Rapid Prototyping

Acharya Institute of Technology
Department of Mechatronics Engineering
Sridhar.S.Jetty
Assistant Professor Grade 1

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INTRODUCTION TO RAPID PROTOTYPING
 Rapid prototyping is basically a additive manufacturing process used to quickly

fabricate a model of a part using 3-D CAM data.
 It can also be defined as layer by layer fabrication of 3D physical models directly
from CAD.
Need for Rapid Prototyping
 To increase effective communication.

 To decrease development time.
 To decrease costly mistakes.
 To minimise sustaining engineering changes.
integrated manufacturing (CIM).
History of RP systems
 It started in 1980’s
 First technique is Stereolithography (SLA)
 It was developed by 3D systems of Valencia in California, USA in 1986.
 Fused deposition modelling (FDM) developed by stratasys company in 1988.
 Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) developed by Helisis (USA).
 Solid ground Curing developed by Cubitol corporation of Israel.
 Selective laser sintering developed by DTM of Austin, Texas (USA) in 1989.
 Sanders Model maker developed by Wilton incorporation USA in 1990.
 Multi Jet Modelling by 3D systems.
 3-D Printing by Solygen incorporation, MIT, USA.
Applications of Rapid Prototyping
Rapid Tooling
 Patterns for Sand Casting

 Patterns for Investment Casting
 Pattern for Injection moldings
Rapid Manufacturing
 Short productions runs

 Custom made parts
 On-Demand Manufacturing
 Manufacturing of very complex shapes
Aerospace & Marine
 Wind tunnel models

 Functional prototypes
 Boeing’s On-Demand-Manufacturing
Automotive RP Services
 Needed from concept to production level

 Reduced time to market
 Functional testing
 Dies & Molds
Department of Mechatronics Engineering.Page 2

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Biomedical Applications – I
 Prosthetic parts
 Presurgical planning models
 3D visualization for education and training

Biomedical Applications – II
 Customized surgical implants
 Mechanical bone replicas
 Anthropology
 Forensics

Architecture
 3D visualization of design space
 Iterations of shape
 Sectioned models

Fashion & Jewelry
 Shoe Design
 Jewelry
 Pattern for lost wax
 Other castings
Growth of Rapid Prototyping
These examples highlight just a few of the developments in RP and some of the new and exciting applications.
This information, coupled with research into ongoing developments, illustrates several interesting trends.
RP for the production of finished manufactured parts. Bell Helicopter is using RP to produce metal castings for
its helicopters. Technikon Free State of Bloemfontein, South Africa, is using laser sintering to manufacture a
device used at fitness centers to measure blood pressure, body fat, and weight. A user of the FDM Titan
machine from Stratasys produced a replacement pulley in polycarbonate for an industrial belt sander.
Growing demand in the medical industry. Andy Christensen of Medical Modeling LLC of Golden, Colorado,
USA, said the demand for RP models in the medical industry has doubled over the past 2-3 years. Yet, he
believes that 90 to 95 percent of the market remains untapped. Already, orthodontics company Align
Technology of Santa Clara, California, has produced more than 1 million RP models using its stereolithography
machines. Align is purchasing up to 50 SLA 7000 machines for use with its Invisalign system, a process of
producing invisible plastic aligners for straightening adult teeth. Separately, Interpore Cross International, a
medical device company, is using seven ModelMaker machines from Solidscape to manufacture spinal
implants.
Color. Z Corp. is leading the way, and others are sure to follow. Color can be used to distinguish parts in
complex assemblies. It can also be used to make the exterior housing of a product, such as a cellular phone, look
similar to the finished product, complete with colored buttons and other features.
Material advancements. New materials, such as WaterClear, are enabling companies to create models,
prototypes, and series production parts that were before expensive or impractical to build. With some RP
materials approaching the aesthetic and functional qualities of popular injection-molded thermoplastics,
companies can push the limits to levels unheard of not long ago.
Micro parts. With computers and hand held electronic devices shrinking, the appetite for small parts grows.
RP’s style of building parts in layers, coupled with lasers, makes it possible to produce very small parts and

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assemblies that are highly complex. The number of activities in this area suggests that a trend in the production
of miniature parts using RP is developing.
Perhaps the most promising trend is that all of these applications may become more affordable. Recent
developments have yielded RP systems that are significantly lower in price. This is true even in technologies
that produce parts in photopolymers. Objet Geometries Ltd. of Rehovot, Israel, is using 1536 jets to deposit and
harden photopolymer, layer by layer. Another company is hard at work developing an alternative method of
quickly and accurately depositing and hardening photopolymer in a way that may surprise many.
Classification of RP systems.
Stereolithography
Stereolithography (SL) is one of several methods used to create 3D-printed objects. It's the process by which a
uniquely designed 3D printing machine, called a stereolithograph apparatus (SLA) converts liquid plastic into
solid objects.
Stereolithography is a laser-based technology that uses a UV-sensitive liquid resin. A UV laser beam scans the
surface of the resin and selectively hardens the material corresponding to a cross section of the product, building
the 3D part from the bottom to the top. The required supports for overhangs and cavities are automatically
generated, and later manually removed.
 It is the first RP system developed by 3D SYSTEMS of Valencia in California, USA in 1986.
 First Model developed was 250/50 followed by 250/30, 3500, 5000 and 7000.
 SLA is a laser based Rapid Prototyping process which builds parts directly from CAD by curing or
hardening a photosensitive resin with a relatively low power laser.
In this process photosensitive liquid resin which forms a solid polymer when exposed to ultraviolet light is
used as a fundamental concept. Due to the absorption and scattering of beam, the reaction only takes place
near the surface and voxels of solid polymeric resin are formed. A SL machine consists of a build platform
(substrate), which is mounted in a vat of resin and a UV Helium-Cadmium or Argon ion laser. The laser

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scans the first layer and platform is then lowered equal to one slice thickness and left for short time (dip-
delay) so that liquid polymer settles to a flat and even surface and inhibit bubble formation. The new

slice is then scanned. Schematic diagram of a typical Stereolithography apparatus is shown in figure
In new SL systems, a blade spreads resin on the part as the blade traverses the vat. This ensures smoother
surface and reduced recoating time. It also reduces trapped volumes which are sometimes formed due to
excessive polymerization at the ends of the slices and an island of liquid resin having thickness more than
slice thickness is formed (Pham and Demov, 2001). Once the complete part is deposited, it is removed from
the vat and then excess resin is drained. It may take long time due to high viscosity of liquid resin. The
green part is then post-cured in an UV oven after removing support structures.

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Overhangs or cantilever walls need support structures as a green layer has relatively low stability
and strength. These overhangs etc. are supported if they exceed a certain size or angle, i.e., build
orientation. The main functions of these structures are to support projecting parts and also to pull
other parts down which due to shrinkage tends to curl up (Gebhardt, 2003). These support
structures are generated during data processing and due to these data grows heavily specially
with STL files, as cuboid shaped support element need information about at least twelve
triangles. A solid support is very difficult to remove later and may damage the model. Therefore
a new support structure called fine point was developed by 3D Systems (figure 6) and is
company s trademark.
Build strategies have been developed to increase build speed and to decrease amount of
resin by depositing the parts with a higher proportion of hollow volume. These
strategies are devised as these models are used for making cavities for precision castings. Here
walls are designed hollow connected by rod-type bridging elements and skin is introduced that
close the model at the top and the bottom. These models require openings to drain out uncured
resin.
Process Parameters:
Laser Type: Helium Cadmium Laser (He-Cd)
Laser Power: 24mW
Laser Life: 2000 hours
Re-coat material: Zaphir
Minimum Slice Thickness: 0.1mm
Beam Diameter: 0.2mm
Scan Speed: 0.75m/sec
Maximum Part Volume: 0.25x0.25x0.25 m
Maximum Part Weight: 9 kgs
SOFTWARE USED
 SLA CONTROL AND SET UP SOFTWARE: It operates on SLA 250 and SLA 500
machines. It has got three packages.
 a) SLA VIEW: UNIX based system for viewing and positioning.
 b) BRIDGE WORKS: UNIX based software for generating support structures.

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Data preparation
The final .STL FILE one which supports in addition to original file are then sliced into
horizontal cross sections and saved as slice file.
The slice files are then masked to create four separate files that control SLA machine ending
with 5 extensions L, R, V and
 Important one is V file. I.e. Vector file. The V file contains actual line data that the laser
will follow to cure the shape of the part.
 R file is the range file which contains data for solid or open fields as well as re-coater
blade parameters.
 The four build files are downloaded to SLA which begins building supports with platen
adjust above the surface level. The first few support layers are actually cured into
perforations into platen, thus providing a solid anchor for the rest of the part.
 By building, SLA uses laser to scan the cross section and fill across the surface of resin
which is cured or hardened into the cross sectional shape. The platen is lowered as the
slices are completed so that more resin is available in the upper surface of the part to be
cured. Final step is Post Processing.
Applications
 Investment Casting.
 Wind Tunnel Modeling.
 Tooling.
 Injection Mould Tools

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UNIT 2:
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
• Selective Laser Sintering was developed by university of Texas Austin in 1987.

Selective Laser Sintering Technology:
• Selective Laser Sintering is a rapid prototyping process that builds models from a wide
variety of materials using an additive fabrication method.
• The build media for Selective Laser Sintering comes in powder form which is fused
together by a powerful carbon dioxide laser to form the final product.
• DTM sinter station 2500 is the machine used for the process.
Selective Laser Sintering begins like most other rapid prototyping processes with a
standard .STL CAD file format. DTM view software uses the .STL files. This software
do the required orientation and scaling of parts
 This machine has auto nesting capabilities which will place multiple part optimally in the
build chamber for best processing speed and results. Once the .STL file is placed and
parameters are set the model is directly built from the file.

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Principle of Operation
The sinter station has build piston at the center and feed piston on the either side. The
model is built layer by layer like other rapid prototyping process so that the build piston
will begin at the top of its range and will lower in increments of the set layer size as parts
are built.
 With the build piston at the top a thin layer of powder is spread across the build area by
the roller from one of the feed piston. The laser then cures in a raster sweeps motion
across the area of the parts being built.
 The part piston lowers and more powder is deposited and the process is continued until
all of the part is built.
 The build media is removed from the machine. It is a cake of powder.
This cake is taken to the breakout station where excess powder is removed from the part
manually with brushes
 The excess powder that has been removed can be kept for recycling and can be reused.
Some material needs additional finishing. Some of the finishing techniques include grid
blasting, sanding, polishing, drilling, taping and coating
 Purpose of Selective Laser Sintering:

 To provide a prototyping tool
 To decrease the time and cost of design to product cycle.
 It can use wide variety of materials to accommodate multiple application
throughout the manufacturing process.
 Applications:
1. As conceptual models.
2. Functional prototypes.
3. As Pattern masters.
Fusion deposition Modeling

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First, a part model is created in a STL file with AutoCad or another design program..
• The model needs to be imported into Stratasys’ software, Insight.
• The software slices the .stl file into horizontal layers mathematically, generating the required
supports.
• Insight creates tool paths required for the extrusion head.
• The system draws cross-sectional layers one at a time in the X, Y, and Z coordinate by using a
heated material extrusion process.
Import the .stl file of part model into Stratasys’ software, Insight, which slices the model into
horizontal layers.
• The supports are created if they are needed and the tool paths for the extrusion head are
planned.
• ABS material feeds into the temperature-controlled FDM extrusion head, where it is heated to a
semi-liquid state.
• The head extrudes and deposits the material in 0.254mm layers onto a fixtureless base, one
layer at a time in X and Y coordinates first.
• When the layer is finished, the head moves in Z direction to the next layer.
• Each layer is extruded with precision, and the layers are bonded and solidified.
• The designed object becomes a solid three-dimensional part.
In Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process a movable (x-y movement) nozzle on to a

substrate deposits thread of molten polymeric material. The build material is heated slightly
above (approximately 0.5 C) its melting temperature so that it solidifies within a very short time
(approximately 0.1 s) after extrusion and cold-welds to the previous layer as shown in figure 8.
Various important factors need to be considered and are steady nozzle and material extrusion
rates, addition of support structures for overhanging features and speed of the nozzle head,
which affects the slice thickness. More recent FDM systems include two nozzles, one for part
material and other for support material. The support material is relatively of poor quality and

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can be broken easily once the complete part is deposited and is removed from substrate. In more
recent FDM technology, water-soluble
 The technology is clean, simple-to-use and office-friendly
 Supported production-grade thermoplastics are mechanically and environmentally stable
 Complex geometries and cavities that would otherwise be problematic become practical
with FDM technology
FDM APPLICATIONS
FDM Thermoplastics
FDM Technology uses the same tried and tested thermoplastics found in traditional
manufacturing processes. For applications that demand tight tolerances, toughness and
environmental stability – or specialized properties like electrostatic dissipation, translucence,
biocompatibility, VO flammability or FST ratings – there’s an FDM thermoplastic that can
deliver.
FDM 3D Printers
Idea Series
Develop your ideas with affordable models and prototypes. Idea Series 3D Printers fit your
desktop and your budget.

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Design Series
Perfect your designs with strong, durable and dimensionally-stable parts that withstand tough
testing.
Production Series
Bring agility and aesthetics to every stage of product development with the widest range of
colors and material properties for prototypes and tooling.
 Aerospace
 Automotive
 Commercial
 Consumer
 Industrial
 Medical

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UNIT 3: SOLID GROUND CURING (SGC )
 1. Large parts of 500x500x350mm can be fabricated quickly.

