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Seraph Scientist™

3D Printing Platform
USER GUIDE

Guide Edition 1.0 | Scientist v1.0

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form without express written permission by
the company. Please also be advised that several of the
items, names, topics listed in this document may be the
subject of various trademark, patent, and implied or expressed agreements, including confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements. Please direct all questions regarding
company policies related to this document to
sales@seraphrobotics.com.

Please do not operate the equipment it unless you are able to ensure that it is
safe. You are wholly and solely responsible for all safety inspection and safe
operation of the equipment. Please take all necessary and proper precautions, such as safety goggle use, gloves, enclosures, UV shielding, etc. Improper use of the printer could result in INJURY OR DEATH.

2 February 2015

To Our Valued New Customers:
First, let me congratulate you on the decision to purchase the Scientist 3-D Printer from Seraph Robotics! You have taken
the first step in a journey toward experiencing the very latest in 3-D printing technology. Building on the legacy of the
Fab@Home 3-D printers developed at Cornell University, Seraph Robotics has taken 3-D printing research technology to
the next level with the introduction of the Scientist.
You’ll notice the fine craftsmanship that went into building your Scientist the moment you take it out of the box. The fully
assembled printer encased in high-quality brushed aluminum represents the very highest standards in American manufacturing. With an ever-expanding array of tools and accessories, you will be able to enjoy the full advantages of a customizable 3-D printer built just for you that can survive the test of time and continue to meet your evolving demands
with versatile software and well-built hardware.
Owning a Scientist places you in a league of professionals and academics committed to pushing the boundaries of 3-D
printing with powerful tools for traditional and nontraditional material prototyping, as well as cutting-edge experiments
and research. Whether your unit has been configured to produce high-quality rigid prototypes, soft or edible material
objects, advanced material science experiments, pushing the boundaries of tissue printing in organ research, or to be
used for the rapid production of 3-D cell cultures, you now have the equipment to achieve your goals with alacrity and
precision.
On behalf of all of us that Seraph Robotics, I would like to wish you luck in your 3-D printing endeavors and hope that you
enjoy using our hardware and software as you achieve your goals.

Sincerely,

Adam Tow
Adam Perry Tow, MBA
Co-Founder and CEO
Seraph Robotics, Inc.

19 June 2015

To Our Valued Users:
I would like to welcome you to the Seraph Robotics family and applaud your choice of the Scientist™ 3D Printer. You have
made a decision which puts you in league with the most cutting edge academic and professional 3D printing researchers
and developers on the planet. Whether you are doing simple printing in plastic filaments, novel multi-material printing,
or bioprinting, the Scientist™ will be an invaluable asset to any academic or professional user, doing prototyping or R&D
work.
Having worked as a 3D printing engineer both at Seraph and in the academy before, I am personally honored to have
been a central part of developing and manufacturing this amazing technology. Each Scientist™ we make is truly a fine
piece of machinery that far exceeds the standards for quality and reliability that preceded it. The work of calibrating new
materials is made much simpler on this latest machine and software and the robustness of the hardware platform is
something you will benefit from immensely.
I would like to wish you the best of luck as you calibrate your new materials and learn the in’s-and-out’s of the printing
process. We hope that you will take advantage of the educational resources we have made available to make your first
forays into the exciting world of 3D printing with the Scientist™ and we thank you for choosing Seraph Robotics.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Lipton
Jeffrey I. S. Lipton, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and CTO
Seraph Robotics, Inc.

About Scientist…………………………………………………..5
Technical Specifications………………………………………6

Standard Terms & Conditions……………………..………8
Limited Warranty …………………………………...…………9
Software License…………………..……………………………11
Safety Notice…...…………………..……………………………12
Packing List...…...…………………..……………………………13
Unpacking the Box...……………..……………………………14

Filling Syringe Cartridges ….…..……………………………15
Disposables Suppliers …………..……………………………16
Loading Cartridges ………………..……………………………17
Software Guide…………………………………………………...18
Technical Support & Troubleshooting…………………..37

The Seraph Scientist™ expands the capabilities of the Fab@Home Model
3 Research Platform and allows professionals and researchers, both academic and private, to use our powerful technology to utilize or develop
innovative techniques in additive manufacturing and three-dimensional
printing. Whether you’d like to culture cells in 3d, print living organs, experiment in material science, or just print plastics, ceramics, or foods, the
Scientist™ will allow professional research users the ability to easily push

the limits of additive manufacturing technology. Combine new or existing
materials, experiment with unique deposition patterns, or manufacture
specialty, custom products, the Scientist™ Research Platform will give you
the tools to develop your product or run your experiments. Our research
platform will allow you to precisely control every aspect of your digital fabrication research – from materials, to depositions patterns and geometries.

