3D Systems ProX DMP 300 User manual

ProX®DMP 300
3D Production Printer
User Guide
Original Instructions

3D SYSTEMS, INC.
CONTENTS
1INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
General machine operation .........................................................................2
Intended use ......................................................................................2
Limitations relating to the manufacture of 3D objects by laser sintering ....................................2
Conditions relating to the Layering ....................................................................2
2SAFETY GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS ..............................................................3
General Guidelines .................................................................................3
Training and Instructions ...........................................................................3
Machine Handling .................................................................................3
Material Handling..................................................................................3
Laser .............................................................................................3
Alarms and Warnings...............................................................................3
Safety Symbols and Definitions ......................................................................4
First Aid Section – What to do .......................................................................5
Burns ..............................................................................................5
Reporting Laser Radiation Exposure ...................................................................5
Electrocution .......................................................................................5
Material Inhalation ..................................................................................5
Powder ingestion ...................................................................................5
Powder skin contact .................................................................................5
Powder eye contact..................................................................................5
DMP Equipment Safety Features.....................................................................6
Safety Interlocks ....................................................................................6
DMP System Response if an Interlock Fails..............................................................9
Limited Access and Barrier Shielding...................................................................9
Other Active Safety Features .........................................................................10
Machine Safety ....................................................................................10
Electrical Safety...................................................................................10
Personal Protective Equipment .....................................................................11
Hand Tools .......................................................................................11
Grounding .......................................................................................11
Vacuum Cleaners .................................................................................12
Fire and Explosion Prevention ......................................................................12
Room Ventilation .................................................................................12
Material Safety ...................................................................................13
Material Ignition Information ........................................................................13
Finding Material Safety Information ..................................................................13
Material Safety Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Potentially Hazardous Metal Powders ...............................................................14
Reactive Metal Powder Storage.....................................................................14
Material Handling Precautions .......................................................................15
Safe Material Handling Guidelines ....................................................................15
GAS Safety .......................................................................................16
Oxygen Deprivation Effects and Symptoms ............................................................16
Risk Relating to Gas Bottles ........................................................................17
Chemical Risk ....................................................................................17

3D SYSTEMS, INC.
Laser Safety ......................................................................................17
Laser Safety Classifications ........................................................................17
Biological Risk ....................................................................................17
Mechanical risk ...................................................................................17
Safety labels on the DMP system ...................................................................18
Laser certification / Identification with name plate ......................................................18
Warning Labels - Front door .........................................................................19
Pinch point warning Label - Glove door................................................................19
Warning Labels - Front face of the galvanometric head ..................................................19
Warning Labels - Airlock door ........................................................................19
Burn Hazard Label - Oxygen sensor...................................................................20
Laser Safety Label - Located on front of the Machine ....................................................21
Laser Safety Label - Located on front of the access door to the Scan Head .................................21
Laser Safety Label - Located on front of the airlock, right side ............................................22
Laser Safety Label - Located on front of the scan head ..................................................22
Laser Safety Label - Located on back of the scan head...................................................23
European Directives ...............................................................................24
European directive 89/686/CE in Europe ...............................................................24
Operator safety ....................................................................................24
3SYSTEM SPECIFICATION .............................................................................24
The Prox® DMP300 system.........................................................................24
4PROX® DMP 300 AT A GLANCE .......................................................................25
Prox®DMP 300 system components .................................................................25
A. Chamber door ...................................................................................26
B. Manufacturing chamber ..........................................................................26
C. Powder recycling.................................................................................29
D. Control panel and external control panel............................................................31
E. Stack light .......................................................................................32
F. Laser assembly ..................................................................................32
G. Control cabinet ..................................................................................33
H. Supply cabinet...................................................................................33
I. Airlock ..........................................................................................34
J. External filter assembly............................................................................35
Lifting ...........................................................................................36
Powering up the printer ...........................................................................37
5SYSTEM USE .......................................................................................38
User interface ....................................................................................38
Preparation menu ..................................................................................39
Manufacturing menu ...............................................................................47
Machine Status menu...............................................................................50
User level selection .................................................................................51
Setting menu ......................................................................................52
Machine preparation ..............................................................................57
Loading the feeding piston ..........................................................................57
Plate preparation and loading .......................................................................58
Zero sintering search ...............................................................................59
Creating the powder bed ............................................................................60
Cleaning the laser optic system ......................................................................61

