UNIT IV MANUFACTURING AND QUICK PROTOTYPES

Rapid prototyping is the automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication. The first techniques for rapid prototyping became available in the late 1980s and were used to produce models and prototype parts. Today, they are used for a much wider range of applications and are even used to manufacture production quality parts in relatively small numbers. Some sculptors use the technology to produce complex shapes for fine arts exhibitions. Rapid prototyping takes virtual designs from computer aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software, transforms them into thin, virtual, horizontal cross-sections and then creates each cross-section in physical space, one after the next until the model is finished. In this process the virtual model and the physical model correspond almost identically. With additive fabrication, the machine reads in data from a CAD drawing and lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material, and in this way builds up the model from a series of cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross section from the CAD model, are joined together or fused automatically to create the final shape. The primary advantage to additive fabrication is its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature.

The standard data interface between CAD software and the machines is the STL file format. An STL file approximates the shape of a part or assembly using triangular facets. Smaller facets produce a higher quality surface. The word "rapid" is relative: construction of a model with contemporary methods can take from several hours to several days, depending on the method used and the size and complexity of the model. Additive systems for rapid prototyping can typically produce models in a few hours, although it can vary widely depending on the type of machine being used and the size and number of models being produced simultaneously. Some solid freeform fabrication techniques use two materials in the course of constructing parts. The first material is the part material and the second is the support material (to support overhanging features during construction). The support material is later removed by heat or dissolved away with a solvent or water.

Traditional injection molding can be less expensive for manufacturing polymer products in high quantities, but additive fabrication can be faster and less expensive when producing relatively small quantities of parts. Rapid prototyping is now entering the field of rapid manufacturing and it is believed by many experts that this is a "next level" technology.

The Audi RSQ was made by Audi with rapid prototyping industrial KUKA robots

Quick Prototype Design & Build The quicker a prototype can be developed, the sooner it can be used for demonstrations, internal or customer evaluation, to prove out certain performance characteristics such as battery life, help raise venture capital, be appraised for manufactured cost, or for determining if it makes sense to commit the resources required to fully fund a complete product development cycle. Quick Start for Rapid Prototyping Stereolithography, photochemical machining, laser sintering, and laminated-object manufacturing use 3D CAD data to produce models in hours. Most of these processes make parts from plastic. Models can be built from layers of liquid plastic, fused from plastic powders, or cut from partially cured polymer. Though large manufacturers increasingly have rapid-prototyping capabilities in house, smaller firms generally work with service bureaus to obtain fast prototyping. Here are some things to keep in mind when working these outside vendors. CAD drawings: What you send the service bureau 2D drawings, CAD files, or STL files determines the amount you pay in up-front processing costs. And these costs could vary dramatically depending on the CAD program the bureau uses to make your data machine ready. For example, sending only 2D drawings of a part to be fabricated forces the service bureau to create the solid model from the prints. For relatively simple parts, it will probably take about as long to create a solid model with one CAD program as it would with another. But the situation changes dramatically as parts become more and more complex. Some CAD programs are just faster to work with than others. Feature-based or variational geometry modelers such as Pro/Engineer can usually generate models much more quickly than modelers based on Boolean operators. The difference in modeling time becomes more

pronounced in complicated models that incorporate features such as sculpted surfaces, numerous bends and radii, and so forth. Most service bureaus charge by the hour to create a solid model from prints. So the longer it takes them to create a model from drawings, the higher the cost. Medium-complexity parts might take eight to 12 hr of CAD time. Simple parts, from a half-hour to a few hours. Surface models: Many surface modelers generate STL files. But for the few surface or wireframe modelers that can't generate STL files, the service bureau often ends up creating a solid model from scratch, even when provided with a perfectly good surface model on disk. Starting from scratch is often easier than converting a surface model into a compatible format and making the necessary modifications. Solid models: When a customer sends a solid model that has not been generated with the same brand of CAD program as used by the service bureau, there must be a conversion into a compatible format through an IGES transfer. The conversion process tends to be imperfect. The service bureau will still be forced to clean up the solid model before generating the STL file for fabrication instructions. This cleaning-up process typically involves adding features that sometimes get lost in the IGES translation, such as surface normals or information about certain kinds of radii. Thus, it is good to ask the service bureau how cleanly it has been able to translate models generated by the CAD software used to generate the math models they will receive. STL files: STL files created by most major CAD systems execute without any glitches. A few off-brand CAD programs do indeed create STL files that have problems, however. These problems typically consist of gaps on surfaces or areas where the fabrication software cannot identify the surface. When this happens, the service bureau typically goes back into the model and patches up these areas, then recreates the STL file. Molds: Most RP parts made today are prototypes of molded components. Parts in this category are best fabricated by service bureaus that also have some experience in molding. Most do. RP bureaus with molding experience can often provide advice about design factors such as adding drafting to the part. If the original model doesn't have draft, a sufficiently experienced bureau often can add this to the model. If one area of the part has particularly tight tolerances, they can also take this into consideration when they build the prototype by adjusting factors such as part orientation during the build or the shrink rate of the material. Service bureaus generally shoot for a tolerance of 5 mil/in. of part, but they sometimes can get this down to 1 to 3 mil/in. for special features. Machining: A service bureau that has experience with machining will be able to give advice about the trade-offs for either machining prototype parts, or building them stereolithographically or with some other RP technology. Large part size and simplicity generally dictate a machined approach. Pricing: Price-wise, parts small enough to fit in your hand should cost between $500 to $1,000, depending on the up-front processing needed. A part that fits in a 1-in. cube would

normally be in the $200 to $300 range. For something inside a 6-in. cube, figure up to $1,500. For RTV molds, a single-sided mold with a flat bottom might cost between $200 to $300. That figure would rise for medium complexity parts to $400 to $1,000. STEREOLITHOGRAPHY Stereolithography (SLA) is a "rapid-prototyping" process which produces a physical, three dimensional object from a 3D CAD file. A stereolithography machine uses a computer controlled laser to cure a photo-sensitive resin, layer by layer, to create the 3D part. Producing a pre-production SLA prototype of a part can greatly enhance the conceptualization of a product, as well as communication between project team members. Stereolithography is fast, allowing prototypes to be made in a matter of days the complexity of the model is seldom a factor. SLA is really "Rapid Modeling" since the objects generated from existing photo-sensitive resins or photopolymers do not have the physical, mechanical or thermal properties typically required of end use production material.