ADVANCED FEATURES AND CONTROL
Manually create simple print jobs or write custom printer control software

For your research needs
that don’t require engineering or computer science
degrees to operate.

using our novel XDFL command language, a simple, intuitive and human-

readable XML language for controlling 3D printers. XDFL allows precise
control over the movement of the printer and the operation of its extrusion
heads, affording the researcher machine-level control during experiments.
Further, XDFL files are transferable and shareable among printers, making
research protocols easy to document.

The fully assembled Seraph Scientist™ Platform requires no engineering
or programming experience. Like all our products, it’s designed for the non
-technical user, making it ideal for scientists and professionals whose
expertise is in fields other than engineering (e.g. biology) and simplifying

the research of engineers without sacrificing control.
Our system uses Standard STL files which most modern CAD programs
can generate. Calibrate Materials and automatically process STL files into

CUSTOMIZATION COMES STANDARD
The Scientist™ platform allows you to select the number and type of tool head
that’s right for your project.
Use heated or cooled build trays to control the temperature of the build surface
below ambient temperature and up to 150 degrees Celsius. Control the syringe
temperature, using our heating or cooling cartridges.
Use our UV light source to cross-link your materials. Available in 365 nm and

385 nm wavelengths.

External Dimensions
Printing Technologies
Number of Tool/Material Bays

54 cm width x 50 cm depth x 40 cm height
Syringe and/or Filament
1,2, 3, or 4

Primary Fields of Use

Material Science, Tissue Engineering, 3D Cell Culture, Food Science,
General Prototyping with software packages for each, as appropriate

Exemplary Materials

plastics, ceramics, silicones, food pastes, hydrogels, organic material,
and novel research materials

Usability

Point and click software offers access to fundamental printing process
at 'research level' without need for advanced coding or engineering
knowledge. Unit is pre-assembled with no training required to operate. Uses standard wall outlet. Disposable and sterilized cartridges
available, sterilizable work surface.

Positioning Accuracy

10 μm

Maximum travel speed

130 mm/s

Typical travel speed

80 mm/s

Build Dimensions (x/y/z)**

127mm, 200mm, 65mm

Reservoir volume

Nordson EFD or Becton Dickenson Syringes 3-55 mL

Minimum tip diameter

0.004”/ 0.1 mm / 32 gauge (or any lure lock tip)

Maximum tip diameter

0.06”/ 1.54 mm/ 14 gauge (or any lure lock tip)

File Types

STL and XDFL

*Specifications may vary based on your unit’s specific configuration.

Syringe Tools

Use 3-55mL Nordson EFD or 10ml Becton Dickenson syringes, needles, or taper tips to extrude material using pressure drive. 1,2, 3, or 4
syringe capacity tools available.

Plastic Filament Tool

traditional plastic 3d printing tool (1.75mm or 3mm filament options);
Bowden Drive; 80 - 260C range

3D Cell Culture/Well Plating

use a specialized tool head and point-and-click software to easily run,
design, or share complex cell culture protocols for automatic 3D cell
culture in standard well plates without CAD or complex software/
procedures.

Heated build tray

External control (150 C max); useful in plastic printing, cell temperature regulation, and collagen crosslinking.

Syringe Head Heater

Regulate the syringe temperature (80 C max)

Cooled build tray

Peltier junction cooling system (-3.6 C min, 18.4C max)

Syringe Head Cooler

Regulate the syringe temperature (-3.6 C min, 18.4C max)

(UV) LED light tools

LED light source of selected source (e.g. 365 or 385nm), mountable in
several configurations. Useful for hydrogel cross linking, among other
uses. Illumination coordinated with printing process automatically or
manually, depending on tool selected.

USB microscope tool

2 MP camera with 10-40x zoom; can be positioned to view work surface or tool head during printing. (May use multiple per printer.)

Custom tools are available upon request for users needing specialized functionality. Help others cite
your work by requesting that your custom tool is added to our standard accessories list, allowing others
to easily build from your research.

