Q1)Mention the types of industries rapid prototyping can be used.

list specific industrial

application.

Ans ) Rapid prototyping is used in many fields ,few of them are given below:

 Aerospace industry
 Automotive industry
 Biomedical industry
 Consumer goods manufacturing industry
 Electrical products manufacturing
 Electronics product manufacturing
 Jewelry industry
 Coin industry
 Tableware industry

Specific industrial application:

 Design
 Engineering
 Analysis
 Planning
 Tooling
 Manufacturing

Q2)With neat sketch explain typical application areas of rapid prototyping.

Ans) RAPID PROTOTYPING (RP) is defined as a group of technologies used to quickly produce a
scale model of a component or group of components using 3-dimensional computer aided design (CAD)
data or layer by layer fabrication of a part directly from CAD model.

Due to the worldwide competition of the product the manufacturing industries has given more
importance in the product development phase. Therefore the RP and manufacturing techniques plays
the vital role in a product development. It has been high prospective to reduce the cycle and cost of
product development. It is an important tool in digital manufacturing in rapid product development.
Q3) Discuss the application of RP in design and production of medical devices.

Ans) Application in Design:

 CAD model verification

This is the initial objective and strength of RP Systems in that designers often need the
physical part to confirm the design that they have created in CAD System. This is
especially important for parts or products designed to fulfill aesthetic function or that
are intricately designed to fulfill functional requirements
  Visualizing objects
Design created on CAD need to be communicated not only amongst designers within
the same team, but to other departments, like manufacturing and marketing. Thus
there is a need to create objects from CAD Design for visualization so that all these
people will be referring to same object in communication
 Proof of concept
Proof of concept relates to adaptation of specific details to an object environment or of
specific details of the design on the functional performance of a desired task or purpose
 Marketing or commercial application
Frequently the marketing or commercial departments require a physical model for
presentation and evaluation process especially for assessment of project as a whole
.The presentation can be even used to produce promotional brochures and related
materials for marketing and advertising even before actual product becomes available.

Application in production of medical devices:

The design of

A) Medical equipment.

b) Trial production.

c) The physical material of CT scan.

d) Surgical simulation.

E) Surgical aids

F) Medical tools to orthopedic implants and

G) Dental prosthetics.

Q)Mention at least three application of AM in the medical field.

Ans) Few application of additive manufacturing in medical field are:

1)Magnetic Resonances Imaging (MRI) technology or Computerized Tomography (CT) are usually used
for capturing model data.. The data so obtained shows cross-sections of the patient, with similar
brightness area representing regions of similar material or specific tissue types as cortical bone.

2) Knee implants: engineers at DePuy have integrated cad and RP into their design environment
using it to analyze the potential fit of implants in specific patient and then modifying the implant
design appropriately
3) Tissue engineering: Tissue engineering has been used to replace failing or malfunctioning organs
such as skin, liver, pancreas, heart valve, ligament etc. this has given rise to interests in applying RP in
medical field

4) Craniofacial reconstructive surgery in case of congenital abnormalities, trauma or post cancer

reconstruction.

5) Cranium implants for patients who lost part of their cranium in tumor surgery or accidents.

Q)Mention the application of RP in tableware industries.

Ans) It is used to integrate system to create better design in a faster and more accurate manner.
Additional computer tools with special programs developed to adapt decorative patterns to different
variations of size and shape of tableware are needed for this. Also a method for generating motifs along
a circular arc is also developed to supplement the capability of such system.

The general steps involved in the art to part process are:

 Scanning of 2D artwork
 Generation of surfaces
 Generation of 3D decorative reliefs
 Wrapping of reliefs on surfaces
 Converting triangular mesh files to STL file
 Building of model by RP system

Two models are selected in table ware system.1)3D system SLA 2) Helisys LOM

The SLA has the advantage of being pioneer and proven technology with many excellent case studies. It
is also beneficial for designers to know the internal structure of tableware items like pot, gravy bowls etc
.on the other hand LOM has its own distinct advantages. Its material cost is low and as it does not need
support in its process it saves a lot of time in both pre processing and post processing. The initial
investment and operating and maintenance costs of SLA are considerably higher than LOM and are
estimated to be 50% or 100% more.

In ceramic tableware product areas, the LOM model can be directly used as master pattern to produce
block mold. The block is made of plaster of Paris. The plaster of paris is an extremely good material for
detailed reproduction. even the slight imperfection of LOM are faithfully reproduced in the block mold
and pieces cast from these molds.

