Stratasys F900 - Removing Supports; Breakaway Support Material; Soluble Release Support Material; Support Material for PPSF Parts

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REMOVING SUPPORTS
BREAKAWAY SUPPORT MATERIAL
PC and ULTEM materials use break-away supports, called BASS. This material must be removed manually.
Please note that PC material can also use Soluble Release support material.
Remove the support material carefully. The material should break away with relative ease. If necessary, use
ne
edle nose pliers, probes, knife, or a pick to remove the supports. Use special care for sections of the part that
are fragile or thin.
SOLUBLE RELEASE SUPPORT MATERIAL
Soluble Release support material is used with ABS-M30, ABS-ESD7, ASA, PC-ABS, PC, Nylon 12, and Nylon 6
material. After building a part, you can remove supports by using an Ultrasonic or Circulation tank containing a
solution of water and WaterWorks soluble solution.
For more information on WaterWorks, refer to the WaterWorks User Guide located on Stratasys’ Customer
Ex
tranet.
SUPPORT MATERIAL FOR PPSF PARTS
Removing supports from PPSF parts requires a slightly different support removal process than with ABS, ASA
or PC, which uses BASS supports. With PPSF, the interface layer of the support (the layer that contacts the
part) can be pulled or removed from the part easier if the part is hot; the heat makes it flexible and less brittle.
Remove the supports immediately after the part is built. If you can’t remove the supports immediately, reheat the
pa
rt to between 160°C and 220°C (320°F to 428°F). You can use the modeler oven, or another oven that can
reach the necessary temperatures, to reheat the part.
The difficulty of support removal is based on the following: part size, amount of supports, support style, and
su
pport temperature. Stratasys recommends removing the supports in the following order:
1. Base
2
. Structures
3
. Thin horizontal sections
4
. Around small features
5
. Angle support faces
6
. Large mass sections
Warning: Wear safety goggles and leather gloves (provided in Startup Kit) when
removing breakaway supports.
Note: Remove the part from the PPSF build sheet as soon as possible after
removing it from the oven.
Note: Removing supports from two or more parts at a time is most efficient when
reheating parts. You can remove supports from one part while the others are
heating up.