 2. High speed allows production of many parts.
 3. Masks are created.
 4. No post curing required.
 5. Milling step ensures flatness of subsequent layers.
 6. Wax supports model, hence no extra support is required.
 7. Create a lot of wastes.
 8. Not as prevalent as SLA and SLS but gaining ground because of high throughput and
large parts.
Constructional Details :
 The cubital machine contains the following parts :

 Polymer spreader:
 This infects the liquid polymer resin with the help of high compressed air .
 Electrical charging :
 This is linked with software which manipulates the object boundary at each and every
layeer .
 Mask developer:
 It is a device which gives the block like coathin on the plate on which the plate covers
with the coating except from the profile boundary .
 Mask erasure:
 It is used to erase the mask from the plate when the process iteration is over .
 Wax platform:
 The is a table like structure on which the polymer layer to be deposited.
 Residual Polymer cleaner:
 This is a sort of arrangement to suck the wasted polymer from the table after the layer
boundary is solidified with the help of UV light .
 Wax spreader :
 This pours the wax where ever required on the table up to the depth of the layer polymer .
 Wax cooling plate:
 This cools the entire object layer along with the wax .
 Milling head:

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 This is a cutter which cuts the portion upon the layer to finish the layer surfac to pour the
polymer in the second run .
 UV light arrangement:
 It is an arangement which we use to solidify the layer.

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ADVANTAGES:
Ideal technology for short production runs .
Volume of the production environment is as big as what we get from Stereo lithography.
Dimensional accuracy is good .
It has got ability to the layer by layer of 0.1 mm thickness .
 The entire layer is solidified at once.

 Reduction in the part build time for multipart builds.
 Larger prototypes can be nested to utilize the build volume fully.
 No postcuring is required.
DISADVANTAGES :
Apart from the advantages it has also some disadvantages such as when the liquid polymer
solidifies these some wax also gets entrapped in the artifact.
Space requirement is also less.
Cost is also reasonably high when compared to FDM machine .
 The system is large, noisy and heavy.

 It wastes a large amount of wax which cannot be recycled.
 SGC systems are prone to breakdowns.
 The resin models of SGC are not suitable for investment casting because coefficient of
thermal expansion is more than ceramics in resin which may lead to cracks in casting.

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Process:
 The steps in process are as follows
 First a CAD model of the part is created and it is sliced in to layers using cubitos data
front end software.
STEPS IN SGC
 Spray photosensitive resin:
 At the beginning of a layer creation step the flat work surface is sprayed with
photosensitive resin.

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
2. Development of photomask
For each layer a photomask is produced using cubitals

proprietary ionographic printing technique.

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3. Expose photomask
The photomask is positioned over the work surface a powerful UV lamp hardens the exposed
photosensitive resin.
4. Vacuum uncured resin and solidify the remnants

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After the layer is cured all the uncured resin is vacuumed
for recycling leaving the hardened area intact the cured layer is passed beneath a strong linear
UV lamp to fully
cure in and solidify any remnants particles as shown in figure.
5. Wax is applied to replace uncured resin area
Wax replaces the cavities left by vacuuming the liquid resin.

The wax is hardened by cooling to provide continuous solid
support for the model as it is fabricated extra supports are not
needed.
6. The top surface is milled flat

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In the final step before the next layer, the wax resin surface is
milled flat to an accurate reliable finish for next layer.
Once all layers are completed the wax is removed and any
finishing operations such as sanding etc can be performed no
post curing is necessary.

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APPLICATIONS OF SGC
fabricating wax patterns for investment casting
Fused Deposition: Solid Ground Curing Ink Jet:
Tooling & casting
Medical imaging
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

 Laminated Object Manufacturing is a rapid prototyping technique that produces 3D
models with paper, plastics or composites.
 LOM was developed by Helices Corporation, Torrance, California. LOM is actually more
of a hybrid between subtractive and additive process.
 In this technique models are built up with layers of cross section of the part. Hence as
layers are been added, the excess material is not required for that cross section is being
cut away.
 LOM is one of the fastest RP processes for parts with longer cross sectional areas which
make it ideal for producing large parts.
System Hardware:
 LOM system is available in two sizes.
 LOM 1015 produces parts up to 10x15x14 inches.
 LOM 2030 produces parts upto20x30x24 inches.

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 Common build material is paper.
 Build material has pressure and heat sensitive additive on the banking.
 Material thickness ranges from 0.0038-0.005 inches.
Laminated object manufacturing: 1 Foil supply. 2 Heated roller. 3 Laser beam. 4. Scanning prism. 5
Laser unit. 6 Layers. 7 Moving platform. 8 Waste.
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) is a rapid prototyping system developed by Helisys Inc.
(Cubic Technologies is now the successor organization of Helisys) In it, layers of adhesive-
coated paper, plastic, or metal laminates are successively glued together and cut to shape with a
knife or laser cutter. Objects printed with this technique may be additionally modified by machining or
drilling after printing. Typical layer resolution for this process is defined by the material feedstock and
usually ranges in thickness from one to a few sheets of copy paper.[1]
The process is performed as follows:
1. Sheet is adhered to a substrate with a heated roller.

2. Laser traces desired dimensions of prototype.
3. Laser cross hatches non-part area to facilitate waste removal.
4. Platform with completed layer moves down out of the way.
5. Fresh sheet of material is rolled into position.
6. Platform downs into new position to receive next layer.
7. The process is repeated.

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Note:
 Low cost due to readily available raw material

 Paper models have wood like characteristics, and may be worked and finished accordingly
 Dimensional accuracy is slightly less than that of stereolithography and selective laser
sintering but no milling step is necessary.
 Relatively large parts may be made, because no chemical reaction is necessary.[2][3]
LOM MATERIALS:
layers of adhesive-coated paper,
plastic, or
metal laminates are successively glued together and cut to shape with a knife or laser cutter.
This technology is very versatile as almost any material can be glued. The more common
material used is paper as it is easily cut. Plastic can also be used, using a blade or a laser
during the cutting stage. Metallic sheets are more unusual because the cutting stage is
more complicated.
Process details
This is a very simple process making it easy to use, cheap and fast. The printing precision
depends on the layer thickness and thus depends on the material. Compared to other
technologies, it is not considered as very precise. The withdrawal of the support parallelepipoids
is an exhausting and critical task that can lead to damaged objects.
APPLICATIIONS OF LOM
 Form/fit testing,
 Less detailed parts,
 Rapid tooling patterns
 LOM machines are used mainly for rapid proptotyping plastic parts. Its low price and
fastness makes it convenient to make prototypes, even though the produced objects are
far from end-use parts.
 Mcor proposes a particular kind of LOM that they named Selective Deposition
Lamination (SDL). It is a paper based technology that adds color in the print. Sheets of
paper are colour printed, selectively glued and cut with a blade. The glue is only applied
in the surface corresponding to the object, then it is easier to excavate the final object.
Plus, the addition of colour allows this technology to compete with binder
jettingtechnologies to produce multicolor objects, even if the quality is not the same.
 MCor allows multicolor 3D prototyping, Binder Jetting does the same for production. If
you are interested in 3D printing a multicolor object, download your model !

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Unit 4: Concepts Modelers
Conceptual modelers offer abundant op- portunities for making solid business im- provements
and have great untapped potential for cutting time-to-market. In the eyes of many, conceptual

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modelers are a poor
per-son’s RP system because they are more inexpensive to purchase than “real” RP systems.
Their materials are cheaper, and their installation and operation are cheaper and easier;
however, their parts don’t provide the strength and accuracy of those made by “real” systems—
and their parts can’t be very large.
A company that can afford to buy a “real” system wouldn’t buy a conceptual modeler. This is
a limited view, which does not rec- ognize the awesome role conceptual modelers could play
in rapid product development. Table I shows quantitatively just how different a typical
conceptual modeler is from a typical traditional RP system.Since conceptual modelers are
considerably faster and cheaper than other RP systems, and because they can be operated by
anyone in an office environment, they have a potential advantage; however, few organi-zations
are exploiting these advantages. Much of the RP community still views con-ceptual modelers
as inferior to the
traditional RP systems—in terms of the resulting parts’ accuracy, surface finish, maximum
size and strength.
THERMAL JET PRINTER
The first layer is sprayed directly onto a platen by a row of presicely controlled jets that can
produce points 0.08mm square. This layer is then machined by a hot roller to a thickness of
0.08mm. The platen then drops and a new layer is jetted over the first. This process is repeated
thousands of times to build a part. Print time is determined by model height. A model 254 x 192
x 200mm can be built in under 30hrs.
Parts with undercuts, overhangs and other complex features are no problem due to the automatic
support structure demonstrated in the next animation.
The 19th century physicist Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) was the first to consider the
possibilities inherent in the controlled direction of liquid through electrostatic forces, and even
had a patent granted on this concept [9]. However, it is not clear from Kelvin's patent whether his
device would have created discrete drops or a stream of liquid. In any case, this was an idea
before its time, because there was no way to provide detailed instructions to steer the droplets,
and thus the device was incapable of drawing patterns except on a single line, limiting its
patterning to the simple dots and dashes of Morse code. It was almost 100 years before the next
development in this field occurred in the 1950s, when Siemens used this technique to replace
galvanometric chart recorders [10]. Major advances in both drop-generation and drop-placement
technology then occurred, developing inkjet printing further and making it practical for computer
graphics output. Advances in manufacturing technology reduced both the cost and size of these
printers, so that today, inkjet printers are seen as a relatively cheap personal or desktop printing
solution.
The main commercial applications for inkjet printing remain in graphics, product marking,
coding, and dating, among other conventional printing operations. However, in recent years there

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has been considerable interest in, and use of, inkjet printing as a fabrication tool in a number of
technological areas. These areas include displays [11], plastic electronics [12], ceramic
component manufacture [13], and tissue engineering [14]. It is now clear that inkjet printing is
on the verge of becoming a ubiquitous manufacturing tool.
2.1. Methods of drop generation
There are currently three mechanisms that are used in the commercial droplet generators required
for inkjet printing. These mechanisms can be conveniently classified as continuous inkjet
printing (CIJ), drop-on-demand inkjet printing (DOD), and electrostatic inkjet printing (EIJ).
Each of these methods has its own particular requirements for the physical properties of the ink
and a characteristic drop size range. Of these methods, both CIJ and DOD have a background in
text printing and marking applications, and have been in commercial use for over 40 years.
CIJ generates a stream of drops through the Rayleigh instability of a liquid column ejected
through a small nozzle. The nozzle is held at a potential relative to ground that transfers a small
charge onto each drop. Individual drops are steered by applying another potential to deflector
plates (Figure 2). Drop diameters are normally>50 μm and are slightly larger than the diameter
of the nozzle. CIJ printers produce a continuous stream of drops; unwanted drops (when no
printing occurs) are deflected into a gutter, and are normally recycled in many graphics
applications to prevent waste. Drop generation rate can be>50 kHz and drops are ejected at
velocities>10 m.s−1. Although CIJ produces the greatest volume of ink per minute, it is limited in
terms of placement accuracy. Its main application is in product marking and coding. However,
there have been examples of using this method for the 3D printing of ceramics [15]. The main
concern with this method is that the continuous fluid jetting leads to significant ink wastage and,
if recirculation is used, the potential for ink contamination.
1. Download full-size image
Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the operating principles of a continuous inkjet printer (CIJ).
DOD printers generate individual drops when required, and do not steer a drop in flight. Drop
placement occurs by mechanical positioning of the drop generator or substrate. Drops form
through the propagation of a pressure pulse in a reservoir behind the nozzle. This pressure pulse

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must overcome the surface tension forces that hold the liquid drops in place; the resulting ejected
column of liquid is pinched off to form a drop by a combination of surface tension forces and the
return flow of the liquid in the reservoir. The pressure pulse can be formed either by mechanical
actuation (normally by a piezoelectric device) or by the formation and collapse of a vapor pocket
in the ink through local heating (Figure 3). The vapor-pocket mechanism is chiefly used in low-
throughput desktop printing devices, while piezoelectric actuation is more common in high-
volume commercial and industrial applications. With DOD, drop volumes are in the range of 1
pL–1 nL, with corresponding diameters in the range of 10–100 μm. Drops are ejected on demand
at rates up to about 20 kHz. Drop-ejection mechanisms in DOD and CIJ printers have been
comprehensively reviewed by Martin et al. [16].
4. Thermal Ink Jet PrinterThe Ink Jet Printing technology is also sometimes called Ballistic
Particle Manufacturing. Othersystems providers use considerably different techniques, but they
all rely on squirting a buildmaterial in a liquid or melted state which cools or otherwise hardens
to form a solid on impact.One example of the technology variations available in these so-called
phase change inkjets isprovided by 3D Systems. This company produces an inkjet machine,
called the ThermoJetModeler (formerly Actua), based on technology from Spectra, Inc.
which utilizes severalhundred nozzles.By contrast, the Solidscape machine uses a single jet
each for build and support materials, and itserves as an introduction here. Plastic object, wax and
support materials, are held in a meltedliquid state at elevated temperature in reservoirs (A). The
liquids are fed to individual jettingheads (B) through thermally insulated tubing. The jetting
heads squirt tiny droplets of thematerials as they are moved side by side in the required geometry
to form the layer of the object.The heads are controlled and only place droplets where they are
required to. The materialsharden by rapidly dropping in temperature as they are deposited. After
an entire layer of theobject is formed by jetting, a milling head (C) is passed over the layer to
make it a uniformthickness. Particles are vacuumed away as the milling head cuts and are
captured in a filter (D).The operation of the nozzles is checked after a layer has been fabricated
by depositing a line ofeach material on a narrow strip of paper and reading the result optically
(E). If all is well, theelevator table (F) is moved down a layer thickness and the next layer is
begun. If a clog isdetected, a jetting head cleaning cycle is carried out. If the clog is cleared, the
problem layers aremilled off and then repeate
Sanders ModelMaker
• Exceptional accuracy allows use in the jewelry industry.

