Pack parts in Netfabb for Multi Jet Fusion or SLS printing, using simple outbox packing and the Monte Carlo packer.
Transcript
00:03
In preparation for MJF (Multi Jet Fusion) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) printing in Netfabb,
00:11
packing is used to arrange multiple parts in the build space in as little space as possible, while avoiding collisions and interlocking problems.
00:20
Netfabb offers multiple packing tools to accommodate various 3D arrangements,
00:26
including simple outbox packing and the more advanced Monte Carlo packer, which is optimized for minimum platform height.
00:34
To view the available tools, click Arrange in the main menu.
00:40
In My Machines, select the machine you wish to open a workspace for.
00:46
In this example, an MJF 580 workspace is opened.
00:53
To add parts, select Home > Add part.
00:59
In the Add Parts dialog, locate and select the appropriate parts file, and then click Open.
01:06
In this case, 47 parts are added from the selected step file.
01:14
The loaded parts are now displayed in the build and listed in the Browser.
01:20
In this example, the parts do not fill the build volume.
01:25
To duplicate the parts, select them in the build, and then, in the main menu, select Duplicate > Same Position.
01:37
In the Duplicate Parts dialog, keep the Total count of 2, then click Duplicate.
01:44
Now, there are 94 total parts.
01:49
Take note of the orientation of the parts.
01:52
For example, as two parts are selected here, you see that each is oriented in the Y direction.
02:01
For this example, a custom menu was created to make it easy to access the necessary packing tools.
02:09
Here, the Custom Menu for Arrange Demo is selected in the main menu.
02:14
To create a custom menu, simply click Settings > Custom Menus,
02:23
and then select New Panel in the Custom menus dialog.
02:28
From here, you can add sub panels and tools from the Netfabb defaults on the left to build your custom menu on the right.
02:38
Click Cancel to close the dialog.
02:41
To begin packing, in the build, select the parts that you want to pack.
02:47
Then in the custom menu, click Simple Packing.
02:53
In the Simple bounding box packing dialog, ensure that the Packing Dimensions are set to in 3D, and then adjust the packing options.
03:03
In this case, the Minimal Part Distance, Voxel size, and Distance to side Walls (XY) are all set to 5.
03:13
Click Pack Platform.
03:16
Now, the parts are packed.
03:20
Notice that the orientation of the parts observed previously is still the same, in the Y direction.
03:27
This packer does not rotate the parts, but simply places them in the build volume based on their bounding box.
03:36
As a result, not all parts fit.
03:41
To address this, try using a different packer.
03:46
In this case, select 3D Packing MonteCarlo, which randomizes part position and orientation.
03:54
In the 3D packing – Monte Carlo dialog, you can select your initial part rotation—either Arbitrary, Around Z axis only, or No rotation.
04:07
If, for example, you manually oriented your parts, you may want to select Around Z axis only,
04:13
so that the top surface does not change on your parts.
04:17
Click the Parts tab for additional options, such as controlling the priority of packing a part, as well as the rotation allowed.
04:27
These settings allow you to have carefully aligned vital parts surrounded by many small, less important parts.
04:36
Back on the Settings tab, keep the Minimum Distance between items and the Distance from side walls (XY) set to 5 mm,
04:44
the Performance set to Fast, and Visualize part motion enabled.
04:51
Click Start Packing.
04:54
The parts fill the build volume, and you can close the dialog.
04:60
Zooming into the build volume, notice that the parts are rotated as needed and packed more densely than the simple outbox method.
05:09
For example, the selected part now fits within the bounding box of another part, rather than staying on the outside.
05:19
If you look at the overall build volume, you see that there is now extra space,
05:24
with a packed height of 190 mm out of the 250 mm or so that is available.
05:32
In contrast, the simple outbox method was not able to fit all parts.
05:38
Now you can apply packing methods to your parts to view how items are packed using the different methods
05:44
and to determine the optimal method for packing your parts.
00:03
In preparation for MJF (Multi Jet Fusion) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) printing in Netfabb,
00:11
packing is used to arrange multiple parts in the build space in as little space as possible, while avoiding collisions and interlocking problems.
00:20
Netfabb offers multiple packing tools to accommodate various 3D arrangements,
00:26
including simple outbox packing and the more advanced Monte Carlo packer, which is optimized for minimum platform height.
00:34
To view the available tools, click Arrange in the main menu.
00:40
In My Machines, select the machine you wish to open a workspace for.
00:46
In this example, an MJF 580 workspace is opened.
00:53
To add parts, select Home > Add part.
00:59
In the Add Parts dialog, locate and select the appropriate parts file, and then click Open.
01:06
In this case, 47 parts are added from the selected step file.
01:14
The loaded parts are now displayed in the build and listed in the Browser.
01:20
In this example, the parts do not fill the build volume.
01:25
To duplicate the parts, select them in the build, and then, in the main menu, select Duplicate > Same Position.
01:37
In the Duplicate Parts dialog, keep the Total count of 2, then click Duplicate.
01:44
Now, there are 94 total parts.
01:49
Take note of the orientation of the parts.
01:52
For example, as two parts are selected here, you see that each is oriented in the Y direction.
02:01
For this example, a custom menu was created to make it easy to access the necessary packing tools.
02:09
Here, the Custom Menu for Arrange Demo is selected in the main menu.
02:14
To create a custom menu, simply click Settings > Custom Menus,
02:23
and then select New Panel in the Custom menus dialog.
02:28
From here, you can add sub panels and tools from the Netfabb defaults on the left to build your custom menu on the right.
02:38
Click Cancel to close the dialog.
02:41
To begin packing, in the build, select the parts that you want to pack.
02:47
Then in the custom menu, click Simple Packing.
02:53
In the Simple bounding box packing dialog, ensure that the Packing Dimensions are set to in 3D, and then adjust the packing options.
03:03
In this case, the Minimal Part Distance, Voxel size, and Distance to side Walls (XY) are all set to 5.
03:13
Click Pack Platform.
03:16
Now, the parts are packed.
03:20
Notice that the orientation of the parts observed previously is still the same, in the Y direction.
03:27
This packer does not rotate the parts, but simply places them in the build volume based on their bounding box.
03:36
As a result, not all parts fit.
03:41
To address this, try using a different packer.
03:46
In this case, select 3D Packing MonteCarlo, which randomizes part position and orientation.
03:54
In the 3D packing – Monte Carlo dialog, you can select your initial part rotation—either Arbitrary, Around Z axis only, or No rotation.
04:07
If, for example, you manually oriented your parts, you may want to select Around Z axis only,
04:13
so that the top surface does not change on your parts.
04:17
Click the Parts tab for additional options, such as controlling the priority of packing a part, as well as the rotation allowed.
04:27
These settings allow you to have carefully aligned vital parts surrounded by many small, less important parts.
04:36
Back on the Settings tab, keep the Minimum Distance between items and the Distance from side walls (XY) set to 5 mm,
04:44
the Performance set to Fast, and Visualize part motion enabled.
04:51
Click Start Packing.
04:54
The parts fill the build volume, and you can close the dialog.
04:60
Zooming into the build volume, notice that the parts are rotated as needed and packed more densely than the simple outbox method.
05:09
For example, the selected part now fits within the bounding box of another part, rather than staying on the outside.
05:19
If you look at the overall build volume, you see that there is now extra space,
05:24
with a packed height of 190 mm out of the 250 mm or so that is available.
05:32
In contrast, the simple outbox method was not able to fit all parts.
05:38
Now you can apply packing methods to your parts to view how items are packed using the different methods
05:44
and to determine the optimal method for packing your parts.