Item

Quantity

Scientist Base Unit

Per Order

Power Cable

One

Accessory Tower / Requested accessories

Per Order; may be in separate boxes

Pressure Lines

0-5 depending on order

Item

Where to Find

USB Cable

Online or Local Retailer

Computer

Online or Local Retailer (PC Only)

Software

Visit web link provided to download

Syringes & Tips

Purchase from Nordson EFD/Becton Dickenson

Plastic Filament

Online or Local Retailer

Spare Parts

Each order is different, depending on the tools/
accessories you've ordered. You may also receive the
items in multiple boxes/deliveries. Each order will contain the two items below in separate boxes.

Accessory / Control Tower (bay configuration may
vary) - large orders may contain two units.

Scientist Printer Base Unit (w/o tool)

You will receive one or
more carriages (left)
and one or more tool
head attachments
(examples on the right).

Depending on your order, you may also receive additional accessories and their corresponding bays in the accessory tower.
Some examples are shown below.

UV (LED) Tool

Heated build tray

USB Microscope
11

Tool Head

Carriage

Syringecartridge
assembly

Master Power Supply
Input switch & cord

X-axis rods

Chassis

Z-table

Master Air
Supply input

Build surface

Syringe air supplies

Heater bay 4
Cooled bay 3
Heater bay 2

Coolant
Lines

UV LED bay 1

Heating
120V
Power

Bay 1 power
control
Front Panel
Power Supply
On Switch

Bay 3 power
control

Pressure Dials

A Scientist 3-D printer works by moving the tool head around in the X-Y plane and moving the build
tray down in the Z-direction with each successive layer. The printer control software, SeraphPrint™,
works by interpreting a language called Extensible Digital Fabrication Language, or XDFL. XDFL consists of a series of commands: XYZ points and material identifications.
A third party Computer Aided Design (CAD) program creates a file called a stereolithography (STL)
file. The print job-processing software, SeraphStudio™, takes an STL file of a three-dimensional object, slices it into layers, and draws paths to fill in each of those layers. Each layer is assigned a Zheight, according to the height of a single layer of the material used, (i.e. path height). Each XY path
within a layer has a width corresponding to the material identification , much like the path height
(layer height). The path width, height, and several other parameters are set in the Calibrator™ program which creates ToolScript™ files that instruct SeraphStudio on the geometric characteristics of
the material you want to print with. (See Diagram on next page).
To begin a print job, move the build tray to a Z-height such that the tip just barely rests on the build
tray and place the tip at the back corner. Load the XDFL file generated by SeraphStudio
(Calibrator™, or your own code) into SeraphPrint™ and connect to the printer. The printer will begin
drawing each 2D layer in the XY plane, complete the layer, move the Z-table down by one path
(layer) height, and start the next path until you print the whole object out!

Legend:
Material Calibration
Typical Printing
3rd Party Software Steps
(right path is optional
and rarely used).

Master Power Supply
Input switch & cord
Master Air
Supply input

Syringe air supplies

Heater bay 4
Cooled bay 2
Heater bay 2
Coolant
Lines

UV LED bay 1

Heating
120V
Power

Heater bay 1
power control
Front Panel
Power Supply
On Switch

Heater bay 3
power control

Pressure Dials

Most Scientist printers are configured to use a Control/Accessory Tower. The Control Tower is
where you hook up the external air pressure source, i.e. lab output or portable compressor
up to 100 PSI. Accessories are also typically operated from one or more towers.
The lab or compressor air supply is connected at the “Master Air Supply input.” Each syringe
is connected via the “Syringe air supplies.” Pressure is connected when the switch is directed
toward the hose (and away from the air release ports), which must always be uncovered for
safety. Pressure can be adjusted for each syringe using the pressure dial directly beneath the
syringe air supply with which you are working. Remember, each calibrated material has a
particular pressure which the material should be run at to extrude the paths at the correct
dimensions (i.e. the dimensions the computer is expecting based on calibrated ToolScript).
15

Does your
unit look
different?

Don’t panic!
You may not have ordered all of the accessories shown here! You
may not even have a valved air pressure tool. Some configurations don’t use them, (e.g. the mechanical piston driven tools and
filament tools don’t use air pressure, so you wouldn’t have received air pressure hook ups in your setup). We also often ship in
separate boxes, so make sure you checked all the boxes.