• Accuracy is partly enabled by a milling step after each layer deposition.
• Plotting system is a liquid-to-solid inkjet which dispenses both thermoplastic and wax

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materials.
• Compared to SLS® and SLA, not as established.
The Sander ModelMaker™ product is produced and distributed by Sanders Prototype, Inc. of
Wilton, NH, USA. Smooth cosmetic surface quality can be achieved by pre-tracing the perimeter
of a layer prior to filling in the interior. The supporting wax material is deposited at the same
time as the thermoplastic. A schematic is shown below:
Both the thermoplastic material (Protobuild™) and the wax support material
(Protosupport™) are proprietary materials of Sanders.
Multi-Jet Modeling
 Fast.
 Office-friendly: non-toxic materials, small footprint, low odor.
 Simple operation: operates as a network printer in an office environment.

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 Models are primarily for appearance use.
 Compared to SLS® and SLA, not as established.
Another product of 3D Systems from the makers of the SLA system, Multi-Jet Modeling™ uses a
96-element print head to deposit molten plastic for layering. The system is fast compared to most
other RP techniques, and produces good appearance models with minimal operator effort. The
main market that this system is targeted at is the engineering office where the system must be
non-toxic, quiet, small, and with minimal odor. The system is illustrated below:
Z402 Ink Jet System
• Fast: one to two vertical inches per hour, depending on layer density.
• Office-friendly: non-toxic materials, small footprint, low odor.
• Simple operation.
• Compared to SLA and SLS®, not as established.
The Z402™ is one of the fastest 3D printers known to Rapid Prototyping. The ability to produce
quick models means greater productivity for the lab and quick prototypes for customers. Since
manufacturing parts is easy, almost anyone in the lab can produce a quality part without
extensive Rapid Prototyping experience.

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Three-Dimensional Printing
• Binder is "printed" on unbound powder layer.

• Without milling step, work plane can become successively skewed.
• Not as established as SLA and SLS®.
Three-Dimensional Printing, developed by MIT and Soligen, Inc., is illustrated below. It is
another technique based on the inkjet printing process. Binder is printed on a powder layer to
selectively bind powder together for each layer.
3-D printer.
a machine allowing the creation of a physical object from a three-dimensional digital
model, typically by laying down many thin layers of a material in succession.

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3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), refers to processes used to create
a three-dimensional object[1] in which layers of material are formed under computer control to
create an object.[2] Objects can be of almost any shape or geometry and are produced using
digital model data from a 3D model or another electronic data source such as an Additive
Manufacturing File (AMF) file. Thus, unlike material removed from a stock in the conventional
machining process, 3D printing or AM builds a three-dimensional object from computer-aided
design (CAD) model or AMF file by successively adding material layer by layer.[3]
The term "3D printing" originally referred to a process that deposits a binder material onto a
powder bed with inkjet printer heads layer by layer. More recently, the term is being used in
popular vernacular to encompass a wider variety of additive manufacturing techniques. United
States and global technical standards use the official term additive manufacturing for this
broader sense. ISO/ASTM52900-15 defines seven categories of AM processes within its
meaning: binder jetting, directed energy deposition, material extrusion, material jetting, powder
bed fusion, sheet lamination and vat photopolymerization.[4]
Genisys Xs printer
In particular, we will be using an FDM system named The Genisys Xs. The Genisys 3-D
accepts its file in the same fashion as a regular FDM printer. The process begins with an .STL
file. Then the AutoGen software included performs functions on the file to prepare the part for
building. These functions include making sure the model has no errors, fixing any errors that
are present, part positioning, file slicing and support generation. AutoGen can also scale the
part by either of two methods, first by choosing a percentage of the file size, or by fitting the
part within a pre-determined volume up to 8 x 8 x 8 inches.
The Genisys 3D printer operates in an office environment, as a piece of equipment connected to

a network device accommodating multiple-user access. It is easy to use, fully automated and
operates unattended.
A line of cassettes supplies the system with our polyester compound. Each cassette holds 50
rectangular wafers. The wafers are fed into a pressurized, heated channel that supplies the
material to a viscosity pump. To ensure accuracy, the material is extruded through a .013"
diameter orifice at a controlled rate. Thin perimeter walls are created are created first, and then
the pump head fills in the area, creating a flat surface between the walls. This technique speeds
build time and maintains a good surface finish. The machine also calibrates itself each time it is
turned on to compensate for any deviations in angular position of the build table and gantry
alignments.
Supports created by AutoGen are built from the same polyester material. The system creates
perforations where supports adjoin the model, making it easy to snap off any required supports.
The Genisys printed models often require fewer supports than other systems' models due to
precise pump control.

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Part 1: Preparing the Model 1. Start the AutoGen application from the QuickFind/Start
menu on your computer.
2. Under the File menu, click “Open STL…” and select the desired file. Note that
AutoGen may have issues with space characters in pathnames and filenames.
3. The model should now appear in the window. The red, green, and blue borders
correspond to the available build volume of the printer.
4. You can zoom in or out or rotate the view of the build volume by adjusting the
“thumbwheels”.
5. If the model appears dark, or is hard to see, under the View menu, select Draw
Style:Wireframe. The model will now be rendered without surface shading. The problem may
also be corrected by reversing the orientation of the surface normals on the model prior to loading
into AutoGen.
6. Resize your model if necessary using the Scale or Fit settings. The Fit menu allows
you to specify a cube size to which the size of the printout should be constrained.
7. As the model is built, it may need to have supports attached to it to keep it from
toppling over. Rotate the model to achieve the best orientation so as to minimize the complexity
of the support structure. Rotation values must be typed into the three fields labeled Rotation,
which represent X-, Y-, and Z-axis rotation angles in degrees. (See Figure 2.). A dark, hard-to-see
object. Rendered in wireframe. Figure 1 – Different Drawing Styles 8. Use the “Fill” menu to
determine whether to print a solid model (Normal), or to allow the printer to create a honeycomb
support structure (Sparse). The normal model offers increased strength. The sparse model offers
faster printing and cost efficiency as it requires less material. Part 2: Preprocessing 1. Under the
main menu select File:Print…. When prompted, click the checkbox for “Preprocessing Only”, and
then click OK. If preprocessing fails, try rotating the model to a different orientation (even if it
means adding supports), changing the fill type, or the part scaling. If this does not remedy the
problem, it may be necessary to change some aspect of the model’s design. 2. Once preprocessing
is done, the model can be “packed”. This is necessary only if multiple models or multiple copies
of a model are to be printed in a single print job. To pack the model select File:Print…, and select
“Pack” from the pull-down menu. Click OK and wait for the packing process to complete.

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Additional models can now be loaded, sized, and preprocessed. 3. Once the model(s) are
preprocessed and packed, select File:Print… and select “Print Alone” from the pull-down menu.
Click OK to send your job to the Genesis Xs printer. Part 3: Printing 1. Once the job is sent, the
printer will queue it and begin warming up. While warming up, open the glass door and, using the
yellow spatula on the shelf next to the printer, scrape any residual plastic from the metal plate. In
particular, there will likely be a “test strip” from the last print job on the right hand side. Close the
glass door when done. Once the metal plate heats up to a given temperature, the door will be
locked until the print job is complete. 2. While the printer is rendering, consult the LCD display to
monitor its progress. Use the percent-complete and time-elapsed values to estimate a completion
time. 3. If the model has an obvious flaw, or if the printer has screwed up by producing a
seriously defective part, cancel the job from the console by following the prompts on the LCD
display. Figure 2 – A rotation of 180 degrees about the X-axis results in an orientation requiring
no support structure. 4. After the printing is done, use the menu, enter, escape, and arrow buttons
to bring the printer offline and check the materials status. Press the menu button and select “put
printer offline”. Press menu again, and using the arrow keys select “status menu”, and then
“material status”. Record the values for each of the ten wafer cartridges in the log book sitting on
the shelf next to the printer. Note the total difference from the previous entry and record it in the
“wafers used” column. 5. Using the spatula, carefully remove the model from the platen, and
clean the platen of any scraps of plastic. The platen remains hot, so take care not to touch it. 6. If
support structures were added to the model, they can now be snapped off easily with fingers, and
any defects lightly sanded out

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Unit 5: Rapid Tooling.

Rapid Tooling refers to mould cavities that are either directly or indirectly fabricated
using Rapid Prototyping techniques.
INDIRECT RAPID TOOLING
 As RP is becoming more mature, material properties, accuracy, cost and lead time are
improving to permitting to be employed for production of tools. Indirect RT methods are
called indirect because they use RP pattern obtained by appropriate RP technique as a
model for mould and die making.
RP technologies offer the capabilities of rapid production of 3D solid objects directly
from CAD. Instead of several weeks, a prototype can be completed in a few days or
even a few hours.
Unfortunately with RP techniques, there is only a limited range of materials from which
prototypes can be made. Consequently although visualization and dimensional
verification are possible, functional testing of prototypes often is not possible due to
different mechanical and thermal properties of prototype compared to production part.
All this leads to the next step which is for RP industry to target tooling as a natural way
to capitalize on 3D CAD modeling and RP technology. With increase in accuracy of RP
techniques, numerous processes have been developed for producing tooling from RP
masters
The most widely used indirect RT methods are to use RP masters to make silicon room
temperature vulcanizing moulds for plastic parts and as sacrificial models or
investment casting of metal parts. These processes are usually known as Soft Tooling
Techniques
Silicon Rubber Tooling
It is a soft tooling technique. It is a indirect rapid tooling method.
Another root for soft tooling is to use RP model as a pattern for silicon rubber mould
which can then in turn be injected several times. Room Temperature Vulcanization
Silicones are preferable as they do not require special curing equipment.
This rubber moulding technique is a flexible mould that can be peeled away from more
implicate patterns as suppose to former mould materials
First an RP process is used to fabricate the pattern.
Next the pattern is fixed into a holding cell or box and coated with a special release agent
(a wax based cerosal or a petroleum jelly mixture) to prevent it from sticking to the silicon.
The silicon rubber typically in a two part mix is then blended, vacuumed to remove air
packets and poured into the box around the pattern until the pattern is completely
encapsulated.
After the rubber is fully cured which usually takes 12 to 24 hours the box is removed and
the mould is cut into two (not necessarily in halves) along a pre determined parting line.

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 At this point, the original pattern is pulled from the silicon mould which can be placed
back together and repeatedly filled with hot wax or plastic to fabricate multiple patterns.
These tools are generally not injected due to the soft nature of the material. Therefore the
final part materials must be poured into the mould each cycle.
3D Keltool Process
 This process is based on metal sintering process. This process converts RP master
patterns into production tool inserts with very good definition and surface finish.
Firing the green parts in a furnace to remove the plastic binder and sintering the metal
particles together.
Infiltrating the sintered parts (70% dense inserts) with copper in the second furnace
cycle to fill the 30% void space.
Finishing the core and cavity
3D Keltool inserts can be built in two materials. Sterlite of A6 composite tool steel. The
material properties allow the inserts using this process to withstand more than 10lakh mould
cycles
Epoxy Tools
 Epoxy tools are used to manufacture prototype parts or limited runs of production parts.
 Epoxy tools are used as:-
 Moulds for prototype injection plastic
 Moulds for casting
 Compression moulds
 Reaction Injection Moulds
 The fabrication of moulds begins with the construction of a simple frame around the
parting line of RP model.
 Sprue, gates and runners can be added or cut later on once the mould is finished. The
exposed surface of the model is coated with a release agent and epoxy is poured over
the model.
 Aluminum powder is usually added to epoxy resin and copper cooling lines can also be
placed at this stage to increase the thermal conductivity of the mould.
 Once the epoxy is cured the assembly is inverted and the parting line block is removed
leaving the pattern embedded in the side of the tool just cast.
 Another frame is constructed and epoxy is poured to form the other side of the tool.
 Then the second side of the tool is cured. The two halves of the tool are separated and the
pattern is removed.
 Another approach known as soft surface rapid tool involves machining an oversized
cavity in an Aluminum plate.

