Rapid Prototyping

10 Key excerpts on "Rapid Prototyping"

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  Computer-Aided Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing

  Systems Techniques and Applications, Volume I, Systems Techniques and Computational Methods

  • Cornelius T. Leondes(Author)
  • 2019(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  The software is developed with tools such as Java, HTML, and the Web. Utpal Roy Syracuse University M. Cargian Syracuse University © 2001 by CRC Press LLC 1.1 Introduction Manufacturing in today’s world has developed and changed due to new technology and worldwide competition. As a consequence, a need for quicker and faster development times for products has arisen. Other design and manufacturing technologies such as concurrent engineering, design for manufacture, just-in-time production, and computer-aided design (CAD) have pushed the design envelope further. To reduce the development times, companies need to be able to create prototypes of their new products— quickly and cost effectively. Rapid Prototyping Background In today’s competitive business arena, companies must continually strive to create new and better products, faster and more efficiently than their competitors. The design and manufacture process is continually enhanced to be more responsive to changes, as well as quicker to market. Many technologies and business practices, such as concurrent engineering, just-in-time production, and design for manu- facture, have been utilized to decrease design time. In addition to these enhancements, over the past decade, Rapid Prototyping has evolved to improve the product design cycle. Rapid Prototyping is a system for creating immediate prototypes of a new design or change that is used to evaluate it or in actual application. There are many CAD environments available for creating new engineering designs or concepts. As a new design or modification to a current design is developed in a package such as CATIA or Pro/Engineer, this model can then be created in a short time to have an actual prototype for further testing. This prototype, along with analysis tools, helps to quickly define the success and failures of the new design. Previously, prototypes could be costly and take a long time to create.

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  Introduction to Manufacturing Processes

  • Mikell P. Groover(Author)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  A number of Rapid Prototyping techniques are now available that allow a part to be produced in hours or days rather than weeks, given that a computer model of the part has been generated on a CAD system. 587 26.1 FUNDAMENTALS OF Rapid Prototyping The special need that motivates the variety of Rapid Prototyping technologies arises because product designers would like to have a physical model of a new part or product design rather than a computer model or line drawing. The creation of a prototype is an integral step in the design procedure. A virtual prototype, which is a computer model of the part design on a CAD system, may not be adequate for the designer to visualize the part. It certainly is not sufficient to conduct real physical tests on the part, although it is possible to perform simulated tests by finite element analysis or other methods. Using one of the available RP technologies, a solid physical part can be created in a relatively short time (hours if the company possesses the RP equipment or days if the part fabrication must be contracted to an outside firm specializing in RP). The designer can therefore visually examine and physically feel the part and begin to perform tests and experiments to assess its merits and shortcomings. Available Rapid Prototyping technologies can be divided into two categories: (1) material removal processes and (2) material addition processes. The material removal RP alternative involves machining (Chapter 16), primarily milling and drilling, using a dedicated computer numerical control (CNC) machine that is available to the design department on short notice. To use CNC, a part program must be prepared from the CAD model (Section 29.1). The starting material is often a solid block of wax, which is very easy to machine, and the part and chips can be melted and resolidified for reuse when the current prototype is no longer needed.

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  Rapid Prototyping

  Principles and Applications2nd Edition(with Companion CD-ROM)

  • C K Chua, K F Leong;C S Lim;;(Authors)
  • 2003(Publication Date)
  • WSPC

    (Publisher)

  It should be noted that in many companies, prototypes do not necessary serve all these roles concurrently, but they are certainly a necessity in any product development project. The prototypes created with Rapid Prototyping technologies will serve most if not all of these roles. Being accurate physical prototypes that can be built with speed, many of these roles can be accomplished quickly and effectively, and together with other productivity tools, e.g. CAD, repeatedly with precision. 1.2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT The development of Rapid Prototyping is closely tied in with the development of applications of computers in the industry. The declining cost of computers, especially of personal and mini computers, has changed the way a factory works. The increase in the use of computers has spurred the advancement in many computer-related areas including Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools. In particular, the emergence of RP systems could not have been possible without the existence of CAD. However, from careful examinations of the numerous RP systems in existence today, it can be easily deduced that other than CAD, many other technologies and advancements in other fields such as manufacturing systems and materials have also been crucial in the development of RP systems. Table 1.1 traces the historical development of relevant technologies related to RP from the estimated date of inception.