If you want to order more tools or accessories, we can help!
Email us at sales@seraphrobotics.com and we’ll get you set up.
16

Master Power Supply
Input switch & cord

Heating
120V
Power
20

Insert the tube into the push-to-connect port, push it in, and tug gently to ensure it is
secure. If you need to move the tower and release the connection, disconnect the tube.
To release the tube, push inwards and then pull out to remove.

List of compatible disposables and suppliers
*Each tool head is different. Please use the syringe barrel which corresponds to the tool head(s) you have on your printer.

Item

Where to Find

55cc Non-sterile Syringe

Nordson EFD

30cc Non-sterile Syringe

Nordson EFD

10cc Non-sterile Syringe

Nordson EFD

Taper Tips (assorted sizes)

Nordson EFD

10cc Becton Dickenson Syringe

Becton Dickenson

Replacement Pressure Cap

Nordson EFD or Seraph Robotics for BD Caps

*Please carefully monitor the pressure used and take necessary safety precautions when
working with syringes under pressure to avoid serious injury or death. Seraph makes no
representations or warranties about the suitability of these syringes for use in our printers.
Please independently evaluate the risks and needed safety precautions.

Web addresses
Company

Website

Nordson EFD

http://www.nordson.com/en-us/divisions/efd/
products/optimum-components/pages/

Becton Dickenson

http://www.bd.com/

Seraph Robotics

www.seraphrobotics.com

Distributor (Becton Dickenson)

http://www.coleparmer.com/Category/
BD_Disposable_Sterilized_Syringes/15116

Installation Instructions

Visit the provided web link

Or scan this QR Code to download our software.
Double click the installer and then the SR icon to
launch Lab Manager ™

With the Scientist™ , Seraph
introduces Lab Manager™ ,
our centralized 3-D printing
control suite. Use the Lab
Manager flow chart to guide
your 3-D printing experiments from computer concept to printed reality.
Begin by using the Calibrator ™ tool to
calibrate your material and generate a
"tool script" file unique to that material's
settings.
Then, launch SeraphStudio ™ to import
STL files for processing.

For most users, the easy-to-use, advanced features of SeraphStudio™ will
provide all of the tools they need to conduct both simple and complex 3-D
printing procedures. However, for more
advanced users, Seraph introduces Manipulator™ which allows for the batch
combination and editing of multiple processed STL files (XDFL files).
If you've created a complex printing job
and would like to view a digital representation of the past the printer tool head
will follow, launch the XDFL Viewer to
scroll through the various layers in your
print job.

Whether you create the print job file
right from SeraphStudio or you further
process it with Manipulator, launch
SeraphPrint ™ to connect to the Scientist
and load your print job.
Even though we think we've thought of
nearly every possible tool you might wish
to use to modify the XDFL printer instructions, the unique design of Seraph Print
allows you to print any XDFL file, regardless of whether was originally generated
in SeraphStudio. With this feature, advanced users can write their own XDFL
manually or using custom software. We
encourage users choosing this option to
contact us to let us know what you've
come up with!

Will it print?

If you can manually extrude the material, and it passes the
test of:
1. Being extruded through the syringe
2. Creating lines that hold their shape and

3. can be stacked,
it is probably going to work. If it doesn’t work right away, you
may need to chemically or physically modify the material by
adding an additive or by using temperature or UV accessories.

Valve Tool Instructions
The steps for calibration using Calibrator™
and the valve tool can be summarized in
these steps:
1.

After successfully manually testing material, connect the syringe to the pressure
source, but don’t load into the printer. If
you do load it into the printer, be sure to
use the controls on SeraphPrint™ to open
the valve. Otherwise, hold the syringe
barrel and slowly increase pressure. After
you’ve found a “sweet spot” pressure that
seems to give a nice material flow out of
the tip, record the PSI reading. This is an
art, but not a terribly difficult one. Watch
some of our demo videos if you want to
get an idea of how good flow should look.

Launch LabManager™ and select Calibrator ™. Provide the material name (you
can reuse the name in multiple calibrations and a unique “variable name’ to
identify this calibration.

**NOTE: TIP name must not have any numbers 123 or special characters .,*@#$%

Input your best guess for initial settings.
You can manually extrude some lines of
material and measure them with calipers
to get starting path width/height.