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 The offset allows for introduction of casting material which may be poured into the
cavity after suspending the model in its desired position and orientation.
 Some machining is required for this method and this can increase the mould building
time but the advantage is that the thermal conductivity is better for all epoxy models.
 Unfortunately epoxy curing is an exothermic reaction and it is not always possible

directly to cast epoxy around a RP model without damaging it. In this case a Silicon
RTV Mould is cast from RP pattern and silicon RTV model is made from the mould and
is used as pattern for aluminum fill deposited.
 A loss of accuracy occurs during this succession of reproduction steps. An alternative
process is to build an RP mould as a master so that only a single silicon RTV
reproduction step is needed because epoxy tooling requires no special skill or equipment.
 It is one of the cheapest techniques available. It is also one of the quickest. Several
hundred parts can be moulded in almost any common casting plastic material.
 Epoxy Tools have the following limitations.
 Limited tool life
 Poor thermal transfer
 Tolerance dependent on master patterns
 Aluminum filled epoxy has low tensile strength
Direct Tooling:

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Indirect methods for tool production necessitate a minimum of one intermediate
replication process. This might result in a loss of accuracy and to increase the time for
building the tool. To overcome some of the drawbacks of indirect method, new rapid
tooling methods have come into existence that allow injection moulding and die casting
inserts to be built directly from 3D CAD models.
Classification of Direct Rapid Tooling methods:
 Direct Rapid Tooling Processes can be divided into two main groups
1st group:
 It includes less expensive methods with shorter lead times.
 Direct RT methods that satisfy these requirements are called methods for firm tooling or
bridge tooling.
RP processes for firm tooling fill the gap between soft and hard tooling
2nd group:
 Solutions for hard tooling are based on fabrication of sintered metal steel, iron copper
powder inserts infiltrated with copper or bronze.
 It includes RP methods that allow inserts for pre production and production tools to be
built.
These methods come under hard tooling
Classification of Direct RT methods:

Firm Tooling Methods
 Direct AIM
 DTM COPPER PA TOOLING
 DTM SANDFORM TOOLING
 ELECTRO OPTICAL SYSTEM DIRECT CHRONING PROCESS
 LOM TOOLING IN POLYMER
 3DP CERAMIC SHELLS
Hard Tooling Methods
 EOS DIRECT TOOL
 DTM RAPID TOOL PROCESS
 LOM TOOLING IN CERAMIC

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 3DP DIRECT METAL TOOLING
Cast Kirksite Re-Emerges as RT Approach for Molding Plastics
Combining the cast kirksite tooling process with RP and CAD improves prototype, bridge-to-
production and short-run parts injection molding.
Modern developments in RP techniques made way for the elimination of time-consuming hand
pattern-making and process streamlining-making cast kirksite tooling a superb tool for reducing
time-to-market with minimal capital expenditure.
In recent years, the injection molding of prototype, bridge-to production and short-run parts has
become quick and cost-effective thanks to the marriage of the cast kirksite tooling process with
RP and CAD technology. The designer's CAD file is used to produce a model by
stereolithography (SL) within hours and with minimal human intervention. Casting kirksite
cavities to net shape from SL master models translates the designer's intent directly into tooling
that provides the perfect rapid tools for prototype and bridge-to production injection molded
parts.
The Material
Originally developed for sheet metal forming tools in the automotive industry, kirksite material
is a zinc/aluminum alloy (94 percent Zn, 6 percent Al) with a melting point of 725 °F. Due to the
vapor pressure of the zinc, the material is almost immune to the gas porosity encountered with
other alloy systems and the shrinkage is approximately half that of aluminum, resulting in great
cast mold accuracy and repeatability.
Kirksite is machinable and weldable, making on the fly design adjustments possible. One of the
main benefits to this process is the ability to make geometric changes quickly and cheaply. In
extreme cases, if required for the application, several iterations of kirksite tools are possible at
less cost (in time and money) than one steel tool.
Tool life is dependent on many factors, particularly geometric complexity and the nature of the
material to be molded. Quantities of fifty to five hundred pieces are typical prototype runs, but
quantities as high as two hundred thousand pieces have been molded using cast kirksite dies.

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The Process
Thermoplastic hand tool prototype with SLA master and cast kirksite cavity.
The process for making cast kirksite tools begins by producing a master pattern with shrink
adjustments, typically from a CAD file using the SL process. Joint boards are built to define
parting lines and a rubber or urethane impression is taken from the master to create patterns for
the core and cavity set. Then, a specially-formulated, plaster-base material is cast against the
core and cavity patterns to create plaster molds into which the kirksite is cast. The use of plaster,
which expands during setting, allows exact reproduction of even the finest pattern detail and
finish.
Once the kirksite is cast into the molds, the plaster is broken away. The molds are cleaned up and
machined to fit into a standard mold base with ejection and runner systems or they can be used
on a stand-alone basis. The molds are then mounted into a traditional injection press of the
appropriate tonnage and parts are run. Any required heating or cooling systems can either be cast
in place or added later by drilling.
The molds are kept as simple as possible and built for speed, not necessarily efficiency. Hand-
loaded loose pieces are used instead of mechanical pullbacks and slides. Four or five hand loads
are not uncommon, although this slows cycle time and increases unit cost.

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The Design Considerations
Most of the design considerations used in creating injection molded parts are the same in
prototype part design-including draft, fillets, radii and wall thickness. Parts run in cast kirksite
molds generally range in size from a one-inch cube envelope to an approximate twenty-four-inch
cube.
Raw parts from cast kirksite mold set.
Finished parts from cast kirksite mold set.
As with any other tooling method, consideration must be given to process limitations to
maximize the success of the product. By introducing a casting process into your tool build, you
gain speed, but you must use a slightly wider tolerance band on non-critical dimensions since an
additional shrinkage factor must be included.
Areas that are critical to function must be identified and that detail can be CNC machined into
the mold with great accuracy. Cosmetic appearance expectation must be measured and
appearance-critical areas can be enhanced through mold finishing/polishing and appropriately
engineered cooling and ejection systems.
In most cases, parts will have an appearance very close to the production parts and many OEMs
have used the parts to market their product ahead of full-scale production. Typically, companies
have used prototypes for functionality testing in addition to product previews at industry
tradeshows or in trade publications.

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The Applications
Prototype hand-tool clam shell design.
Many new hand tools or products you see on the Web or in a catalog have been made with
prototype molds. Consumer products' companies with very sophisticated assembly lines are able
to set up and fine-tune their lines long before an actual production unit is manufactured, enabling
a seamless product launch.
Companies with very low annual volumes also are able to use thermoplastic parts in their design
by using cast kirksite molds for their entire production run. Many niche and high-end products
have an annual quantity requirement insufficient to justify steel tooling. For intermediate
quantities, steel inserts in localized high wear areas can enhance tool life at minimal cost.
Duplicate core/cavity sets also are easily made from the master pattern for a cost-effective way
to extend production capabilities.
Parts can be molded in any thermoplastic resin while prototype parts in a range of shapes and
sizes are routinely produced in two to five weeks. Part features that are not in the direction of
draw are achieved with hand loads, which allow complex configurations.
This technique is very useful to anyone developing new products with thermoplastic parts.
Design teams can now get fully testable prototypes in a few weeks and begin the design
refinement loop at a much earlier date. Manufacturers of consumer products are able to get UL
and similar test approvals quickly-concurrent with test marketing and production tool builds.

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The process fits a definite niche in today's market and has been used in many industries to speed
products into the marketplace. This is particularly true of consumer products whose designs are
known for complex geometry and sophisticated styling.
The nature of the casting process allows almost complete design freedom with no penalty in
production time. All the detail in the original file is translated into a 3-D SL model and then
traditional casting technology is used to transfer this detail to the injection mold. The technique
has been used through a wide cross-section of today's leading products-including automobiles,
hand tools, small appliances, computers, telecommunications equipment, medical diagnostic test
equipment and audio/home entertainment gear.
Cast kirksite tools also can be used as molds for many other plastic molding processes with
similar success. When quantities make sense (i.e., short runs), cast kirksite tools have been used
for blow molding, rotational molding, compression molding and RIM (reaction injection
molding). The molds can be used for many shapes when quantity requirements cannot justify
investing in machined aluminum or steel tooling.
UNIT-6
Sand Casting Tooling
 Sand casting is often used to produce large metal parts with low requirement of
surface quality.

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 Rapid prototyping techniques can be utilized to fabricate master patterns using
sand moulds.
 These moulds are produced by placing rapid prototyping patterns in sand box
which is then filled and packed with sand to form the mould cavity.
When employing rapid prototyping techniques it is much more convenient to build patterns
which include compensation for shrinkage of the castings as well as additional machining
stock for areas requiring machining after casting.
The other benefits are that it significantly reduces lead time and increase pattern
accuracy.
Soft Tooling:
 It can be used to intake multiple wax or plastic parts using conventional injection
moulding techniques. It produces short term production patterns. Injected wax patterns
can be used to produce castings. Soft tools can usually be fabricated for ten times less
than a machine tool.
Hard Tooling:
 Patterns are fabricated by machining either tool steel or aluminum into the negative
shape of the desired component. Steel tools are very expensive yet typically last
indefinitely building millions of parts in a mass production environment. Aluminum tools
are less expensive than steel and are used for lower production quantities
 Quick cast process
 This "QuickCast Tooling" process has the potential for truly dramatic cost and time
savings. Data presented in this paper document the actual time and money saved by Ford
on this project alone. Ultimately, QuickCast Tooling should enable rapid and economical
generation of core and cavity inserts for either direct injection molding of 156 end-use
production plastic parts, manufacturing large quantities of investment casting wax
patterns, or as dies for direct die casting of production metal components. However, in
order for this application to provide really substantial cost and time savings, it is essential
that the accuracy and surface finish ofthe SL generated patterns continue to improve.
With e(90) values currently at 91 micrometers, coupled with the surface finish ofthe latest
QuickCast patterns, we are now moving "into the ballpark" of QuickCast Tooling. As
e(90) is continuously diminished and "stair-stepping" is further reduced, this application
will begin to grow rapidly~ driven by the remarkable economic and schedule benefits
attainable. When e(90) moves below 40 micrometers and SL pattern surface finish begins
to approach that ofmachined tool steel, we believe that Rapid Tooling will become a
dominant growth mechanism ofRP&M. While these levels of pattern accuracy and
surface finish may still be a few years away, they are coming. This paper describes a

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successful project which indicates that we may be closer to the goal ofRapid Tooling than
many people realize. Indeed, as shown in the cost and time comparison figures which
follow, Ford Motor Company is already beginning to realize significant benefits from this
new and important application of SL. Introduction: The automotive industry is constantly
striving to find ways to produce final products with cost and time savings in the forefront
ofthe designer's, engineer's and manufacturer's minds. Parts constructed more rapidly and
economically offer obvious savings. When generated in production materials these parts
allow several designs to be tested under real world conditions, enabling selection ofthe
best possible design. The 1994 Ford Explorer "Wiper Module Cover" described in this
paper, although a simple part, illustrates the potential oftoday's technology. Simply
stated, the tools created in this project were used to injection nwldproduction
polypropylene material, and equally important, to do so for production quantities as welL
QuickCast
QuickCast, a 3D Systems proprietary process, replaces traditional wax patterns for investment
casting with stereolithography (SLA) patterns created in a robust, durable material, without
tooling and without delay. The net result is QuickCast patterns in as little as 2 to 4 days and
quality metal castings in 1 to 4 weeks.
The QuickCast part resembles a beehive hatch pattern and ends up being about 80% hollow. It
will burn out in the investment casting process with very little residue.
PROCESS DESCRIPTION
 A Stereolithography QuickCast pattern is created from an STL file.

 The pattern is leak tested to make sure it is air tight.
 An investment caster is chosen (based on experience & material required).
 QuickCast pattern is given to the caster.
 Caster puts part through ceramic coating process and performs firing procedure to burn
out SLA pattern.
 Metal is poured into the fired ceramic shell.
 Ceramic shell is broken off to reveal metal part.
Copper Polyamide:
 Copper polyamide is a new metal plastic composite designed for short run tooling
applications (100 to 400 parts) from common plastics.
 Tooling inserts are produced directly in the SLS machine with a layer thickness of 75
µm.
 Subsequent finishing is necessary before their integration in the tool base.
 No furnace cycle is required and unfinished tool insert can be produced in a day.

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 During the CAD stage, Copper polyamide inserts a shelled and cooling lines, ejector pin
guides, gates and runners are included in the design and built directly during the SLS
process.
 Then the insert surface are sealed with epoxy and finished with sand paper and finally
the shell inserts are packed up with a metal alloy.
Unit 7: Software For RP

Rapid prototyping is a method of quickly creating an early version of a final product. This allows
the creators of the product to test their ideas and even get user feedback without having to fully
flesh out, or even build, a full version of what they have in mind.
There are many benefits to this approach to design. The biggest being that you save a lot of time,
energy, and money when designing and developing this way by encountering and solving
problems well before your final product is developed and released.

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Since the readership here is comprised of a wide variety of entrepreneurial, design driven, and
developer types I thought it might be useful to showcase some rapid prototyping programs that
could help you create your next website or app.
Rapid Prototyping Techniques
Image via
The basic idea behind rapid prototyping is one of quick cyclical creation, revision, and iteration–
as represented in the image above. This process allows you to get from idea to working product
as quickly as possible.
Every problem encountered along the way is acknowledged and dealt with as fast as possible,
ideally resulting in a better product on a faster timeline. When this philosophy is carried on after
launch, it should lead to a product that is more agile than the competition because the
development process is better equipped to respond to change.
When it comes to practicing rapid prototyping there are three stages of idea development that can
be used to varying levels of effectiveness before a final product is put into production. They are
also typically referred to as high, medium, and low fidelity; which is meant to reflect how close
to the final product they get you.
1. Sketching (low fidelity)

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Image via ronstik and shutterstock.com

The most cost effective and frictionless option, but also the least robust and functional, is to
simply sketch your ideas out. Obviously this will not result in a working prototype that either
you or your users can test, but it will provide you with a chance to visualize your ideas, work out
logic problems, navigation, and more.
Even if you choose to advance your ideas to a more high fidelty prototype via one of the methods
below, sketching is almost always a good place to start, but not absolutely necessary if you like
to dive right in.
For those of you who do want to pursue the sketching route as part of your process, you may
appreciate tools such as UI Stencils which provide sketch pads and stencils that can make the
manual copying of elements, buttons, and icons–not to mention various browser/device
dimensions much easier.
2. Wireframing (low to medium fidelity)

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Image via Max Griboedov and shutterstock.com

Next up we have wireframing programs that allow you to create simple outline representations of
the key elements of your website or app. Depending on which wireframing program you are
using, you will either be limited to general layout and page elements or be afforded some small
level of interactivity. The interactivity, limited though it may be in this mode, is there to help
you get a feel for what using the website or app will be like when complete.
The biggest strength of wireframing is that it is lightning fast and extremely cost effective. It’s
sort of like sketching on steroids. Espcially when the program being used has medium fidelity
options–such as image and element hotspotting or other features designed to mimmic the
interactivity of the final product.
3. Working Prototype (medium to high fidelity)
Image via Sentavio and shutterstock.com