Q)What are the applications of RP in jewelry and coin industry?

Ans) Jewelry Industry: The jewelry industry has been regarded as one which is heavily craft based and
automation is generally restricted to use of machines in various individual stages. The use of RP in
jewelry design and manufacture offers a significant breakthrough. In an experimental computer aided
jewelry design and manufacturing system jointly developed by Nanyang University and Gintic Institute in
Singapore, the SLA was used successfully to create fine jewelry models. These were used as master
patterns to create rubber molds for making wax patterns that were later used in investment casting of
precious metal end products.

In an experiment with design of rings, the overall quality of SLA design models were found to be
promising, especially in case of development of intricate details in design. However due to step wise
building of models , steps at gentler slope of model were visible with the use of better resin and finer
layer thickness this problem was reduced but not fully eliminated. Further processing was found to be
necessary and abrasive jet debarring was identified to be most suitable.

Though post processing of SLA models is necessary in the manufacture of jewelry the ability to create
models quickly ( a few hours compared to days or even weeks, depending on complexity of design and
its suitability for use in manufacturing process offer great promise in improving design and manufacture
in jewelry industry.

COIN INDUSTRY : In experimental coin manufacturing system using CAD/CAM. CNC and RP
technologies were developed by nanyang university and gintic institute , the SLA was used
successfully with relief creation software to create tools for coin manufacture. It consists of
several steps :

First 2D network is read into art cam the cad/cam system used in the system utilizing a sharp
scanner in the art cam the scanned image is reduced from a color image to monochromatic
image with fully automatic grey scale function. Also no of colors can be reduced using color
reducer function. A color palette is provided for color selection and various areas of image are
colored.

The second step is generation of surfaces. The shape of coin is generated to required size and
in cad system for model building. A triangular mesh file is produced automatically from 3D
model. This is used as base onto which relief data is wrapped and later combined with relief
model to form finished part.

The third step is generation of relief in creating a 3D relief each color in the image is assigned a
shape profile. There are various fields that control the shape profile of the selected colored
region. The relief detail generated can be examined in dynamic graphic window.

The fourth step is wrapping the 3D relief onto coin surface. This is done by wrapping the 3D
relief onto the triangular mesh file generated from coin surface. This is true surface wrap not a
projection. It is also converted into triangular mesh file.
The fifth step is to convert triangular mesh file into STL file format. This is to be used for
building RP model. After the conversion STL file is sent to SLA to create 3D coin pattern which
will be used for proofing of design.

1. Three Applications of AM in Design process:

Additive Manufacturing offers a completely new wide range of possibilities in

product design. Additive Manufacturing has become an increasingly more
affordable tool over last decade. It’s role in the engineering industry is becoming
even more important in the technology that improves in accuracy, speed and
affordability.
Visualizing Objects:

Additive manufacturing is at its best when it reduces the time taken to realize a
new design. Through AM the design can be visualized and can be have more
possibilities in any change of the concept.

With systems like Creo 4.0, you can design, optimize and print-check models all
from one design environment. This gives back time that would otherwise be lost
to dealing with multiple systems and which can instead be reinvested in the
creation and optimization process.
Parametric perfection:

AM gives the researches the opportunity to develop and manufacture new

designs that would have been impossible to produce with traditional, subtractive
method. By AM we can produce the complex parts with perfection.

The ability of this technology to produce parts with many alloys allows for
engineers to develop new innovations that can be used in real-world practice.
This is particularly advantageous in high pressure and temperature environments
in which rocket motors and engines perform.
Early detection of design errors:
 AM allows the researchers to develop the tangile design and examine them in
more accurate with real world tests that can helps in redesigning the component
if any error verified. AM helps in design to reduce the cost by retrials of the
experiments with an initial component.

2. Applications of RP in Medical and Biomedical Engineering:

Development of Medical devices and instrumentations in Medical Engineering:

Medical instruments that have been upgraded using the RP technology include
surgical fasteners, scalpels, retractors, display systems. Some of the Medical
Instruments varies based on the individual and their need, So each individual
needs their own scale of instrument where RP is applicable.

Preoperative planning process in Biomedical Engineering:

Before the complex surgeries the surgeon has to go over the fractured part clearly
so, that he can get the clear idea about the surgery which helps in time reduction,
accuracy and improves the success rate. Here he requires the rapid prototype
model for detail study of the part affected. Some of the complex surgeries made
easy by the Surgeon because of the pre operative planning which involves the
detailed study of the 3-D prototype
 Prototype of Acetabulum for detail study and action.