The valve tool requires accurate path
height and width to calibrate the print file
appropriately. Choose a print speed that
is appropriate. Start with 30mm/s and
move up slowly, as needed. Area constant and compression volume should
7.
remain at their default 1.0 and 0.0 mm^3
values.

When you are happy
with the correlation
between the input
values and printed
values, click Generate
ToolScript and save
the tool script in the
Seraph Studio system
directory on your computer. Make sure the
syntax is
“filename.xml”
Load a Test Cube in SeraphStudio™ using the ToolScript to create the XDFL
and send outputted XDFL to SeraphPrint™ to ensure you’re happy with
your results. (You may try a more complex print first, if you choose, but we
don’t recommend it. If the first couple layers of the test print go well, you
can always cancel it. The idea is to try stacking the material with an easy
print of a geometry that is known to print well, a cube being a great shape.)

Generate a Test XDFL file and make sure
to name it with the “filename.xdfl” syntax.
Load into Seraph Print and the test file
will extrude a line which you can measure ***Always be aware of safety when working with pressurized items—you are
again to more accurately configure the
always responsible for your own actions and we make no warranties or reprematerial.
sentations as to the suitability of 3rd party syringes for use with your materials
or our printers.****

Displacement Tool Instructions
The steps for calibration using Calibrator™
and the displacement tool can be summarized in these steps:
1.

After successfully manually testing material, install the syringe the printer. Be
sure to use the controls on
SeraphPrint™ to prime the tip.

Launch LabManager™ and select Calibrator ™. Provide the material name
(you can reuse the name in multiple
calibrations and a unique “variable
name’ to identify this calibration.

Input your best guess for initial settings.
You can manually extrude some lines of
material and measure them with calipers to get starting path width/height.

The displacement tool requires accurate path height and width to calibrate
the print file appropriately. Choose a
print speed that is appropriate. Start
with 30mm/s and move up slowly, as
needed. Area constant should remain
at its default 1.0 , but can be used for
quick adjustments to the flow equation,
if desired. The and compression volume
is the amount of “extra push” needed to
compress the material to start its flow
from standstill. The default value is 0.0
mm^3 , and can be adjusted up for viscous materials.

Generate a Test XDFL file and make sure
to name it with the “filename.xdfl” syntax. Load into Seraph Print and the test
file will extrude a line which you can
measure again to more accurately configure the material.

When you are happy with the correlation between the input values and print-

**NOTE: TIP name must not have any numbers 123 or special characters .,*@#$%

ed values, click
Generate
ToolScript and
save the tool
script in the Seraph Studio system
directory on your
computer. Make
sure the syntax is
“filename.xml”
7.

Load a Test Cube
in SeraphStudio™ using the ToolScript to create the XDFL and send outputted XDFL to SeraphPrint™ to ensure you’re happy with your results.
(You may try a more complex print first, if you choose, but we don’t recommend it. If the first couple layers of the test print go well, you can always
cancel it. The idea is to try stacking the material with an easy print of a geometry that is known to print well, a cube being a great shape.)

Filament Tool Instructions
The steps for calibration using Calibrator™
and the plastic filament tool can be summarized in these steps:
1.

Load the filament into the tool according to the instructions in this document.
Read those instructions before calibrating any materials with the steps
below.

Launch LabManager™ and select Calibrator ™. Provide the material name
(you can reuse the name in multiple
calibrations and a unique “variable
name’ to identify this calibration.

Input your best guess for initial settings.

The filament tool requires accurate path
height and width to calibrate the print
file appropriately. A guideline is that a
0.4mm tip would have a starting guess
of a 0.4mm path width and a 0.2mm
path height. Choose a print speed that is
appropriate. Start with 60mm/s and
move up slowly, as needed. Area constant and compression volume should
remain at their default 1.0 and 0.0
mm^3 values. It is critical that you input a temperature. Each material is
different and you may need to tweak
this value. A guide is that PLA usually
prints at 180-210C, ABS prints around
230C and Nylon prints around 270C.
Please note that temperatures above
280C may damage the tool head or melt
it. Always supervise printer and do safety checks!

**NOTE: TIP name must not have any numbers 123 or special characters .,*@#$%

figure the material.
6.

Load a Test Cube in SeraphStudio™ using the ToolScript to create the XDFL
and send outputted XDFL to SeraphPrint™ to ensure you’re happy with
your results. (You may try a more complex print first, if you choose, but we
don’t recommend it. If the first couple layers of the test print go well, you
can always cancel it. The idea is to try stacking the material with an easy
print of a geometry that is known to print well, a cube being a great shape.)