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A program designed to create a working prototype will provide you with a level of design polish
and actual (or mimicked) functionality that will give you a very good idea of what your finished
product will be like.
In the past several years, especially as responsive design has become the new standard, there has
been a large push in the design and development community to go straight to a high fidelity
prototype with little to no sketching or wireframing beforehand. The idea being that, in the past,
creating sketches and wireframes made a lot more sense than they do now.
In the past, most of the end products were fairly static and looked more or less on the screen like
they did on the page or in photoshop. Today though, on a device agnostic web, things on the
screen are too fluid to adequately be represented in a static format.
Instead, the idea goes, you can save yourself a lot of time and energy by simply gathering the
product requirements and creating something “in browser” or with a high fidelity prototyping
tool that looks and feels a lot like the final product you have in mind. From there you can enact a
much more meaningful cycle of rapid prototyping and development without getting bogged
down in earlier phases.
10 Rapid Prototyping Programs For Designers
Regardless of which approach you choose to take, one or more of the tools/techniques below
should be able help. The programs I’ve collected all allow you to create wireframes and/or
working prototypes of varying degrees of fidelity. I didn’t include anything but the above link for
UI Stencils for sketching since that one basically takes care of itself–so long as you have pencil
and paper.
As per usual, I haven’t ranked these options in any particular order, merely listed them here for
you to see what’s available and choose the option or options that best suit your specific needs.
Speaking of which, I’d highly recommend reading the article Prototyping Your
Workflow from A List Apart. Its author gives good advice on brining new prototyping tools and
techniques into an existing workflow by adopting the same iterative mentality as prototyping
itself.
In terms of the tools/techniques featured below, there are without a doubt many more that could
have made this list and if your favorite one is not mentioned then I hope you will take a few

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minutes to share it with us in the comments, along with what you like about it and why others
might find it useful too.
Software and 3D Models

 Actify 3D viewing products
 CADspan Tools and services for creating 3D printable files from existing, non-printable 3D
CAD data
 CGTrader 3D models for games, movies, 3D printing industry, and other applications
 DeskArtes STL viewing and repair tools
 df3d Cloud-based platforms that allow you to create your own retail or online 3D printing
business
 Fabbify Software German company with years of experience in software development for
additive technologies
 Geomagic Processing software for 3D scanning and reverse engineering
 Kandu Software Graphics translators
 Manufacturing and Polymer Portal Simulation and modeling software for manufacturers
 Materialise Magics, Mimics, 3-matic, Streamics, and other software products

 MeshLab Open source system for processing and editing unstructured 3D triangular meshes
 OpenRP Data exchange initiative that maintains compatibility with the STL file format
 3D Compression Technologies 3D file compression tools
 3D Warehouse Google's collection of 3D models
 TurboSquid 3D models
 topeScope Solid model tool for STL, OBJ, PLY, and other file types
 Netfabb Software for mesh editing and structural creation
 Sketchfab Publish and browse 3D models on-line in real-time without plug-in
 Stratasys SolidView
 123D Gallery 3D models from Autodesk
 180 free shapes STL files created from wrapping point sets onto tubes (hoses, knots, and tori)
that form artistic shapes; from Duke University and Geomagic
 Within Technologies Optimization of latticed microstructures and variable density surface
skins, combined with bio-inspired artificial intelligence
For additional information, see Wohlers Report 2017, an annual worldwide progress report on
the additive manufacturing and 3D printing state of the industry.

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STL files
STL (STereoLithography) is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software
created by 3D Systems. STL has several after-the-fact backronyms such as "Standard
Triangle Language" and "Standard Tessellation Language".
In a nutshell, an STL file contains data describing the layout of a three-dimensional object. These
files are usually generated by a computer-aided design (CAD) program. “.STL” is the file
extension of the STL file format.
The STL file format is the most commonly used file format for 3D printing. When used in
conjunction with a 3D slicer, it allows a computer to communicate with 3D printer hardware.
Since its humble beginnings, the STL file format has been adopted and supported by many other
CAD software packages, and today is widely used for rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and
computer-aided manufacturing. Hobbyists and professionals use it alike.

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2. What does the file extension .STL stand for?
The meaning of the file extension .STL has been lost to the mists of time.
It’s widely believed to be an abbreviation of the word STereoLithography, though sometimes it

is also referred to as “Standard Triangle Language” or “Standard Tessellation Language”.
3. Why is the STL Format Important for 3D Printing?
In software terms, the STL file is perhaps the single most important item of any 3D printing
workflow. It contains the 3D model that is used to make a physical object, and as a standard data
format, it has reigned supreme for nearly thirty years.
4. How does an STL File work?
In simple terms, the STL file format uses a series of linked triangles to recreate the surface
geometry of a solid model.
For a basic model, its surfaces can be represented using a few triangles. For higher resolution
models, more triangles are required to replicate the surface of the model. The more triangles that
make up a model, the bigger the file size and the more detailed the object.
The STL file format can define complex shapes (mathematically speaking, polyhedrons with any
polygonal facets). In practice, it is mostly used to describe the layout of triangles in a virtual
space.

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Diving a bit deeper, each triangle facet is described by a perpendicular direction and three points
which represent the corners of the triangle. An STL file provides a complete listing of the x, y
and z coordinates of these corners and perpendiculars.
5. Who invented the STL File Format?
The STL file format was invented by the Albert Consulting Group for 3D Systems in 1987, in
turn, to support the stereolithographic 3D printer invented by Chuck Hull. The STL file format
made it possible to transfer three-dimensional CAD models to 3D Systems’ very first
commercial 3D printers, the StereoLithography Apparatus.
Since this initial release, the technical specifications of the STL file format have remained
virtually unchanged.

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6. Is Every STL File 3D Printable?
Unfortunately not. Only a 3D design that’s specifically made for 3D printing is 3D printable. The
STL file is just the container for the data, not a guarantee that something is printable.
3D models suitable for 3D printing need to have a minimum wall thickness and a “watertight”
surface geometry to be 3D printable. Even if it’s visible on a computer screen, it’s impossible to
print something with a wall thickness of zero.
There’s also the consideration of overhanging elements on the model. Look at the ALL3DP logo
in the picture above; if the model is printed upright, then overhanging elements with more than a
45-degree angle will require supports (which you can see in green).
When downloading an STL file that you haven’t created yourself, it’s worth taking the time to
verify that it is indeed 3D printable. This will save you a lot of time and frustration (and wasted
filament).
Further reading: MeshMixer Tutorial for 3D Printing Beginners and 9 Important 3D

Printing Concepts Everyone Should Know

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7. What are the Benefits of the STL File Format?
In a word: simplicity. Even the most complex design can be reduced to simple geometrical
forms.
Open: The STL file format is non-proprietary, and allows for both (human readable) ASCII and
(smaller) binary representations.
Vector-based: As the STL file format describes geometrical figures, it is scalable, which is a
huge advantage if you want to change the size of a 3D object.
Universal: STL files can be used with nearly every 3D printer or CAD program.
Readable: Users can code up an STL file very quickly, and can read or write to it very easily.
Almost all of today’s CAD systems are capable of producing STL files. For the user the process
is often as simple as selecting “File,” “Save As” or “Export,” and then clicking on “STL”.
In turn, a large software and service ecosystem has grown around repairing and manipulating
STL files.

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Most 3D printable models you can find on the internet are in the STL file format. The existence
of this ecosystem, combined with STL-based software investments made by 3D printer
manufacturers, has given rise to a large user-base that’s heavily invested in the format.
8. What are the Disadvantages of the STL File Format?
There are a quite few. For starters, STL files are limited to describing only the surface geometry
of a three-dimensional object. There is no representation of color, texture, material, substructure,
or other attributes typically found in other CAD model formats.
With the evolution of additive manufacturing technology from primarily single-material, low-
detailed shapes to multi-material geometries in full color (with functionally graded materials
AND micro-structures), there’s a growing need for a standard interchange file format that could
support these features.

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A secondary factor, but no less important, is the improving resolution of additive manufacturing
technologies. As the fidelity of printing processes embraces micron-scale resolution, the number
of triangles required to describe smooth curved surfaces can result in massive file sizes.
Other things lacking from the STL file format is the inclusion of metadata (such as authorship
and copyright information), little or no file security, and the inability to detect or fix errors in the
surface mesh.
To put it kindly, the STL file format simply hasn’t kept pace with new developments and
features available to modern 3D printers.
9. Can You 3D Print an STL File Directly from your Computer?
Nope! You need an additional step.
For 3D printing, the STL file has to be opened in a dedicated slicer. What’s a slicer? It’s a piece
of 3D printing software that converts digital 3D models into printing instructions for your 3D
printer to create an object.

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The slicer chops up your STL file into hundreds (sometimes thousands) of flat horizontal layers
based on the settings you choose, and calculates how much material your printer will need to
extrude and how long it will take to do it.
All of this information is then bundled up into a GCode file, the native language of your 3D
printer. Slicer settings do have an impact the quality of your print so it’s important to have the
right software and settings to get you the best quality print possible.
Once the GCode has been uploaded to your 3D printer, the next stage is for those separate two-
dimensional layers to be reassembled as a three-dimensional object on your print-bed. This is
done by depositing a succession of thin layers of plastics, metals, or composite materials, and
building up the model one layer at a time.
More information: 3D Slicer Settings for Beginners – 8 Things You Need to Know
10. How Can You Open an STL File?

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Fortunately, opening an STL file is not too complicated. There are several free STL file viewers
for this purpose, which you can either use online or as a desktop application. Refer to our
dedicated guide here: STL Viewer Guide 2017 - 20 Best Free STL File Viewers
11. How Can You Edit or Convert an STL File?
Yes, it is entirely possible to edit an STL file and convert the STL to another file format. Because
the format is open, there is nothing to prevent you from changing the contents of a file. Actually,
the process of editing is quite easy. We have a dedicated article on this topic: 7 Free STL
Editors (How to Edit and Repair STL Files)

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12. How Can You Repair a Broken STL File?
There are several programs which can help with repairing a broken STL file. For example,
Netfabb Basic is a great tool for repairing the most common STL file problems. You find more
information on these programs in our article: 20 Best 3D Printing Software Tools (Most are
Free)
There are many repositories, marketplaces and search engines on the web containing literally
millions of free STL files. You can refer to our regularly updated list — 34 Best Sites for Free
STL Files & 3D Printer Models — or you can choose one of these models to get started: 45
Cool Things to 3D Print Which Are Actually Useful

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14. Are there any Alternatives to the STL File Format?
The STL file format is not the only format used in 3D printing. There are over 30 file formats for
3D printing. Most important is the OBJ file format, which can store color and texture profiles.
Another option the is Polygon file format (PLY), which was originally used for storing 3D
scanned objects.
More recently, there have been efforts to launch a new file type by The 3MF Consortium, which
is proposing a new 3D printing file format called 3MF. They claim it will streamline and
improve the 3D printing process.
To implement it, Microsoft has partnered up companies like Autodesk, HP, and Shapeways to
make their vision a reality. More details on the 3MF Consortium can be read on their website,
together with preliminary documentation about the 3MF file type on their GitHub page.
It’s far too early to say whether this will become widely adopted, however, so we’d
recommend sticking with the STL file format for the foreseeable future.

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15. Can the STL File Format Display Colors?
Yes, it can, but then you’re leaving the standard.
The reason the STL file format lacks color information is simple. When rapid prototyping
evolved in the 1980’s, no one thought of color printing. Nowadays, 3D printing materials and
processes have evolved rapidly. Some allow you to print in full-color – just think of sandstone
3D selfies, as pictured above.
There are just a few format deviations:
 Some software packages (i.e. VisCAM and SolidView) use the two “attribute byte
count” bytes at the end of every triangle to store a 15-bit RGB color information.
 Materialise Magics software uses an 80-byte header at the top of the file to represent the
overall color of an entire part.
As mentioned, the 3MF Consortium wants to add color information to their new 3D printing file
format 3MF. They claim it will streamline and improve the 3D printing process.

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16. Can the STL File Format Interpret 3D Printing Materials?
No, it can not. The STL filr format wasn’t invented with materials in mind. Only the 3MF file
format to adds material data to the STL file, but it’s not yet commonly used yet.
Overview of Solid view

SolidView software allows non-CAD users to easily view, measure, translate and markup
CAD data, opening up communication to all who need to be involved in the design process.
SolidView is used across the world by those needing access to CAD data but not trained in using
CAD systems. It’s a low-cost solution to access CAD data for manufacturing engineers,
scientists, structural engineers, technical illustrators, managers, product managers and sales
people

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SolidView/Pro RP is the most robust of the SolidView family of products and is designed for
companies doing their own rapid prototyping work. SolidView/Pro RP offers all SolidView/Pro

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features as well as advanced rapid prototyping tools; compound cutting, file repair, z-correction,
shelling, offset, and automatic or manual object layout. Optional CAD formats and network
licenses are also available for SolidView/Pro RP.
The following features are included with SolidView/Pro RP:
 View and Print STL, SVD, and SolidWorks formats

 Print STL, SVD, and SolidWorks formats
 Measure SVD, STL, and SolidWorks formats
 Create PLY files
 Create SVD files
 View 2D drawings
 Translate
 Scale
 Rotate
 Mirror
 Copy
 Combine
 CAD Formats Available
 Network Licenses Available
 Cut (cross-section)
 Shell
 Repair
 Manual RP Layout
 Auto RP Layout
magic’s
Magics is an essential tool for anyone that runs a 3D printer or rapid prototyping machine. This is
particularly true for a RP service bureau where STL files of varying quality has to be processed.
Some times the parts are too large for the machine and have to be built in sections. That is when
Magics becomes very handy..
Magics rapid prototyping software enables you to import a wide variety of CAD formats and to
export STL files ready for rapid prototyping, tooling and manufacturing. Its applications include
repairing and optimizing 3D models; analyzing parts; making process-related design changes on
your STL files; designing fixtures; documenting your projects; production planning and much more.
Major features:

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• Healing of STL files into a solid mesh suitable for rapid prototyping
• Cutting STL models into smaller sections when they are too big for the RP machine
• Creating offset wall section, e.g. 1mm wall on a solid bottle
• Shrink Wrap a new external STL skin onto a poor STL, very useful with architect models
• Putting labels and logos onto models
• Boolean operations on STL models
magic’s
Rapid Prototyping isn't just about owning a machine that can build parts quickly. It includes
other elements, beginning with quoting a job, through data conversion and work preparation, all
the way to quality control. All of these elements have to work in harmony to achieve a common
goal: speed without sacrificing accuracy. Over the past few years, Magics RP has proven to the
rapid prototyping world that it's an indispensable software tool for achieving that goal. Magics
RP's powerful, efficient 3D tools enable you to deliver high quality prototypes with the shortest
lead times. At the same time, Magics provides you and your clients with full documentation of
the process Magics simplifies time-consuming data conversion conversion. Neither can your
clients. Magics RP allows you to get right to work on a file with a very high triangulation
quality. To further improve communication between you and your customers, Materialise has
developed a compression format called MGX. MGX shrinks an STL to about 1/20 of its original
size. The MGX format thus saves space and speeds up distribution, download and transfer of
STL files. With Magics, you can easily zip STL files and unzip MGX files. Magics RP software
can import most standard 3D formats - STL, VDA, IGES, STEP, VRML - and native CAD
formats like UG/Parasolid and Catia. Growing numbers of customers also work with scanned
data. To meet their needs, Magics offers the import and export of point clouds. The imported
files are converted to a digital CAD structure according to a userdefined accuracy. The
conversion process includes correction of common errors. The resulting STL file is ready to
produce prototypes or tools without the need for further conversion. Magics RP is a must for
every RP service bureau. You can't afford to lose time in Magics calculates a comprehensive
quote in seconds Magics has excellent 3D visualisation capabilities, instantly giving you a clear
picture of a part's intricacies. With Magics' build time estimator, you can assess costs and plan
machine capacity. Simply input the necessary dependencies, such as volume or surface, and you

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can define the parameters for calculating the cost of a part. You won't believe how quickly
Magics calculates the build cost. Within minutes after receiving his file, you'll be able to provide
your client with an accurate quote. Magics is the ideal solution for turning around timely quotes!
Build cost of a part automatically calculated by Magics. Magics cuts back repair time for STL
files Since CAD systems don't always export clean STL files, correction may be needed before
they can be sent to an RP machine. With Magics, you'll tell the difference immediately between a
good STL file and a defective one. easy to learn. Use them for inverting triangles whose normals
are incorrectly pointed, for stitching bad edges, filling holes, removing identical triangles,
trimming surfaces, merging shells, and for Boolean operations. Magics is packed with features
that enable you to interact directly on defective files, correcting errors in a matter of minutes. Its
unique, automated tools are Let Magics' powerful and automated functions boost your
productivity while leaving full control over the individual triangles in your hands. The defective
file of this drilling machine was quickly corrected using Magics’ repairing functions. Magics
allows process-related design changes Looking for a simple way to accelerate your time to
market? Use Magics to make direct process-related design changes! Stop wasting time with
iterations between the CAD and RP departments every time the RP process dictates a design
change. Instead, let Magics RP put the "rapid" back into rapid prototyping! Magics includes
several critical features specifically developed to optimise the process. For example, compensate
for parts that need to be milled or painted after production by offsetting them. You can hollow
parts to avoid deformation as a result of internal stresses and to save on material. Pinpoint the
best way to cut large parts to fit on the RP machine, ensuring a strong bond when they're glued
together later. Put indicators into position to determine the best possible location for a seam, and
for simpler assembly. You can even label parts so they're easier to identify. Other features are
also aimed at the RP process: removing holes, Boolean operations, triangle reduction, triangle
smoothing and aligning. These quick and "smart" functions are easy to master, and will help you
take control of manipulating your STL files! Save on material by hollowing the part. Adding a
label to the part simplifies the identification of very similar parts. Large parts can easily be cut
(straight or advanced) to fit on the RP machine. Magics speeds up specialised RP work
preparation Magics can save you time on your data pre-processing. Now you can nest parts with
a single mouse-click. Magics' powerful nesting function quickly arranges the parts on the
smallest possible area. You can base nesting calculations on the bounding boxes as well as on
true part geometry. It is impossible to reach the same result in such a short time while manually
nesting. Magics slices the STL file into the desired format in just a few seconds. Magics takes
care of the final step too, automatically generating the necessary supports before sending the
STL to a stereolithography machine. Magics' intelligent features are the perfect way to fulfil the
demands of RP work preparation. The ‘Slice’ and ‘Support Generation’ modules enable you to
quickly prepare the STL file for production Magics’ geometry based nesting saves you space on
the platform as well as time. Magics offers detailed documentation Print all the information you
consider relevant! Not only does Magics prepare data for RP machines, it also lets you create
documents that can guide the overall product flow, from quotation through production to quality
control. Define your own page setup with Microsoft Word templates designed to fit your need

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for a variety of reports. All you do is indicate the information you want to report: e.g.
dimensions, build time estimate, cost estimate, measurements, name of the person who worked
on the file or different views of the part. The templates give you the freedom to document a part
with the information you choose to include. Once you have defined the template, Magics uses
the part information to generate specifications automatically into a document. Use these
standardised documents to provide a client with a quote, to guide the finishing on the shop floor,
and for quality control! Magics provides unmatched quality control The Magics RapidFit module
offers a fast, unique solution for quality control. Create fixtures in three easy steps: position the
part on the reference plate, indicate on the part the contact points that need fixtures, and Magics
will design the fixtures automatically, based on your customised settings. The fixtures can be
built on an RP machine simultaneously with the part. Use fixtures for first prototype and
preseries control, as CMM fixtures, as an assembly tool, as a post-polymerisation tool and as
machining fixtures. M A G I C S R P M O D U L E S Magics Base Magics gives you full control
over your STL files! You are provided with a wide variety of features to interact directly on the
STL files. Among the offered functions you find excellent visualisation, measuring, editing and
repairing functionality. With Magics nesting and collision detection becomes an easy job. The
enhanced document generation facilities enable you to create documents guiding the overall
product flow. IGES, VDA, STEP, Native CAD Send any 3D file to the RP system! It is possible
thanks to Magics’ compatibility with and Point Cloud Import point coulds standard CAD formats
like IGES, VDA, STEP and native CAD. Import any of these formats, use Magics' speedy,
advanced capabilities to fix any errors in the resulting STL file, and the designed part is ready for
RP production or for tool design. Tooling Save time by creating the tool directly from the STL
design! With the Tooling module's automated functions, you can make a tool for a part in a
matter of minutes. The module puts the "rapid" back in rapid tooling by reducing lead times.
Discover the ways Magics can enhance your design and accelerate the design process.
Automatically generating the parting plane and easy addition of tooling elements and draft, are
just few of the possibilities you'll discover. EDM Design electrodes for spark erosion quickly,
efficiently, and accurately with the EDM module. You can even generate the EDM machine's
operation and set-up parameters, like the position and burn depth of the electrode into a report.
Tool Assembly Adding standard mould components - pins, plates, bushings, and total assemblies
- to the tool design is simple when you link the Tooling Assembly module with a software
library like Partsolutions. The module also gives you the option of integrating Magics tooling
inserts in standard component assemblies. With the combined Tooling, EDM and Tool Assembly
modules, Magics has crafted a total solution for tool design challenges. Support Generation (SG)
Support generation is central to processes like stereolithography and metal sintering. Generating
support structures quickly and easily is just as crucial in rapid prototyping. Final part quality
depends on verifying and adapting the supports you've generated. Magics offers several support
types and combinations of these different support structures on one surface. Volume SG Prevent
sand parts from breaking when you lift them out of the build envelope. Magics' volume supports
guarantee extra stability to fragile sand parts and large overhangs. The software also
automatically places and supports the part on a sintered platform, allowing you to lift the build

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construction easily. Slice and C-Tools Prepare sliced files for production on your RP machine.
The Slice module generates files that can be sent directly to most RP machines. The preview
function allows you to inspect the slices before the slice command is executed. In addition, the
module can repair slices automatically. RapidFit Quick and accurate quality control is in your
reach with Magics RapidFit. Speed and quality control are two of the biggest concerns in rapid
prototyping. You can achieve both when you create fixtures with the semi-automatic RapidFit
module. You can use any rapid prototyping technique to produce the fixtures. They're designed
for placement at predefined positions on standard base plates, which are included in the RapidFit
package. The fixtures are handy for first prototype and pre-series control, as CMM fixtures, as an
assembly tool, as a post-polymerisation tool, and as machining fixtures.
MIMICS
Materialise Mimics is an image processing software for 3D design and modeling,
developed by Materialise NV,[1] a Belgian company specialized in additive
manufacturing software and technology for medical, dental and additive manufacturing
industries. Materialise Mimics is used to create 3D surface models from stacks of 2D
image data. These 3D models can then be used for a variety of engineering applications.
Mimics is an acronym for Materialise Interactive Medical Image Control System. It is
developed in an ISO environment with CE and FDA 510k premarket clearance.
Materialise Mimics is commercially available as part of the Materialise Mimics
Innovation Suite, which also contains 3-matic, a design and meshing software for
anatomical data. The current version is 19.0, it supports Windows 10, Windows
7, Vista and XP in both x32 and x64.
Internet based software,
Updated ACIS R1 Support
AutoCAD ACIS data up to R1 - 2017 1.0 (2D & 3D).
Updated Unigraphics NX11 Support

Unigraphics part and assembly data supports 11 - 18, NX - NX11
Updated Catia V6 support

Catia V5/V6 (V5 R8 – R25 and V5 6R2012 – 6R2016, V6 2016x).
Catia V5/V6 3DXML.

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Updated Inventor 2017
Autodesk Inventor part files versions V6 - 2017. Autodesk Inventor assembly files version V11 -
2017.**
Updated Parasolid v29.1.131

Parasolids Ascii and Binary data up to version 29.1.131.
Updated SolidEdge ST9

SolidEdge part, assembly, sheet metal, and draft (drawing) data up to ST9. New support for 64-
bit platforms allows faster, large file loading.
Updated SolidWorks 2017

SolidWorks drawing and part data up to V2017.
Updated CAD Format Support

This new version of SolidView brings more reliable and robust CAD interfacing.
collaboration tools in rapid prototyping

Remote work is getting more and more common and the design process is gradually changing
with it. This fact has led to an explosion in new design collaboration tools. Any design process
that is being run in the email inbox runs a great risk of being derailed because of frequent
misunderstandings.
We decided to compile a list of tools which makes it easier to collaborate and get feedback on
design work.
We hope that among these design collaboration tools you’ll find one that will help you
collaborate more efficiently on design work both remotely but also in-house.
The criteria for picking these tools was that the tool had to have features for design collaboration
but also be useful in a web design process. Please share links to any tools that we’ve missed in
the comments below!
It is undoubted that UI/UX design is an important aspect of making a website or application work.
Creating and improving products based on prototypes is growing in strength and the prototyping
tools for designers are comes in all shapes and sizes these days. With so many UI/UX prototyping
tools out there how do you know which tool to choose? Choosing the right tool will bring you
twice efficiency with half the effort.
So first things first, it’s important to know exactly what you want. Ask yourself a few questions
before making your choice.

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1. Learning Curve: How long it takes me to learn this tool? How long it takes me to create the
prototype once the tool was up and running? Avoid clunky tools featuring an abundance of
unnecessary bells and whistles.
2. Usage: Are you prototyping websites, mobile apps, desktop apps, or all of the above?
3. Fidelity: What is the requirement of your prototypes fidelity? Are wireframes that shows the
app layout and structure sufficient, or do you need something that supports more details and
complex interactions?
4. Sharing: Collaboration is key when it comes to design. Thus, it’s important to consider the
collaboration features supported by the prototyping tools, ability to share your prototype with
others and/or work collaboratively on the prototype.
5. Professional Skills Requirement: Are you an expert or newbie in this filed? Is programming
knowledge or coding required? Are you experienced in visual design?
6. Cost: How much are you prepared to pay for design tools?
There are other things to take into account as well. Below I’ve outlined what I think are the best
prototyping tools worth trying in 2016 and hope you find out the one fit your exact need.

