Calibration

Print a small part (also called a coupon) to measure the deformation of the material after printing, and use this data to calibrate the print analysis.

Prerequisite: Designate a print part.
The first time you calibrate a material and set of print parameters, you will need to physically print a calibration coupon to obtain data needed for calibration. After the calibration is complete, the calibration will be available in the Calibrations menu when running an Inherent Strain analysis on your part. A calibration is valid only for the specified set of material and print parameters.
  1. Click the Calibration icon.
    Tip: To find and open a tool, press Ctrl+F. For more information, see Find and Search for Tools.
  2. Click Export Coupon. Inspire creates an .stl file of the calibration coupon. Name the .stl file and save it.
  3. Print a physical copy of the calibration coupon.
    Note: When printing the calibration coupon, be sure to use the material and parameters you intend to use for the part.
  4. Measure the printed calibration coupon's deformation at D1 as illustrated in the Run Calibration window.

  5. Optional: In the Name field of the Run Calibration window, enter a name for the calibration run. (Inspire automatically generates a unique name.)
  6. In the Powder Layer Thickness field, enter the thickness of the powder layer. This information is unique to the printer model and should be available from your 3D printer.
  7. In the Deformation D1 field, enter the value of the deformation as measured at the center of the printed calibration coupon. This value cannot be 0.
    Note: The solver will use this value to compute the inherent strain that would cause this deformation.
  8. Click Calibrate to run the calibration. A Run Status window opens. When complete, the calibration data is saved to C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Altair\Inspire\Manufacturing\Inherent_Strain_Calibrations\
Tip:
  • Double-clicking a completed calibration run will not open an Analysis Explorer window.
  • Completed calibrations are available in the Calibrations menu of the Run Print Analysis window when the Inherent Strain analysis type is selected.
  • A calibration is valid only for the specified set of material and print parameters.

Run Status

View the status of the calibration run.

  1. Hover over the Calibration icon, then select the Run Status tool.

    The run status window is displayed.

  2. When the run is complete, review its status.
    Status Description Note
    The run completed successfully.
    The run was incomplete. A calibration run will almost never be incomplete.
    The run failed and no meaningful results are available. A calibration run will almost never fail.
Tip:
  • To open the directory where a calibration is stored, right-click the run name and select Open Run Folder.
  • To delete a calibration run, select the run and press Delete.
  • Calibrations are available in the Calibrations menu of the Run Print Analysis window when running an Inherent Strain analysis.