***Always be aware of safety when working with heated items—you are always
responsible for your own actions and for inspecting the printer for safety****

The tip name, comments, and PSI settings you input in calibrator will
appear in Seraph Studio when you load the print scene of a calibrated
material for which you have generated and used a toolscript.xml file
saved in the appropriate directory.
33

Use Seraph Studio to Process STL files created in your CAD software of choice into XDFL files, specialized files
containing instructions for the 3D Printer. (See XDFL Guide to understand how XDFL works and how you can
by pass SeraphStudio to write your own XDFL code to control the Scientist, if you wish.)

Use the visualizer to load an XDFL file and scroll through its layers.
Within each layer, the individual paths the printer will follow are
shown. This tool will help you design printing experiments as well as
verify the pathing of a processed STL file or custom XDFL file to ensure there are no errors.

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™

Use the Manipulator™ to translate, rotate, parity transform, mirror, drop/set clearance paths, scale, threshold, or reset
start path of an XDFL file. Use the dropdown menu to see a brief description of each function. When you select a function, the necessary parameters will appear below it. Fill out the settings, type a name for the output file, and click run to
create a new XDFL file in the directory containing the original file.

Translate

Translate the file in the x y and z directions. Use material ID to select a single material to translate

Rotate

Rotate the file about an axis

Parity

Perform a parity transform on the file (x->y, y->x)

mirror

Mirror the file about an axis

Drop clearance Remove all clearance paths from the file
Set clearance

Set the amount the head will move up between paths and the speed of the movement between
paths

scale

Scale the file by a percentage along the x y and z dimensions

Threshold

Remove all paths bellow 0 height

Start path

Remove all paths up until and including the path number specified
48

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
Overview
The Manipulation tool for XDFL is designed to let you edit your print jobs and to customize your printing process. The tool
has several functions that can change your XDFL print job. The print job is loaded by typing in the file location and name into
the line underneath the explaining text or by hitting the open button. Each function has a set of arguments (inputs) that are
needed to perform their task. They are loaded into the box beneath the input file name. Each argument is given a default
value. You can edit some or all of the arguments. The output of the function is sent to the output file. By default, the input
file is overwritten by the function, but you can specify a new file to be written.

The rest of this document will be used to describe the different functions and how to use them. The functions are broken
into three groups, geometric, clearance, and edits. Geometric functions change the location and orientation of print jobs.
Clearance functions change the behavior of the printer between extrusion paths. Edit functions truncate a print job or
merge print jobs together.

Functions
Geometric
Geometric functions change the location and orientation of print jobs. The printer uses X Y and Z coordinates. The XDFL file
coordinate will be the coordinates referenced for the entire print job. The Printer bays will moved in order to align the extrusion heads for the correct material to the locations in the print job.

Translate
Function
The Translate tool moves the paths of one or all of the materials in a print to move the object on the build surface. If you
use a material ID only that material is shifted, none of the clearance paths and none of the other extrusion paths are shifted
to match it. You can used the clearance function to update the clearance paths to match the ends of extrusion paths after
shifting one material.

Arguments
Name

Units

Default

Description

The amount in mm to shift the print job in the X direction

The amount in mm to shift the print job in the Y direction

The amount in mm to shift the print job in the Z direction

-1

The ID of the material to shift, use -1 to shift all materials and the
clearance paths, use 0 to shift the non-extrusion paths

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
Example
Lets sat you have a multi-material print and you placed one of the STLs in the wrong location, you can use this tool to make
a correction. After your first attempt printing, if you measured that you were off by 5mm in the y direction on the STL for
material two, you can enter 5 for Y and 2 for ID. Then when you are done use the clearance function to update the clearances.

Rotate
Function
The rotate function turns the entire print job about the X Y or Z axis This function can put parts below the XY plane (the
build surface), make sure to shift your prints up to prevent the tool head from crashing into the build plate if you rotate it
about the X or Y plane.

Arguments
Name

Units

Default

Description

Angle

Degrees

The angle to rotate the print around an axis

The axis to rotate around X Y or Z

Axis

Example
Lets say you made a print job that is too long for the X axis but can fit on the printer if your rotated it. Use the tool to rotate
the print 90 degrees around the Z axis

Parity
Function
The parity function performs a parity transform. Parity transforms turn right hands into left hands. This is similar to mirroring the print through the build tray and rotating up to original position on the build surface.