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Unit 8:
Rapid Manufacturing Process Optimization:

In this study, the Taguchi method, a powerful tool to design optimization for quality, is used to
find the optimal process parameters for fused deposition modeling (FDM) rapid prototyping
machine that was used to produce acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) compliant prototype. An
orthogonal array, main effect, the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA)
are employed to investigate the process parameters in order to achieve optimum elastic
performance of a compliant ABS prototype so as to get maximum throwing distance from the
prototype. Through this study, not only can the optimal process parameters for FDM process be
obtained, but also the main process parameters that affect the performance of the prototype can
be found. Experiments were carried out to confirm the effectiveness of this approach. From the
results, it is found that FDM parameters, i.e. layer thickness, raster angle and air gap significantly
affect the elastic performance of the compliant ABS prototype. The optimum levels of
parameters at different angle of displacement are also presented.
The application of the two technologies: reverse engineering and rapid prototyping is emerging
rapidly in the medical applications. These engineering methods have especially shown fast
advancement in the following applications: in very complex preparation of computer aided
surgery, computer guided implantology, non-invasive diagnostic from CT and MRI scans, design
of customized implants, maxillofacial surgery, esthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery,
orthopedic surgery, etc. This research has a multidisciplinary approach; it requires a team work
of experts from various scientific fields such as CAD design and virtual engineering, digital
image processing, medicine, implantology. Only a very few applicative pioneer steps have been
made so far in Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and SE Europe in general. The aim of this research is
to make a contribution to the optimization of all three phases: preprocessing, processing and
post-processing in the process chain of reverse engineering – rapid prototyping in the medical
applications. The optimal process of rapid prototyping has been defined for different medical
input data and formats. The process includes internal 3d reconstruction of CT and MRI scanning
in DICOM format, such as applications in orthopedic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, prosthetic
dentistry, such as complex or total prosthesis, as well as the external surface reconstruction by 3d
scanning, such as esthetic surgery and reconstruction plastic surgery or dentistry based on 3d
scanning from elastic silicone impression.
The application of rapid prototyping technology is emerging rapidly in medical applications,

especially in implantology. However, the rapid prototyping process in medical applications has
some specific features in comparison with typical technical usage. For example, pre-processing
preparation with 3D scanning by volumetric computer tomography is significantly different than
the one in machine industry, where the engineers use usually CAD parametric software or the
reverse engineering with surface scanners. Furthermore, surface of medical bodies modeled by

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RP, also shows significant difference in surface roughness and the degree of curvature is so
variable. Also, every medical body is unique, and in every case, it is necessary to process a new
3D scanning. In addition, there are many internal features like various and complex cavities,
gaps and channels. So, all major aspects of rapid prototyping should be considered: nature of
application, features of methods, input models of data, material variations for processing of
prototype models. Then, it is important to identify, analyze and optimize the rapid prototyping
process in accordance with applications. In the following figure, one can see the major aspects
necessary to be considered in rapid prototyping
Factors influencing accuracy
Accuracy of a model is influenced by the errors caused during tessellation and slicing at
data preparation stage. Decision of the designer about part deposition orientation also
affects accuracy of the model.
RP processes are integrated manufacturing processes that include CAD/CAM, control of laser devices,
materials, manufacturing parameter setup, and post-processing. Individual process can introduce some
errors one way or another [2, 3, 4, 5, 15], as explained below. These errors severely reduce RP product
accuracy and obstruct its further applications in rapid tooling and functional part fabrication. 1.
CAD/CAM induced error. Most rapid prototyping systems use the de facto standard STL CAD file format
of solid representation to define parts to be built. However, STL files pose the problems of dimension,
form and surface errors resulting from approximation of three-dimensional surfaces by triangular facets.
Although a large number of facets can be used to reduce these errors, doing so will result “Parametric
Process Optimization to Improve the Accuracy of Rapid Prototyped Stereolithography Parts,” Jack Zhou,
Dan Herscovici & Calvin Chen, International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, No.40,
1-17,1999 3 in a giant data file and longer part build time.
2. Laser beam width induced error. The laser beam used to create parts is of a finite width,
though the file used to drive the machine represents the edges as zero-width lines. The width of
this beam can be compensated for in the laser beam scan control software, but the beam width is
not constant from machine to machine and even not the same on a single machine over time.
This induces part errors.
3. Material shrinkage error. SLA part accuracy is a direct result of the resin properties. Many
researchers are striving to develop new resins that offer low shrinkage and high dimensional
stability. The earlier resins available from 3D Systems Inc. are primarily limited to the Acrylate
base resins with relatively large shrinkage (5%-7% in volume), causing severe distortions of the
finished parts.

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4. RP Machine Parameter Setup. Errors that occur during the building time are mainly in the
manufacturing control factor setups, which are RP machine vendor defaulted and user selected
parameters. Different parameter setup will generate different machining accuracy and build time.
5. Postprocessing error. SL parts are designed to be post-cured as soon as they are built,
otherwise green creep distortion, which results from the residual internal stress generated during
the SLA building cycle, will occur. An accumulation of the above five errors usually causes 250-
500 mm dimensional error and very unpleasant surface roughness, which make RP products
unacceptable in many applications for a long time.
IMPROVEMENT OF RP ACCURACY
Fortunately in the last several years, many research efforts have been dedicated to RP
technology and the accuracy problems have been improved significantly. In CAD/CAM a new
SLC file format was defined by 3D Systems in 1992. Unlike the tessellated solid STL
representation, it is a 2-1/2D contour representation of the model boundaries within each layer.
SLC data can be generated from various sources such as CAD solid or surface models or CT
scanners. The SLC file format can virtually eliminate the problem of translating a part from the
original representation to an intermediate tessellation form, where the error is induced. Some
other approaches to eliminating STL format error are also under investigation such as NURBS
and direct slicing methods [6]. In laser beam width, a better laser beam control mechanism and
“Parametric Process Optimization to Improve the Accuracy of Rapid Prototyped
Stereolithography Parts,” Jack Zhou, Dan Herscovici & Calvin Chen, International Journal of
Machine Tools and Manufacture, No.40, 1-17,1999 4 beam width compensation software has
been used, which reduces the error to a minimum. On the materials side, in early 1994 a
significant advance was accomplished when 3D Systems and Ciba Geigy Corporation introduced
an Epoxy resin called XB5170. Unlike the Acrylate resin, the small shrinkage of XB5170 (2%-
3% in volume) makes it possible to build a stable and accurate part. In postprocessing, along
with XB5170 resin, 3D Systems also developed a new part build style ACES (Accurate, Clear,
Epoxy, Solid). This is accomplished by completing and uniforming polymerization during the
part building process, virtually eliminating post-cure distortion and internal stresses. The only
problem left on which not much work has been done is RP machine parameter setup. Many
factors contribute to the output accuracy and part build time. However, among these there are
only a selected few that are adjustable by users. On the surface they appear to be simple to
adjust, but users quickly realize that small adjustments may have large output effects.
Furthermore, changing combinations of parameter setup turns into a guessing game, where only
after many experimental runs gives a glimpse of what the settings should be for different
situations
Data Preparation Error (DPE)

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In the RPT process, each 2½-D layer is generated as a "sweep" of a planar profile by depositing
material on the interior of a 2D slice. Since the whole part is manufactured in this manner, the
boundary of the part created is a stepped approximation of the boundary of the ideal part. As a
result of this, compared with the parts created in the conventional manufacturing technologies
such as milling and turning, parts produced in layered manufacturing exhibit a staircase effect.
The error resulting from the staircase effect can be affected by the containment mode which
describes the geometrical arrangement between the ideal part geometry and the sliced part
contours[1]. There are three containment modes to approximate the ideal part in the RPT
process. These are referred to as the positive situation (the sliced part profile slightly exceeding
the ideal profile), negative situation (the sliced profiles situated within the ideal profile) and the
hybrid situation [7]. The approximating accuracy in the slicing procedure also depends on the
slicing orientation, location and slicing thickness as reported in [6]. These errors are not related
to the actual fabricating process and on1y depend on the fabricating method selected and slicing
parameters used. These errors are therefore lumped as data preparation error 188 (DPE) and they
can be predicted theoretically by analyzing the extent of the staircase effect for a given
containment situation and slicing parameters selected. 2.2 Fabrication Process Error In the actual
RPT part-building process there are additional
Fabrication Process Error
In the actual RPT part-building process there are additional errors which are affected by many
process-related parameters, e.g. the machine path control accuracy, tool scan speed uniformity,
tool shape stability, platform control accuracy, material properties, part thermal distortion,
material feed uniformity, fixture stability, glue thickness (in LOM process) uniformity, and part
thermal shrinkage and distortion. These errors interact with the DPE and when combined they
determine the final geometrical accuracy of the part produced. There are three possible effects of
these fabrication errors on the final geometry of the part: 1. Geometrical errors generated in the
x- and y-directions only which are primarily associated with the scan path and tool shape control
accuracy as shown in Fig. l(a). 2. Geometrical errors in the z-direction which are mainly related
to the platform displacement accuracy and materials thickness uniformity (e.g. in LOM and SLS
processes) as shown in Fig. l(b). 3. Geometrical errors in all directions (Fig. l(c)) as a result of
scan speed variation (acceleration and deceleration), material flatness variation (e.g. in LOM
process), thermal distortion of the part and other assembly errors. It can be seen that the errors
resulting from the actual part building process can alter the extent of theoretical errors relating to
the staircase and containment problem defined by the fabrication method. For the purpose of
error analysis, all the errors generated during the part-building process are now defined as the
disturbance error.
(a) Errors in the x,y-plane (e.g. contour geometry error). (b) Errors in the z-direction (e.g. layer
thickness error). (c) Errors in x-, y-, and z-directions (e.g. layer flatness variation) 3.
METHODOLOGY Geometric dimensioning achieves the goal of identical
Errors due to tessellation: In tessellation surfaces of a CAD model are approximated

piecewise by using triangles. It is true that by reducing the size of the triangles, the
deviation between the actual surfaces and approximated triangles can be reduced. In

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practice, resolution of the STL file is controlled by a parameter namely chordal error or facet
deviation as shown in figure 2. It has also been suggested that a curve with small radius (r)
should be tessellated if its radius is below a threshold radius (ro) which can be considered as one
tenth of the part size, to achieve a maximum chordal error of (r/ro) . Value of can be set equal to
0 for no improvement and 1 for maximum improvement. Here part size is defined as the diagonal
of an imaginary box drawn around the part and is angle control value (Williams et al., 1996).
Errors due to slicing: Real error on slice plane is much more than that is felt, as shown in figure
12(a). For a spherical model Pham and Demov (2001) proposed that error due to the replacement
of a circular arc with stair-steps can be defined as radius of the arc minus length up to the
corresponding corner of the staircase, i.e., cusp height (figure 12 (b)). Thus maximum error
(cusp height) results along z direction and is equal to slice thickness. Therefore, cusp height
approaches to maximum for surfaces, which are almost parallel with the x-y plane. Maximum
value of cusp height is equal to slice thickness and can be reduced by reducing it; however this
results in drastic improvement in part building time. Therefore, by using slices of variable
thicknesses (popularly known as adaptive slicing, as shown in figure 13), cusp height can be
controlled below a certain value. Except this, mismatching of height and missing features are
two other problems resulting from the slicing. Although most of the RP systems have facility of
slicing with uniform thickness only, adaptive slicing scheme, which can slice a model with better
accuracy and surface finish without loosing important features must be selected. Review of
various slicing schemes for RP has been done by Pandey et al. (2003a). 5.2. Part building
During part deposition generally two types of errors are observed and are namely curing errors
and control errors. Curing errors are due to over or under curing with respect to curing line and
control errors are caused due to variation in layer thickness or scan position
PART FINISHING
Poor surface quality of RP parts is a major limitation and is primarily due to staircase effect.
Surface roughness can be controlled below a predefined threshold value by using an adaptive
slicing [2](Pandey et al., 2003b). Further, the situation can be improved by finding out a part
deposition orientation that gives minimum overall average part surface roughness [11](Singhal et
al., 2005). However, some RP applications like exhibition models, tooling or master pattern for
indirect tool production etc. require additional finishing to improve the surface appearance of the
part. This is generally carried by sanding and polishing RP models which leads to change in the
mathematical definitions of the various features of the model. The model accuracy is mainly
influenced by two factors namely the varying amount of material removed by the finishing
process and the finishing technique adopted. A skilled operator is required as the amount of
material to be removed from different surfaces may be different and inaccuracies caused due to
deposition can be brought down. A finishing technique selection is important because different
processes have different degrees of dimensional control. For example models finished by
employing milling will have less influence on accuracy than those using manual wet sanding or
sand blasting. (a) Thicker bottom layer (b) Deformed hole boundary Figure 11: Over-curing
effects on accuracy in Stereolithography [3] (after Pham and Demov, 2001) 4. SELECTION OF
PART DEPOSITION ORIENTATION This is one of the crucial decisions taken before slicing
the part and initiating the process of deposition for a particular RP process. This decision is
important because it has potential to reduce part building time, amount of supports required, part
quality in terms of surface finish or accuracy and cost as well. Selection of part deposition

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orientation is process specific where in designer and RP machine operators should consider
number of different process specific constraints. This may be a difficult and time consuming task
as designer has to trade-off among various conflicting objectives or process outcomes. For
example better part surface quality can be obtained but it will lead to increase in the building
time. [9]Pandey et al. (2004b) handled conflicting situation of the abovementioned two
objectives and proposed use of multi-objective genetic algorithm for finding out optimum part
deposition orientations (pareto optimal solutions) for FDM process. In their work, amount of
support structures were also minimized implicitly. Thrimurthullu et al. (2004) converted multi-
objective problem into single objective problem and then solved by using real coded genetic
algorithm. [11] Singhal et al. (2005) made an attempt to find out optimum part deposition
orientation for SL process by using optimization tool box of MATLAB 6.5 for minimizing
overall part surface roughness. Except these, researchers suggested to find out a suitable part
deposition orientation for objectives like maximum accuracy, minimum building time, support
structure or cost. A thorough review of the various part deposition orientation studies has been
done by [12] Pandey et al. (2004a). [3]Pham and Demov (2001) discussed guidelines for
selection of part deposition orientation for SL and SLS processes.
Methods to Improve Surface Finish All the methods for improving surface finish can be divided
into four categories, namely: 1. Optimization of build orientation 2. Slicing strategy (layer
thickness). 3. Fabrication parameters optimization 4. Post-treatment. In first three methods are
used before making the FDM parts but the fourth method is used after making the part. 2.1.
Optimization of Build Orientation The orientation at which the part is built, can have a
significant effect on the surface finish of the part. Different methods have been developed by
various researchers to find the optimal orientation for the fabrication of part on RP machine.
Vijay et al. [6] determined the optimal surface finish of model built by varying build orientation,
layer thickness and keeping other parameters constant of FDM process using experimental
design technique. Experiments were conducted using a fractional factorial design with two levels
for layer thickness and three levels for orientation factor. The authors concluded that for 20 and
45 degrees built orientation the roughness value is directly proportional to the layer thickness but
for 70 degree built orientation roughness value is decreased as the layer thickness is increased.
Allen & Dutta [7] and Sreeram et al. [8] developed a method for automatically computing the
support structure for the part in layer manufacturing and then deciding the best orientation from a
candidate list of orientations The authors developed a method to determine the optimal
orientation based on variable slicing thickness in layered manufacturing for a polyhedral object.
Lan et al. [9] determined deposition orientation for stereolithography parts based on the
considerations of surface quality, build time and complexity of the support structures. Surface
quality was evaluated either by maximizing the area of non-stepped surfaces or by minimizing
the area of worst quality surfaces. Build time was indirectly assessed by using the height of the
part in the deposition direction. Support structure was minimized by minimizing number of
supported points. The author discussed the orientation problem from geometric and algorithmic
points of view, and established decision criteria for the determination of good fabrication
orientation. In a study, Frank and Fadel [10] proposed an expert system tool that considers the
various parameters that affect the production of the prototype and recommends the best direction
of building the part based on both the user’s input and a decision matrix implemented within the