3D SYSTEMS, INC.
Inerting the manufacturing chamber .................................................................63
Start a manufacturing process .....................................................................63
Unloading a plate .................................................................................64
Closing / opening PX Control application ............................................................66
Shutting printer down.............................................................................66
Powering down the printer ........................................................................66
Reasonably foreseeable misuse ....................................................................67
6USER MAINTENANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Servicing : replacement filters procedures ...........................................................68
Recycling filter and vacuum filter replacement .........................................................68
Process filter (external filter) .........................................................................69
Preventive maintenance schedule ..................................................................76
Every month maintenance .........................................................................76
Carriage lubricate procedure ........................................................................77
Sieving system cleaning .............................................................................79
Every 3 months maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Procedure to check the glove for damage. .............................................................80
Front and Back casings cleaning......................................................................81
Exhaust filter replacing..............................................................................83
Chiller cleaning ....................................................................................84
Every 6 months maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Clamping filter inspection/replacement ...............................................................86
Airlock filter replacement............................................................................87
Vibrating channel enclosure cleaning .................................................................88
Silicon scraper replacement .........................................................................89
Chiller filter replacement ............................................................................92
Cabinet filter replacement ...........................................................................93
Cabinets cleaning ..................................................................................94
Every 1 year maintenance .........................................................................95
Calibration ........................................................................................95
7COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE ................................................................97

13D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
1INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
The ProX®DMP300 is a high quality direct metal printing (DMP) machine. It brings reliability and repeatability to production-
level direct metal printing. The ProX®DMP300 is designed to meet industrial market demands of reliable, high material
quality and low maintenance 3D printing machines.
With direct metal printing, parts are built up layer by layer. Using this technique, the most complex parts can be made.
Loose metal powder particles are melted together by a high-precision laser. The laser is directed to the powder particles
in order to selectively build up thin subsequent horizontal layers. Connecting each new layer to the previous one, it brings
a high quality alternative to the traditional manufacturing processes. Since no tools are used and no material is removed,
waste is reduced signicantly. Parts aren’t built by removing material in different steps, but by adding material. Other
advantages are the quick set up times and the ability to produce very complex assemblies as a single part.
The ProX®DMP300 has a build platform of 250 x 250 x 300mm which can produce big and high quality parts in a variety of
metals.In order to operate the machine safely and eciently, please follow the following instructions and warnings. The
machine is a Class I Laser System equipped with a Class IV laser that can be potentially dangerous when the machine is
operated differently than stated in this manual.
The principal technical characteristics are mentioned on the table :
Fiber Laser P=500 W – λ=1070 nm
Layering system Adjustable
Building volume 250 x 250 x 300 mm
Metal materials Stainless steel, tool steels, non-ferrous alloys, super alloys…
Ceramic materials Alumina, cermet, …
Repeatability X=20 µm ; y=20 µm ; z=20 µm
Detail size X=100 µm ; y=100 µm ; z=20 µm
Loading system Automatic
Recycling system Automatic
CAD/CAM software ProX DMP Manufacturing
Control software PX Control V2
CAD read formats STL

23D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
GENERAL MACHINE OPERATION
The manufacturing process takes place as follows:
• Processing of the CAD le with ProX DMP Manufacturing, standalone software, in order to slice the part as a series of
superimposed cross-sections. Creation of the manufacturing le (*.FAB2, or *.FAB3 les), used by the ProX®DMP metal
printers.
• Preparation of the machine, loading of the sintering plate and purging the chamber.
• Uploading the *.FAB2 or *.FAB3 le onto the machine.
• Dispensing a powder layer on the sintering plate (Layering cycle).
• Fusing the metal powder into a solid part using a focused laser beam (Sintering cycle).
• Repeated execution of layering and sintering cycles until the part is produced.
• Unloading the part and possible post-processing and nishing in order to obtain the desired characteristics.
INTENDED USE
Laser sintering operations are performed on metal powders only.
Each metal powder should only be used after checking the information provided by the supplier, the material safety data
sheet (MSDS) and any applicable regulations.
Limitations relating to the manufacture of 3D objects by laser sintering
Before manufacturing a 3D object, please ensure that none of the following criteria are met :
• A 3D object with at least one of the layers covering more than half of the total surface of the sintering plate,
• 3D object with an undercut angle< 45 ° compared to the horizontal surface of the sintering plate,
• 3D object where its minimum thickness is 5 times smaller than its height,
Without being exhaustive, these criteria represent the majority of cases to be checked before manufacturing a 3D object by
laser sintering.
Conditions relating to the Layering
During the manufacturing process, the roller must not disturb any of the previous sintered layers. This is why the correct
conditions required for the manufacturing of layers is given in the following diagram.
Cn
Cn-1
Cn-2
e ≥ 0
C : thickness of layers (c = cn-1= cn-2...)