Arguments
None

Example
Lets say you want to turn and left ear into a right ear, use the parity function to make a new print job.

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
Mirror
Function
This mirrors the print job through a plane. The planes are defined by the axis that is perpendicular to them. IE the Z axis is
perpendicular to the XY plane (build surface). If you mirror about it, it will put the print jobs below the build surface.

Arguments
Name

Units

Axis

Default

Description

The axis to rotate around X Y or Z

Example
Let’s say you want to print an object upside down. Use the mirror tool to mirror about the Z axis and then use the translate
tool to shift the print up back above the build surface.

Scale
Function
This function will scale the print in the X Y and/or Z directions. It will not fill in areas, it will only change the spacing of the
points in the paths. 1 is equivalent to 100%. This tool is rarely used, but it can be used to make solid objects into sparse filled
scaffolds.

Arguments
Name

Units

Default

Description

The amount to scale the print job in the X direction

The amount to shift the print job in the Y direction

The amount to shift the print job in the Z direction

Example
lets say you want to make a sparse scaffold. Take a print with solid infil and scale it in the x and y directions.

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
Clearance
Clearance paths are the non-extruding movements between extrusion paths. These paths lower the build tray, and then
move the head to the XY position of the start of the next path, and then move the tray back up.

Drop clearance
Function
This function removes all of the clearance paths from a print. This will cause the head to move in a straight line between the
end of one path and the beginning of the next path. You will want to drop clearance to make a print faster or if you plan on
making a series of edits to the XDFL and setting the clearance at the end.

Arguments
There are no arguments for the function other than input and output file name
Name

Units

Default

Description

Example
Lets say you a printing with plastic with a single plastic material, removing clearance paths can speed up the print process.
You would not want to remove clearance paths when using two materials with different heights which might cause the materials to drag into each other.

Set clearance
Function
This function sets the clearance paths between all paths in the print process. You can set the Z movement amount to ensure
either a breaking of the strand from the tip or to avoid dragging the tip into another region of material.

Arguments
Name

Units

Default

Description

clearance

0.1

The amount to drop the tray before moving in XY

speed

Mm/s

The speed along the print pass

Example
Let’s say you have a print with a single material that needs a movement to break its connection between the path and the

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
nozzle. Set a 0.1mm clearance and 50mm/s speed to ensure that the head jerks away from the path and breaks the material
connection.
Let’s say you have a two material print where one material has a 1mm path height and the other has a 2mm path height,
setting a 1.1mm clearance will ensure that the nozzles do not crash into printed materials.

Edits
Threshold
Function
This function removes all paths bellow the build surface (XY plane) from the print to prevent the head from crashing to the
build surface. This function is needed because there is nothing to stop you from putting an object bellow the build surface
using one of the other manipulation functions.

Arguments
There are no arguments for the function other than input and output file name
Name

Units

Default

Description

Example
Let’s say you have rotated a print using the X axis and it now has the first 5 paths bellow the build surface, but these paths
are un needed to print the object, this function can remove those paths.

Start path
Function
This is a debugging function useful for resuming a print from a specific path number if your print fails and you want to recover the print from a specific path. This function removed all paths before this specified number from the print job.

Arguments
Name

Units

Default

Description

Path number

The number of the path to start the print from

Advanced XDFL Manipulation with Manipulator™
Example
Let’s say a 5 hour print fails are path 190 because you ran out of material or the tip clogged. Write down the number of the
path it is on in Seraph Print, cancel the print. Move the print to X=0 Y=0 and the current layer height. Then use this tool to
make a new print job from that path, and run this new print job.

Merge (for Multi-Material Printing)
Function
This function merges multiple XDFL files together to make a new multi-material XDFL file. All of the materials are kept, even
if they are unused in the file. The system assumes that both files are aligned to the same origin. The merged file will be sorted by layer height to make the print order for the layers.