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  Medical Modelling

  The Application of Advanced Design and Development Techniques in Medicine

  • Richard Bibb, Dominic Eggbeer, Abby Paterson(Authors)
  • 2006(Publication Date)
  • Woodhead Publishing

    (Publisher)

  5

  Physical reproduction – Rapid Prototyping technologies

  Publisher Summary

  Processes that build models directly from computer data have come to be generally referred to as Rapid Prototyping [“RP”] prototyping techniques. Initial applications concentrated on the automotive and aerospace sectors, as these industries first exploited what were, at the time, expensive CAD/CAM systems. Since then, the incredible progress that has been made in computer processing power and software sophistication has led to the adoption of CAD/CAM in almost all industries. This rapid growth in the application of CAD/CAM systems fuelled the growth in the demand for RP systems. During the 1980s and 1990s, the number of RP systems increased dramatically and a range of material and process approaches were introduced. Initially, many of these processes were inaccurate and unreliable leading to many promising ideas failing to reach the commercial market. Several processes did secure funding and developed into commercial manufacturing companies producing RP machines for sale across the world. Since then, the established technologies have been developed to produce effective, accurate, and reliable machines using a variety of techniques. As with any other emerging industry, there have been some business failures and some consolidation of the market with mergers, acquisitions, and licensing agreements.

  5.1 Background to Rapid Prototyping

  5.1.1 Introduction

  Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a phrase coined in the 1980s to describe new technologies that produced physical models directly from a three-dimensional computer-aided design of an object. Many other phrases have been used over the years, including solid freeform fabrication, layer additive manufacturing, 3D printing and advanced digital manufacturing. In the late 1990s, the application of these technologies to tooling was investigated, and the phrase ‘rapid tooling’ was commonly used to cover these direct and indirect processes. More recently, these technologies have been applied to product manufacture as well as prototyping, and the phrase ‘rapid manufacturing’ is increasingly used to describe this kind of application. Perhaps the most accurate phrase would be ‘layer manufacturing’ as this covers all of the processes and distinguishes them from previous technologies such as machining. However, despite all of the different applications the phrase RP has been adopted by the industry to cover all these technologies and their applications and it is, therefore, the one used here.

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  Advanced Applications of Rapid Prototyping Technology in Modern Engineering

  • Muhammad Enamul Hoque(Author)
  • 2011(Publication Date)
  • IntechOpen

    (Publisher)

  The manufacture of the model involves the conversion of the object computer imaging into its physical form, with a minimal manual intervention and in the shortest time possible (fig. 1). The first step in the Rapid Prototyping process is to define the object as a computer-generated CAD-3D model. The achieved image is then converted into a specific form of data set by means of various formats of data conversion, suitable for RP systems (Budzik, 2009). Almost all available Rapid Prototyping methods are based on the same rule of dividing the model into horizontal layers, from which the physical prototype of the object is built in the proper order. In this way, the incremental shaping of objects becomes very effective in the case of piece or small-batch production. On account of high dynamics of changes in the field of RP systems, the percentage of individual RP methods in the market is also changing rapidly. RP processes can be classified according to a wide range of division criteria, including: Advanced Applications of Rapid Prototyping Technology in Modern Engineering 340  the kind of input data,  the physical or chemical principle of operation of the RP method,  the initial state of the processed materials,  the preferred RP applications. Fig. 1. RP process: a) 3D-CAD model, b) 3D-STL model, c) STL model divided into layers, d) layer model, e) physical prototype RP processes and methods are most often classified according to the initial state of the processed materials. There is no classification that would encompass all known RP methods, as the applied techniques and materials used in them are constantly evolving. Analyzing individual incremental RP technologies, it is possible to define the criteria of method selection, divided as follows:  the accuracy of the prototype fabrication,  the prototype material properties,  the time of the prototype fabrication,  the cost of the prototype fabrication.

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  Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing

  Materials, Processes, and Systems

  • Mikell P. Groover(Author)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  The microfabrication technologies discussed in Chapter 35 followed soon after integrated circuit processing. Finally, nanofabrication represents an emerging field today that dates from the 1990s. Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a family of technologies used to fabricate engineering prototypes of parts in minimum possible lead time based on a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the item. The traditional method of fabricating a prototype part is machining, which can require signif- icant lead times—up to several weeks, sometimes longer, depending on part complexity , difficulty in ordering materials, and scheduling production equipment. A number of Rapid Prototyping tech- niques are now available that allow a part to be produced in hours or days rather than weeks, given that a computer model of the part has been generated on a CAD system. As the RP technologies have evolved, they are increasingly being used to produce parts, not just prototypes, and a more general term has emerged: Additive manufacturing (AM), which refers to the same technologies used in RP. All of these technologies work by adding layers of material to an existing part or substrate, so that the item is gradually built one layer at a time; hence, the word “additive.” One might say that Rapid Prototyping is a subset of additive manufacturing when the pur- pose is to fabricate a physical model of a newly designed part. A short history of Rapid Prototyping and additive manufacturing is presented in Historical Note 32.1 at www.wiley.com/college/groover . 32.1 Fundamentals of Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing 32.2 Additive Manufacturing Processes 32.2.1 Liquid-Based Systems 32.2.2 Powder-Based Systems 32.2.3 Molten Material Systems 32.2.4 Solid Sheet-Based Systems 32.3 Cycle Time and Cost Analysis 32.4 Additive Manufacturing Applications