33D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
2SAFETY GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Before using your Direct Metal Printing (DMP) equipment, your company should have a safety program in place. The safety
program should:
• Point out hazardous equipment, materials, and procedures.
• Explain what to do in case of an emergency.
• Provide information about the hazards of the equipment and materials in the form of Safety Data Sheets (SDS). The
Safety Data Sheets are provided with all materials supplied by 3D Systems.
All DMP equipment is designed with safety in mind. However, improper use, malfunctions, and excessive exposure could
cause injury.
TRAINING AND INSTRUCTIONS
Follow these general safety guidelines when operating any DMP equipment:
• Do not operate any DMP equipment before receiving proper training.
• Read and follow all operating instructions.
• Follow all safety rules in this section and heed all hazard warnings in this guide.
• Do not try to perform any equipment maintenance procedures you were not trained to do.
• Operators are trained to operate the system and perform all the necessary tasks to print a part.
• Certied service personnel are those who have completed the 3D Systems service training package and are
certied to perform service tasks. Certication may occur at various levels, and service personnel should only
perform tasks they are authorized and certied to complete.
MACHINE HANDLING
• Do not try to access, service, or adjust any components inside any DMP equipment enclosure.
• Do not try to open any panel or door while a machine is running.
• Do not access any area of the machine near the print chamber during printing.
• Take note of all warning labels on the machine.
• Secure electrical cables and coolant hoses to prevent tripping.
• Make a daily inspection of the machine before starting work.
• Never wear a tie, scarf or loose-tting clothing when operating the machine.
• Make it a rule that only one trained and qualied operator uses the machine at any given moment.
• Make sure that the sintering module is cleared of any obstacles before powering up the machine.
• Laser sintering operations are performed on metal powders only.
• Never place any reective materials (such as glass, lenses, mirrors, etc.) below the scanner head.
MATERIAL HANDLING
• Do not use any material without rst reading the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for that specic material.
• To prevent injury and equipment damage, be sure to follow all handling guidelines detailed in the appropriate material
guide.
LASER
• Do not try to access, service, or adjust the laser system in any way.
• Do not enter any area displaying posted warning signs during open beam operations. Open beam operations refer to
the laser, and they only occur during service procedures performed by certied service personnel.
ALARMS AND WARNINGS
• If you see an error, alarm, or warning message on any DMP equipment display, note the state of that machine’s stack
light. Clear the alarm, error, or warning message before resuming operation.
• Displayed error, alarm, or warning messages can result from unsafe practices, such as opening an enclosure door or
panel while the equipment is powered up and running.

43D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
SAFETY SYMBOLS AND DEFINITIONS
The following safety labels are posted at various points on the machine to indicate potentially hazardous conditions:
HOT SURFACES HAZARD: There are surfaces and materials in the vicinity that may be hot and could cause
severe burns.
LASER RADIATION HAZARD: Invisible laser radiation is accessible in the vicinity of this sign or behind the
access panel. Direct and scattered radiation can cause severe burns and blindness. Access panels are for
service only and should be opened only by certied service personnel.
ELECTRIC SHOCK HAZARD: High voltage electricity is accessible in the vicinity of this sign or behind the
access panel. High voltage can cause severe burns or death. Access panels are for service only and should
be opened only by certied service personnel or trained maintenance personnel.
CAUTION: Indicates something may happen that could cause loss of data, damage to equipment, or could
cause personal injury.
FIRE HAZARD: Indicates potential re can occur that could cause damage to equipment or personal injury.
EXPLOSION HAZARD: Indicates potential explosion can occur due to combustible particles inside of unit
that could cause damage to equipment or personal injury.
PINCH POINT HAZARD: Keep hands clear.
STATIC HAZARD: Indicates electro-static discharge that can cause damage to the equipment or personal
injury
DUST HAZARD: Indicates dust particles are in the air and a suitable dust mask is required.
Disposable rubber gloves. Heat-resistant gloves such as welding gloves should be used in conjunction with
other re-retardant clothing when there is a potential for re, such as when performing a lter change in
the re-circulating unit.
Safety glasses and/or full face shield required.
Disposable dust mask rated FFP3 or N99 (or better) level protection required.
When working in areas where reactive metal condensates are present, use re retardant special fabric,
rendered conductive, trousers without turn-ups and closed pockets.
Before starting any operation or maintenance on the printer, consult the Technical User Guide.
Antistatic shoes required.
Safety shoes required.