In the Above Fig. The patient got a fracture on the Acetabulum which requires a
sophisticated surgery and a preoperative measure before it got operated. Here
the doctors made a detailed study and action over the fractured Acetabulum by
using a rapid prototype model and worked under it. This detail study of action
over prototype model helps them to operate easily with accuracy and success.

In Biomedical Engineering Most hearing aid devices are designed using the stereo
lithography or the selective laser sintering. Other areas that are adapting the
rapid prototyping technology is the replacement of teeth, three-dimensional
plastic replica of the patient’s skull, Craniofacial Reconstructive, Bone studies etc..

Some drug dosage forms are also designed by the use of these technologies.
Especially the dosage forms those are difficult to design using any other method.

3. Applications of RP in creative Industry.

RP is already turning into a classic lure at technology fairs. But beyond its
recreational use, this promising technology already has very innovative and
creative applications in fields as diverse as health, space exploration, education,
jewelry industry, coin industry or art .
SPACE PARTS. NASA plans to send 3D printers to space to allow astronauts to
manufacture the prototypes they need for Investigation on Space.

EDUCATIONAL MODELS. For biology classes in high schools, or even for faculties
of medicine, one can now print replicas of human body prototype that help in
their study. RP may also be applied in the study of art or of human evolution.

“Contour Crafting” that combines data from a geographic information system with
3D printing to be able to apply this technology to developments carried out in
earthquake-prone areas.

Jewelry: Computer aided jewelry design and manufacturing system jointly

developed by Nanyang Technological University and Gintic Institute of
Manufacturing Technology in Singapore, the SLA (from 3D Systems) was used
successfully to create fine jewelry prototypes.

Film Industry: RP creating props faithful to the director’s ideas can be done
quickly and inexpensively. There are no special materials needed, no preparations
for months on end, no high costs. It is also possible to create a duplicate prop
without any fuss.
 Prototype of a Character in Movie

4. Name the Applications of RP in customized Implants and

Prostheses:
Rapid prototyping plays a crucial role when it comes to implantations and use of
prostheses. Through the technology, prostheses that have been specifically
designed for a particular patient are now available. Patients whose requirement is
outside the standard size or those who require special treatments can now get
some customized prostheses that fits them at an affordable cost.

Facial prostheses: Rapid prototyping technology with traditional methods in the

manufacture of wax patterns for facial prostheses. Adding an artificial ear to a
patient who lost his ear in accident requires scanning of original maxillary ear
used to construct the wax patterns. Through this wax pattern it is easy to develop
the Prosthetic Ear
 Fig shows Prototype of wax pattern and prosthetic Ear

Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering has been used to replace failing or malfunctioning organs such
as skin, liver, pancreas, heart valve leaflet, ligaments, cartilage and bone. This has
given rise to the interests in applying RP techniques to build scaffolds either to
induce surrounding tissue and cell in-growth or serve as temporary scaffolds for
transplanted cells to attach and grow onto. These scaffolds can be designed in
three dimensions on CAD taking into consideration the porosity and good
interconnectivity for tissue induction to occur. The function of cells, such as in
bone and cartilage regeneration is dependent on the three-dimensional spatial
relationships. As such, the geometry of these hard tissues are critical to its
function. RP has been able to lend itself to producing complex geometry scaffolds.

Rapid prototyping technology is also used in the manufacture of biologically active implants:

Knee Implants
A supplier of orthopedic implants, have integrated CAD and RP into their design
environment, using it to analyze the potential fit of implants in a specific patient
and then modifying the implant design appropriately. SLA plays a major role in the
production standard and custom products. The prototypes are used as masters
for casting patterns to launch a product or to do clinical releases of a product. For
this application, there are several advantages over traditional casting tooling.
Firstly, the typical week lead-time is reduced. Secondly, the cost is reduced too.
Inter-Vertebral Spacers

Human spinal vertebras can disintegrate due to conditions such as osteoporosis

or extreme forces acting on the spine. In the management of such situations, a
spacer is usually required as part of the spinal fixation process. RP has been
investigated for the production of such spacers as it is an ideal process to
fabricate 3D structures with good interconnecting pores for the promotion of
tissue in-growth. Other considerations for producing such an implant are that the
material is biocompatible, and that the mechanical compressive strength of the
spacer is able to withstand spinal loads.