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  Advances in Manufacturing and Processing of Materials and Structures

  • Yoseph Bar-Cohen(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  4 Current Capabilities and Research Trends in Rapid and Virtual Prototyping

  Sriram Praneeth Isanaka and Frank Liou

  4.1 Introduction

  4.2 RP: Steadily Evolving into Rapid Manufacturing

  4.2.1 RP Techniques That Produce Nonfunctional and Partial Functionality Parts

  4.2.2 RP Techniques That Produce Functional Parts

  4.3 VP: Actively Aiding RP Processes Become Alternative Manufacturing Techniques

  4.3.1 VP Techniques to Study RP Phenomena and Improve Technologies

  4.3.2 VP to Promote Better Processing Planning and Control in RP

  4.3.3 VP for Part and Process Qualification

  4.4 Final Thoughts

  Acknowledgments References

  4.1 Introduction

  The ability to prototype parts has been a tremendous boon to engineers across the world for many generations. Physical models and prototypes offer engineers an avenue for observation, discussion, redesign, refinement, and risk mitigation (Viswanathan et al., 2014) and can then be effectively employed to improve the form, fit, and aesthetics of any design. In the past, prototypes were made of materials like wood, plastic, and foam, which enabled engineers to construct them in a short amount of time. In rare cases, these rapidly constructed and limited functionality products were even employed in feasibility studies to prove the viability of specific concepts and mechanisms. Previously, the iterative redesign and refinement based on the assessment of these physical prototypes were considered as a viable design strategy.

  The advent of computer-aided design (CAD) though has led to the creation of a suite of supplementary tools for engineers, namely, virtual prototyping (VP), that competes with physical prototyping as an alternate design strategy. Many engineers have embraced virtual prototypes’ potential, as substitutes for physical prototypes, due to the comparatively less investment needed in terms of time and money (Zorriassatine et al., 2003). To address this need, research and software development have led to the evolution of parallel branches of VP in the areas of design (computer-aided engineering), manufacturing (computer-aided manufacturing) and assembly (Lin and Farahati, 2003), performance analyses (Firat and Kocabicak, 2004) (finite element method [FEM]), and planning and resource management (supply chain management and enterprise resource planning). While VP started off as a component-level assessment technique, currently, VP packages exist for microstructural, assembly-level, and even factory-level assessment, thereby bridging the gap between the microscopic and macroscopic scales. Many engineering software packages of today offer engineers control of their design and the ability to plan for refinement and performance assessment beginning from inception (Pang et al., 2006) through to final manufacture and assembly. These suites of VP software, also known as product lifecycle management (PLM) software, can significantly reduce lead time and the prototyping and performance assessment budgets needed to introduce a product to the market. Researchers of today are even envisioning geographically distant digital factories (Burns and Howison, 2001) that can be controlled by PLM software (Tay et al., 2001) with the ability to not just conceptualize and assess performance but also tailor material characteristics in real time and plan for final assembly and testing. VP’s capability has led to the decrease in the number of prototypes needed for design development. This chapter will highlight the current capability of VP and identify its research trends and possible future directions.

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  Advances in Biomedical Polymers and Composites

  Materials and Applications

  • Kunal Pal, Sarika Verma, Pallab Datta, Ananya Barui, S.A.R. Hashmi, Avanish Kumar Srivastava, Kunal Pal, Sarika Verma, Pallab Datta, Ananya Barui, S.A.R. Hashmi, Avanish Kumar Srivastava(Authors)
  • 2022(Publication Date)
  • Elsevier

    (Publisher)

  Chapter 13

  Rapid Prototyping

  Umesh K. Dwivedi1 , Shashank Mishra2 and Vishal Parashar2 ,    

  1 Amity School of Applied Sciences, Amity University Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

  ,    

  2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

  Abstract

  In this chapter, various aspects of Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology have been detailed. The concept of RP technology includes methodology to prototype product of new and intricate geometry more rapidly with ease in the fabrication process. This chapter also covers the production of existing products with ease in manufacturing. The individual systems under this umbrella are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the research and development in the respective fields are still in progress. The recent developments include product development of composite and multifunction system using three-dimensional printing. Researchers around the world are also producing functionally graded materials for biomedical and architectural design. The description of such work is presented herein. Also, the application of various products from this technology serve in different sectors solving the existing problem they was there due to shortcomings of conventional process. The applications of individual process in respective fields are described in this chapter. Lastly, it can be concluded that RP technology offers potential for growth in the future.