53D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
FIRST AID SECTION – WHAT TO DO
In the case of an accident while using any DMP equipment, seek medical attention immediately. Use the
following guidelines for specic safety instances.
Burns
This equipment contains high temperatures and burning laser radiation which could cause 2nd degree burns. Do not
attempt to remove any protective panels. There are no user serviceable parts inside.
If a burn occurs, seek rst aid and immediate medical attention. Pushing the E-stop button will de-energize the equipment
components and diffuse the hazardous situation.
Reporting Laser Radiation Exposure
If the injury was determined to be the result of laser radiation overexposure, please send a report to:
Attention: Laser Safety Ocer
3D Systems, Inc.
333 Three D Systems Circle
Rock Hill, South Carolina, 29730
USA.
Include the following information in your report:
• Nature of the accident and circumstances surrounding it
• Where the accident occurred
• Model and serial number of the machine
• Number of people involved
• Any other pertinent information
Please send this information to 3D Systems within a day of the accident.
Electrocution
The DMP system contains equipment energized at 400 volts. Do not attempt to remove protective panels. There are no user
serviceable parts inside.
If electrocution occurs, seek rst aid and medical attention immediately. Pushing the E-stop button will de-energize the
equipment components and diffuse the hazardous situation.
Material Inhalation
The material handling process may create a choking or air restriction hazard. If someone has diculty breathing or a “loss
of breath” sensation, transport the person to a well-ventilated room or outside of the facility. If the condition persists, seek
immediate medical attention.
Powder ingestion
Quickly wipe material from mouth and rinse with water. Do not induce vomiting. Seek medical attention if symptoms occur
or when unsure.
Powder skin contact
Powder contamination of the skin may cause soft tissue irritation and/or an allergic reaction. Remove contaminated
clothing and dispose of or properly launder. Brush material off skin, wash affected area with soap and water. Seek medical
attention if symptoms persist.
Powder eye contact
Even non toxic powders may cause soft tissue irritation and/or an allergic reaction. If someone gets powder in his/her eyes
immediately rinse eyes gently but thoroughly with lukewarm water. Also rinse under upper and lower eyelids, for at least
10 to 20 minutes. Seek medical attention when symptoms persist. Eye wash station must be present in the vicinity of all
powder operations.
NOTE: for more specic information regarding rst aid in relations to powder, see the applicable SDS
sheet.

63D SYSTEMS, INC.PN:80-D27 Rev.B
DMP EQUIPMENT SAFETY FEATURES
A major design goal for all DMP equipment is to provide a safe operating environment. The frame and enclosure designs
passively limit hazardous access while the electronics and software actively and automatically sense and react to unsafe
conditions when they arise. For example, if the DMP system detects unsafe operating conditions, it will immediately stop
operating and, in some cases, shut down completely.
WARNING: IF ANY DMP EQUIPMENT SAFETY FEATURES FAIL, YOUR ACTIONS MAY BE ALL THAT WILL
PREVENT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS OPERATING CONDITIONS.
Safety Interlocks
Safety interlock devices on the DMP equipment help prevent accidental laser exposure, electrical shocks, crush injuries,
burns, and res. DMP equipment will not operate unless all safety interlocks are satised.
WARNING: NEVER TRY TO DISABLE OR OVERRIDE ANY SAFETY INTERLOCK DEVICE ON ANY DMP
EQUIPMENT. OPERATING EQUIPMENT WITHOUT ALL SAFETY INTERLOCKS ENABLED CAN CAUSE EQUIPMENT
DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH. IF YOU SUSPECT A SAFETY INTERLOCK DEVICE IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY,
DO NOT OPERATE YOUR DMP EQUIPMENT. RATHER, DISCONNECT POWER FROM THE EQUIPMENT AND
CONTACT 3D SYSTEMS CUSTOMER SUPPORT FOR ASSISTANCE.
ASafety interlock switch on the front door
A
B
C
D
E
F
G