Arguments
There are multiple arguments of the same name, you only need to fill a value for as many files as you are merging together.
Name

Units

Default

Description

File name

The location of the file to merge

Example
Let’s say you want to make a combination of two materials, but don’t have a toolscript for the combination. You can align
the STLs in seraph studio and record their XYZ positions form the menu on the right. Then remove the STLs for material 2
and path material 1 and save an XDFL file. Then remove the STLs and place the STLs using the corrdinate you recorded before and make a new XDFL file for material 2 and save it. Then merge the two files together into a new file using this tool.
Let’s say you have an STL file and a set of paths you generated from code in matlab. You can use the XDFL from the STL file
and the XDFL written in matlab code to make a new print job. Use this tool to merge the two sets of paths together.

Multi-Material Printing Guide
Let's say that you want to print a multi-material object. The
simplest way to do this using Seraph software is to create two
separate XDFL files and merge them.
The first file would contain the geometry of all areas of the
print using material number one, and the second file would
contain geometry of the print using all areas of material number two. Of course, it is possible to extend this prototypical
case and use more than two STL files to accommodate two or
more materials in this fashion.
The process begins by selecting the first material's STL file
and placing it on the build surface using Seraph Studio. The
user should make note of the X, Y, and Z positions of the first
STL object and create an XDFL file.
Using this information, the user should then clear the build surface on Seraph Studio and on to an empty virtual build surface, import the second material STL object. Then, place the
second STL object in the appropriate position relative to the
first, using the "Edit" tab on the program to manually input the
correctly offset XYZ position. A second XDFL file should then
be created containing only the information regarding the pathing instructions for the second STL file. The user should now
have two XDFL files, each containing the respective paths for
their object and material.
With the to appropriately positioned XDFL files created, the user must now launch the "Manipulator" from
Lab Manager and select the "Merge" tool. This tool will merge the two separate XDFL files into a single
XDFL file containing all of the instructions for the printer to simultaneously print both materials. Unlike printing these two XDFL files in succession, using the merge tool will sort their XDFL commands by layer, allowing a successful print comprised of multiple materials per layer.
Please refer to the instructions in the section discussing the Manipulator Tool for more detailed information
on the Merge tool. Also note that for your print to be successful the z-heights of the two or more materials
should be the same or nearly the same to ensure that one syringe does not interfere with printed material of
another. See diagram below, which illustrates how a big z-height (path/layer height) difference is problematic because the tool will crash. To avoid this problem, tell the Merge program a “clearance height” and it
will lift the head by that amount between materials to avoid crashing. This will allow you to circumvent the
problem described below.
Tool head motion

Z-height difference

Z-Height 1

Material 1

Material 2
Z-Height 2

1) Install the tray by the sliding it underneath the Z table at 90° to its final position pulling it through the
rectangular hole, and turning it another 90° to its proper orientation, and resting it on the appropriate pegs. The
cord should exit the tray through the rectangular hole in the Z-table. (See cooling tray for reference.)
2) Connect to Accessory Tower. Grab the thermocouple by the yellow plastic connector and plug it into
the appropriate bay on the accessories tower, and connect the white power supply connector alongside it. Do
not connect or disconnect by pulling on the wires, as they are 120 V connections. (Never touch exposed wire
when the unit is plugged in!)

3) To use the heater, turn on the accessory tower power supply and then turn on the heating bay power supply.
4) Press “set” and use the arrow keys to set the desired temperature. Press “set” again, to confirm selection.
5) The current temperature will appear on the display and rise to your selected temperature. The green
light on the controls indicates that the heater is active.
6) Begin Use. When the temperature reaches your desired temperature, proceed cautiously with your
experiments.
7). When done you may select a new lower desired temperature or shut off the device power. Be sure to
allow the tray to cool to room temperature before touching it to avoid burns! Ensure you have proper procedures
in place to prevent others from touching printer while any hazardous parts (e.g. heating, UV, or toxic chemicals)
60

Recommended Materials: ABS/PLA filament

Plastic Printing Guide

Any commercial document or technical
information provided to you is confidential and should not be shared or

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orders subject to Seraph Robotics’
Terms and Conditions which override
any standard conditions provided by
buyer at any time. Please ask for a
copy of our standard terms and conditions, if not provided. Each purchased
unit entitles user to only one license to
software to be used as contemplated
by seller solely for the operation of
Scientist™ printer purchased. Buyer is
solely and wholly responsible for the

safe operation of any equipment purchased. No returns, refunds, exchanges. In an effort to provide the best
customer service, we offer paid tech
support based on availability. Buy is
responsible for all taxes and fees,
whether levied on buyer or seller.
Payment is typically due prior to shipment of a unit by check or wire transfer.

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