the temperature at activation time is close to the temperature in the melt pool. As an example, for titanium the melting temperature is about 1800K, whereas the temperature in the melt pool is close to 2300K. A pure thermal dilatation will help to quickly determine the right value.
- Cooling time
- Cooling time is the time needed after printing for the part to cool before cutting it from the base plate. This information is unique to the printer model and should be available from your 3D printer.
- Base temperature
- The temperature of the printer base plate.
- Average thickness
- The simulations results are shown as a voxel mesh. You can enter either an average thickness or an element size for the mesh.
- Element size
- If you choose to define the voxel mesh in terms of element size, enter a length and height. A good starting point is generally 1 x 1 mm.
- Fast/Accurate
- Drag the slider to set the desired balance between speed and accuracy for the simulation. There are three positions that use different numerical parameters when running the solver: Fast, Intermediate, and Accurate.