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expert system. A proper orientation may lead to reduction in cost also in addition to the better
surface finish. Alexander et al. [11] determined part deposition orientation for accuracy and cost.
Surface accuracy was maximized by minimizing average weighted cusp height. Cost models
were presented for stereolithography and FDM in such a way that the cost of the component can
be estimated for different orientations. A suitable orientation for one of the objectives is
determined from the list of pre-selected candidate base planes. Pham et al. [12] developed a
system to orient CAD models for part deposition in stereo-lithography to obtain the best trade-off
among build time, cost and accuracy. Their tool is a feature-based system that considers cost,
build time, problematic features, optimally oriented features, over hanging areas and support
volume for recommending a build direction. Hur and Lee. [13] developed an algorithm to
calculate the staircase area, quantifying the process errors by the volume supposed to be removed
or added to the part, and the optimum layer thickness for the stereolithography system. They
determined the optimum orientation based on the user’s selection of primary criteria and the
optimal thickness of the layers. Thrimurthulu et al. [14] presented an approach that determines
the optimal part deposition orientation for FDM process. Two contradicting objectives, namely
build Manufacturing Science and Technology 2(3): 51-55, 2014 53 time and average part surface
roughness, were minimized by minimizing their weighted sum. The adaptive slicing was
simultaneously used in the determination of optimum part deposition orientation. The predictions
of the developed system were validated using the results published earlier. 2.2. Slicing Strategy
In general, a thinner slice layer produces better surface finish but it will increase the build time.
Many researchers have found that the layer thickness significantly influences the surface finish.
Vasudevarao et al. [15] investigated the effect of parameters such as build orientation, layer
thickness, road width, air gap and model temperature on surface finish. The experiments were
conducted using fractional factorial design with two levels for each factor to be proposed for
optimum settings. The authors concluded that layer thickness and part orientation were
substantiating to be significant factors in determining the surface quality of the part. The best
surface finish is obtained with .007” layer thickness and part orientation of 70 degree. Anitha et
al. [16] used Taguchi method to determine the effect of layer thickness, road width and
deposition speed each at three levels on the surface roughness of component produced using
FDM process. The results indicate that layer thickness is the most influencing process parameter
affecting surface roughness followed by road width and deposition speed. In a study by
Azanizawati [17] better surface finish has been produced with low layer thickness. Ahn et al.
[18] proved that layer thickness is the most influencing parameter for the surface finish of layer
manufacturing processes. The author presented that the values of surface roughness depend on
different angles of the parts. Khan et al. [19] found the effect of slice layer and support structures
thickness on the surface roughness of model made by FDM technique. Measurement of
roughness was done on the both side of the specimen in perpendicular to the direction of build
layer. The authors concluded that lower setting of slice thickness gives higher surface quality.
Moreover the part surface which is adjacent to the top layer of the support has smoother structure
as compared to the other surfaces. Bakar et al. [20] analyzed the effect of three process
parameters such as layer thickness, contour width and internal raster. The optimum condition
was proposed for FDM process. Experiments were conducted on a test model that contained a
variety of geometrical shapes and sizes such as slots, cylinders, cube and ring that are commonly
available on plastic parts. The authors concluded that the best dimension to be built with FDM in
x, y directions is 2 mm and above. Moreover the authors have recommended to use appropriate
values of contour width and internal raster besides applying thin layer and fine visible surface
finish while making small parts The study showed that both of these parameters can aid in the

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bonding quality between layers and lead to better surface finish. 2.3. Fabrication Parameters
Optimization The surface finish also depends upon a number of process parameters of the FDM
machine. With proper adjustment of the build parameters, quality can be significantly improved
without incurring additional expenses. In a study, Zhou et al. [21] pointed out that the fabrication
speed and the prototype precision are the basic functional requirements for RP equipment.
However, these requirements are affected by user-selected processing parameters. Factors
affecting the precision of RP parts include STL file format, material properties, RP machine
parameters, and post-processing. The authors revealed that although users can only adjust
parameters on processing machines, these small adjustments are very valuable for product
precision improvement. Lee et al. [22] used Taguchi method find the optimal process parameters
for (FDM) rapid prototyping machine that was used to produce ABS prototype. In this study, the
authors obtained the optimal process parameters for FDM process and the main process
parameters that affect the performance of the prototype. Experiments were carried out to confirm
the effectiveness of this approach. From the results, it is found that FDM parameters, i.e. layer
thickness, raster angle and air gap significantly affect the elastic performance of the compliant
ABS prototype. The optimum levels of parameters at different angle of displacement are also
presented. Zhang and Chou [23] developed a 3-D finite element model to evaluate the effects of
deposition parameters on residual stresses and part distortions. According to authors the scan
speed is the most significant factor affecting part distortions. The effects of extruding parameters
on the quality characteristics for the FDM process has been discussed and examined by Chang
and Huang [24]. The authors investigated the effects of extruding parameters, including contour
width, contour depth, part raster width, and raster angle, on quality characteristics by Taguchi’s
method. A thin solid model based on a 2-D spiral was designed to demonstrate the proposed
approach. Results of ANOVA and confirmation experiments showed that the parametric criteria
found in this study could obtain satisfactory performances on profile error and extruding
apertures in the FDM process. It is found that the contour width has the effect on both issues.
The larger the width, the better the profile accuracy. On the other hand, a narrow width results in
a dense and good appearance of the aperture area on the surface layer. The contour depth also
has a great influence on profile error. Increase of contour depth improves forming stability and
lessens profile error. Nevertheless, the influence on surface apertures is unclear. The part raster
width and raster angle which relate to the inner tool path, have less effect on profile error. 2.4.
Post Treatment 54 Methods to Improve Surface Finish of Parts Produced by Fused Deposition
Modeling In spite of all the techniques like slicing strategy, optimal orientation and parametric
optimization, still it may not be possible to achieve the required surface finish of FDM parts.
Therefore, post treatments may be required before using them. Various studies related to post
treatment of FDM parts in order to increase surface finish have been reviewed below. Pandey et
al. [25] examined the use of hot cutter machining to improve surface finish of FDM parts. Hot
cutter machining was used to remove material of designed parts. Fractional factorial design was
used with two levels and four process variables such as rake angle of cutter, cutting speed,
direction of cut with respect to layers and build orientation. It was concluded that the proposed
machining method is able to produce the surface finish of the order of 0.3 µm with 87%
confidence level. It was found that hot cutter machining can be used for getting better surface
finish of the FDM part [13]. Galantucci et al. [26] found the effect of FDM machining
parameters on ABS surface finish and also used chemical treatment to decrease surface
roughness. Square prisms were manufactured using different levels of input variables such as
raster width, slice height and tip diameter. After that chemical treatment was applied using
dimethyl ketone and water solution. The authors concluded that slice height and rater width are

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important input machining parameters. The chemical treatment is fast, cheap and easy to use
which significantly improved surface finish. The authors continued his work and compared the
tensile and bending properties as well as surface qualities of treated and untreated parts. The
mechanical properties determined by designing and performing the central composite design of
experiment and verified by testing as FDM marine turbine blade. The treatment improved
surface finish but with minor reduction of tensile strength [27]. The flexural strength has
improved due to compactness of material. Percoco et al. [28] investigated the effect of chemical
treatment on the compressive strength and surface roughness of FDM parts with a solution of
90% dimethyl ketone and 10% water. The study resulted in increase in compressive strength.
The authors concluded that the proposed finishing treatments that can be used with immersion
times up to 300 sec to reduce roughness up to 90%, improving mechanical properties in some
cases better than those of non-treated parts. Rao et al.[29] analyzed the various parameters of
chemical treatment process such as concentration, time of exposure, time and initial roughness
by design of experiment. Two different chemicals were used. The authors found optimal results
of parameters significantly affecting the dimethyl ketone and methyl ethyl ketone. In case of
acetone solution concentration and initial roughness were most significant parameters. But for
methyl ethyl ketone concentration, concentration-temperature and concentration-time were
significant parameters. The parts obtained have glossy look compared to plastic molded parts.
Besides the above discussed chemical treatments the surface finish of FDM parts can be
improved by interacting the surface of the part with vapours of tetrahydrofuran. In this process
the part to be smoothed is placed on a non-soluble support of some kind inside of a closed vessel
with a non-air-tight lid. Heat is then applied to evaporate the tetrahydrofuran so it can interact
with the object's surface to make it smooth
Influence of build orientation.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the process of part building by stacking layers of material on
top of each other. Various challenges for a metal powder based process include reducing the
staircase effect which leads to poor surface finish of the part, and minimal use of support
structures for regions with overhangs or internal hollow volumes. Part build orientation is a
crucial process parameter which affects part quality, in particular, Geometric Dimensioning &
Tolerancing (GD&T) errors on the part, the energy expended and the extent of support structures
required. This paper provides an approach to identify an optimal build orientation which will
minimize the volume of support structures while meeting the specified GD&T criteria of the part
for a DMLS based process. Siemens PLM NX API is used to extract the GD&T callouts and
associated geometric information of the CAD model. The regions requiring support structures
are identified and a Quadtree decomposition is used to find the volume of support structures. The
mathematical relationships between build orientation and GD&T are developed as part of a
combined optimization model to identify best build orientations for minimizing support
structures while meeting the design tolerances. The feasible build orientations along with the
corresponding support structures are depicted using a visual model.
Metal powder based Additive Manufacturing is gaining popularity in the aerospace, medical,
electronics and automobile industry, as intricate components can be built with ease. The process
begins by slicing the CAD model to obtain a 2D contour at each level of the build axis, which is
fixed Procedia Manufacturing Volume 1, 2015, Pages 343–354 43rd Proceedings of the North
RAPID PROTOTYPING
10MT81
American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME http://www.sme.org/namrc as the z-axis.
Starting from the base 2D contour, a user defined slice thickness is added cumulatively at
successive slicing planes. This layer by layer stacking gives rise to an error called the staircase
effect which diminishes the surface finish of the part. Achieving part accuracy is currently one of
the key constraints in AM. Slice thickness, part build orientation, thermal errors, support
structures are a few major parameters which affect part accuracy. In this paper, the effect of part
build orientation on support structures volume and part accuracy will be addressed. Build
orientation is a crucial parameter since it will affect the tolerance errors, energy expended and
the volume of support structures required. Support structures are an integral part of this process
as it is necessary to account for possible overhangs or internal hollow volumes which might not
provide sufficient support to the overhanging layers. It is essential to minimize the use of these
supports as reduced contact area between the part and these structures will result in better part
quality and also reduce the post processing efforts (Dutta and Kulkarni, 2000). This paper
discusses a methodology to detect the regions requiring support and calculate the volume of
these support structures at various orientations. This information is then used to find an optimal
build orientation, having minimum support structures while satisfying the tolerance callouts. The
tolerances covered in this paper are Perpendicularity, Parallelism, Angularity, Total Runout,
Circular Runout and Conicity. Assuming a fixed slice thickness, mathematical relations are
developed between the tolerance errors and part orientation. A combined optimization model is
used to obtain the optimal build angle which is then verified using the graphical representation
adapted from Arni and Gupta (Arni and Gupta, 2001) and Paul and Anand (Paul and Anand,
2014). Finally, the volume of support structures at different orientations is plotted on a unit
sphere depicting different build orientations which can act as a tool for visualizing and
comparing extent of supports. A combined visual representation of volume of support structures
and the tolerances satisfied at each orientation is also presented.

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Rapid Prototyping

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Acharya Institute of Technology

Department of Mechatronics Engineering

Assistant Professor Grade 1

INTRODUCTION TO RAPID PROTOTYPING

 Rapid prototyping is basically a additive manufacturing process used to quickly

Need for Rapid Prototyping

 To increase effective communication.

Applications of Rapid Prototyping

 Patterns for Sand Casting

 Short productions runs

Aerospace & Marine

 Wind tunnel models

 Needed from concept to production level

Department of Mechatronics Engineering.Page 2

Growth of Rapid Prototyping

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Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

• Selective Laser Sintering was developed by university of Texas Austin in 1987.

Department of Mechatronics Engineering.Page 8

 Purpose of Selective Laser Sintering:

Fusion deposition Modeling

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In Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process a movable (x-y movement) nozzle on to a

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 The technology is clean, simple-to-use and office-friendly

 Supported production-grade thermoplastics are mechanically and environmentally stable

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UNIT 3: SOLID GROUND CURING (SGC )

 1. Large parts of 500x500x350mm can be fabricated quickly.

 The cubital machine contains the following parts :

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It has got ability to the layer by layer of 0.1 mm thickness .

 The entire layer is solidified at once.

Space requirement is also less.

Cost is also reasonably high when compared to FDM machine .

 The system is large, noisy and heavy.

Department of Mechatronics Engineering.Page 15

 Spray photosensitive resin:

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For each layer a photomask is produced using cubitals

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4. Vacuum uncured resin and solidify the remnants

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5. Wax is applied to replace uncured resin area

Wax replaces the cavities left by vacuuming the liquid resin.

6. The top surface is milled flat

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Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

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1. Sheet is adhered to a substrate with a heated roller.

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 Low cost due to readily available raw material

layers of adhesive-coated paper,

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Unit 4: Concepts Modelers

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