Cranium Implant
A patient suffered from a large frontal cranium defect after complications from a
previous meningioma tumor surgery. This left thepatient with a missing cranial
section, which caused the geometry of the head to look deformed.
Conventionally, a titanium-mesh plate would be hand-formed during the
operation by the surgeon. This often resulted in inaccuracies and time spent for
trial and error. Using RP, standard preparations of the patient were made and a
computed tomography (CT) scan of the affected area and surrounding regions
was taken during the pre-operation stage. The three-dimensional CT data file was
transferred to a CAD system and the missing section of the cranium topography
was generated. After some software repair and cleaning up were carried out on
the newly generated section, an inverted mold was produced on CAD and the
artificial impression is used to implant.

5. Applications of RP in customized Arts and Architecture:

Creating 3-D art has meant hundreds of hours of sculpting, creating a piece from
scratch using wood, clay, and other materials. Using 3-D scanning and printing,
artists are now able to capture digital images of their creations down to the
smallest of details.

Using 3-D scanning and printing, artists are now able to capture digital images of
their creations down to the smallest of details. Using today’s technology, it’s
possible to generate 8 million bits of information per square inch scanned–precise
enough to capture fingerprints and eyelashes. Once the object is scanned, a 3-D
mold is created and can be sent to a 3-D printer, where they can determine the
size of the object, which can be as small as a dime or larger than a 747. As a
result, they can focus on new art instead of laboring for months on end creating
one life-sized bronze statue. They’re also able to easily produce exact replicas of
each piece in different sizes, which allows them to make their art available for
customers at different price points.

In Architecture: The first reason an architect may have to create a model of a building
very often is to test visually the assumptions he/she has made about a design
during the design process and try alternative solutions.

The potential to use rapid prototyping to create complex positive forms, as well as
the negative form of the mold, is well understood in the manufacturing field. This
information is now making it possible to replicate ornamental details in buildings
with very little damage to the original. In addition to the visual aspects of
modeling buildings, there is the practical side of testing the building or its
components for its engineered properties.

For this type of complex architecture shown in fig. there requires a prototype for
the basic visualization and also the analysis part. In order to reduce the wastage in
design failure and look the prototype ensures the clarity of exact final output.

6. Typical RP applications in Automobile industry:

One of the major benefits of 3D printers in automotive design is the

empowerment of rapid prototyping in the pre-manufacturing stage. Companies
have the possibility of developing everything ranging from scale-models right
down to individual component, faster than ever. Prototyping in-house allows
businesses to control any Intellectual Property (IP) infringements and information
leaks. Here are some factors involved for the use of RP is Lower Turnaround Time,
Low Consumption and Wastage, Lower Costs, Added Flexibility.

Prototyping Complex Gearbox Housing for Design Verification

Volkswagen has utilized Helysis’s LOM to speed up the development of a large,
complex gearbox housing for its Golf and Passat car lines. The CAD model for the
housing was extremely complex and difficult to visualize. VW wanted to build a
LOM part to check the design of the CAD model and then use the part for
packaging studies. Using traditional methods, such a prototype would be costly
and time consuming to build, and it may not be always possible to include all fine
details of the design.. All these difficulties were avoided by using RP technology as
the fabrication of the model was based entirely on the CAD model created. The
gearbox housing was too large for the build volume of the LOM machine. The CAD
model was thus split into five sections and reassembled after fabrication. It took
about ten days to make and finish all five sections, and once they were
completed, patternmakers glued them together to complete the final model. The
LOM model was first used for verifying the design, and subsequently, to develop
sand-casting tooling for the creation of metal prototypes.

Prototyping Advanced Driver Control System with Stereolithography

At General Motors, in many of its divisions, RP is becoming a necessary tool in the
critical race to be first to market . For example, Delco Electronics, its automotive
electronics subsidiary, was involved in the development of the Maestro project.
Designed to blend an advanced Audio System, a hands-free cellular phone, Global
Positioning System (GPS) navigation, Radio Data System (RDS) information, and
climate control into a completely integrated driver control system, the Maestro
was to be a marvel. With many uniquely-shaped push-buttons, two active-matrix
LCD screens and a local area network allowing for future expansion, the time
needed to develop the system was the most critical factor.
The SLA models generated on 3D Systems’ SLA machine were accurate enough to
be finished, painted and installed in the actual prototype vehicle, eliminating the
need for rubber molds. The result was that in less than four months, Delco
Electronics was able to complete the functional instrument panel, with all 108
buttons built using the SLA.
Creating Cast Metal Engine Block with RP Process:
As new engine design and development is an expensive and time consuming
process, the ability to test a new engine and all its auxiliary components before
committing to tooling is important in ensuring costs and time savings .Here RP
plays a role in creating prototypes of engine Blocks.