  Keywords

  Rapid prototype; 3D printing; biomedical; processing; development

  13.1 Introduction

  Rapid Prototyping (RP) is an interdisciplinary approach in the field of manufacturing industry that has a potential to bring a revolutionary change in prototyping. The methodology employed in the design and development of parts using RP systems is novel and dissimilar from the conventional process. RP as evident by its name is a technology capable of quick fabrication of prototypes. It was developed by Charles Hull in 1986, since then the technology has become a thrust field of attention for researchers and design engineers. The first RP technology was based on the SLA process and termed as stereolithography. Because of advantages like flexibility and ease of customization over other conventional processes, these systems attract the attention of the researchers. Expiry of the patents associated with these systems opened an opportunity for progress and the technology evolved rapidly after that. There are several examples of industrial applications employing RP systems for production, for example, a group in China has developed cheap houses causing the cost of the house as low as $4000.

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  The Medical Device R&D Handbook

  • Theodore R. Kucklick(Author)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • CRC Press

    (Publisher)

  Another term for Rapid Prototyping is the broader term automated fabrica-tion . According to Marshall Burns, “Automated fabrication is a modern family of 130 The Medical Device R&D Handbook, Second Edition technologies that generate three-dimensional, solid objects under computer control.” * As you can tell from this definition, RP is a subset of the larger category, that of digitally controlled fabrication technologies. Automated fabrication, especially digitally controlled additive fabrication, is still relatively new. There exists a further category of direct manufacturing and manufacture-on-demand opportunities that has only begun to be explored. This other category of RP is referred to as automated forming, in which a material is shaped and formed under computer control, without fixed tooling. Automated fabrication may include new technologies for building engineered tissue scaffolds with RP and inkjet technology. Some of these applica-tions are described at the end of this chapter. Another category of RP technology is the use of reverse modeling in conjunction with RP. Case examples of this are included in the chapter. Additive object modelers work in similar ways. They assemble slices or layers of material to develop a three-dimensional object. Think of it as taking a cutting out of a series of flat paper dolls and then stacking them up to make a solid paper doll. Additive layered manufacturing methods use a variety of materials, from photoreac-tive polymer, to plastic melted through a nozzle, to paper cut with a laser, to powders that are hardened layer by layer, and inkjet-style modelers to produce a free-form solid object. The resolution and surface finish of the model are controlled by how each layer is laid down and by the size of line or dot used to progressively harden the build material. Each RP method has its own advantages and limitations in pro-totyping and development of medical devices.

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  High Power Lasers in Production Engineering

  • Dieter Schu??cker(Author)
  • 1999(Publication Date)
  • WSPC

    (Publisher)

  371 13 Rapid Prototyping with Lasers 13.1 Introduction All kinds of machines are nowadays composed from a large number of individual parts, each with a well defined function. The latter determines the shape of the part and the properties of the material, whereas the three-dimensional geometry is very often quite complicated including prolating portions and also cavities and various structures. The material must exhibit defined strength and be able to withstand corrosion and wear resistance, sometimes also high temperatures. Very often also the weight plays an important role. Examples can easily be found in mechanical engineering and many other disciplines. Although individual parts are usually manufactured in very large numbers by mass production technologies, there is also a need for the generation of one or a few pieces either for models and prototypes or for repair, if no spare parts are available any more. Furthermore, single parts are needed for customer-specific constructions. Especially in production technology for those processes, where the shape of the workpiece is determined by the geometry of the tool, as for instance in casting and forming, the latter tools are usually single pieces as moulds or stamps. Various manufacturing processes are available for the generation of single parts, whereas on the one hand side chip removal technologies as turning, machining and grinding can be used to elaborate the desired part from a bulky, raw material. On the other hand the material addition technologies as welding, sintering and so on can be used to build up a part out of powderized or wire-shaped materials. Compared to chip removal processes, the latter methods allow the generation of nearly unlimited geometries as one piece and therefore the latter processes are faster than material removal technologies. They are thus called 'Rapid Prototyping 1 processes.

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