7. Applications of RP in Aerospace industry:

Factors to consider RP in Aerospace industry are Low production volumes,
Constant design iterations, Geometric design complexity, Testing of new materials.
Design Verification of an Airline Electrical Generator:

Electrical generators for military and commercial aircraft, needed to verify its
design of an integrated drive generator for a large jetliner. It decided to use
Helisys’s LOM to create the design-verification model.
Engine Components for Fanjet Engine:
In an effort to reduce the developmental time of a new engine, AlliedSignal
Aerospace used 3D Systems’ QuickCastTM to produce a turbofan jet engine for a
business aviation jet . Basically, RP is used for the generation of the casting pattern
of an impeller compressor shroud engine component. This part is the static
component that provides the seal for the high-pressure compressor in the engine.
Three different designs were required for testing the cold rig, hot rig and first
engine. Using QuickCastTM, the 3D Technology Center was able to directly
produce patterns for investment castings using the stereolithography technology.
The patterns produced were durable, had improved accuracy, good surface finish
and were single large piece patterns. In fact, the patterns created were accurate
enough that a design revision error in the assembly fixture was easily detected and
corrected. With the use of these RP techniques, production time was slashed.

Prototyping Air Inlet Housing for Gas Turbine Engine:

Sundstrand Power Systems, a manufacturer of auxiliary engines for military and
commercial aircraft, needed prototypes of an air inlet housing for a new gas turbine
engine. It first needed mock-ups of the complex design, and also several fully
functional prototypes to test on the development engines.

Polycarbonate investment-casting pattern (right) and the steel air inlet

housing (right) for a jet turbine engine (Courtesy DTM Corporation)

Here RP involves in creating of mock-ups of the complex design, where prototype

can be used for functional purpose also.
Fabrication of Flight-Certified Production Castings:

Bell Helicopter has successfully used stereolithography, first to verify parts design,
then to aid with fit and functional testing. About 50 of the parts that made up the
new helicopter’s flight control system were developed with stereolithography.
Initially, half-scale models were used for design verification, as they were large
enough to confirm design intent and were much quicker to fabricate on the SLA
machines. Once a design was finalized, full-size SLA models were fabricated for
use in “virtual installation”. In virtual installation, full-sized SLA parts were
assembled with other components and installed on the actual production
helicopter in order to test the fit and kinematics of the assembly. Parts used for
virtual installation included all the features that would normally be machined into
rough production castings. Problems associated with interferences and clearances
were identified and rectified before they could arise in later stages, which by then
would be more costly to rectify. After virtual installation, Bell made QuickCastTM
investment casting patterns of each part. These patterns were sent for casting,
with the resulting parts being sent for FAA flight certification. In previous projects,
Bell would have machined parts to simulate production castings and send them
for certification. Here by this Pattern certification RP technology avoids Cost and
saves time.
8. Short note on Application of RP in forensic science:

Forensic science is the discipline in which professionals use scientific means to

analyze physical crime evidence. This evidence is then presented in court in order
to help determine the innocence or guilt of a specific suspect.

Function of prototype in forensic science is that Postmortem facial identification

is one of the most common techniques for establishing a deceased person’s
identity. In victims suffering from devastating cranial injuries, the feasibility of
facial identification tasks can be compromised by damage to or disfigurement of
the identifying cranial features. Although there are several reconstructive
approaches, which help experts to restore the essence of person’s physical
appearance, thus enhancing the chances of recognition, only a few of them
involve restoring the fractured cranial bones as the foundation for the
reconstructed soft tissues. Here, we propose a technique based on replacement
of heavily damaged hard tissues with generic prosthetics manufactured by 3D
printing. Our approach does not require medical imaging technologies or other
costly lab equipment. It is simple, affordable and relatively labor-efficient. The
deceased’s reconstructed craniofacial features can be subsequently assessed,
photographed, drawn or otherwise reproduced in order to help determine his or
her identity