Rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid tooling (RT) technologies, processes and developments have changed over the years, but there is one thing that has remained constant: the challenge to get functional prototypes and a method to obtain low-volume production parts fast, without breaking the bank.
The race in rapid tooling to get either functional prototypes or low-volume production parts has created many methods of rapid tooling, which have worked well and not so well. The downside to each of these methods has been the consistency and the lack of broad use from application to application.
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Investment Casting is often the most practical and cost effective method of creating steel components that utilize the SLA Rapid Prototyping process. The lost wax casting process will yield a net or near net shape that can meet the design needs of end users of castings. The drawback however, is that the capital cost of building permanent tooling to replicate the patterns in wax on an ongoing basis can be challenging due to costs. Costs increase when the engineer is attempting to verify that the end product will work as predicted. Often times, a tool to create a 20 pound investment casting can approach nearly $10,000. The most effective solution to keep costs down is Rapid Prototyping.
Stereolithography Apparatus, or more commonly known as SLA, is a commercially Rapid Prototyping process which is still widely used today to provide better accuracy and finish to a surface than the other rapid prototyping technologies on the market.
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The process of rapid prototyping is exactly like it sounds: prototypes of products are quickly produced so that companies can move forward with final production. Having begun in the 1980’s, rapid prototyping is relatively new. But in the almost three decades since its inception, it has grown from producing models and prototype parts alone to being used by sculptors for art exhibits and used by manufacturing companies to produce market ready parts in small numbers. In the past, rapid prototyping was conducted using traditional data surveying methods that resulted in 2D drawings that were less accurate than the data results produced by today’s preferred method of data collection for rapid-prototyping: 3D digitization, or laser scanning.
Due to their ability to produce data models that can be directly manufactured from, 3D laser scanning services are primarily associated with the traditional engineering and reverse engineering processes. However, the use of additive manufacturing technology in contemporary rapid-prototyping also requires the aid of laser scanning, particularly in the form of solid CAD models. Laser scanning produces three types of data models: polygon mesh models, surface models and solid CAD models. Polygon mesh models-also known as mesh models-are virtually un-editable, and are typically used for archiving or product visualization. Surface models are more editable than mesh models, but are only editable at their surface, making them ideal for modeling artistic and organic shapes. Solid CAD models, on the other hand, can incorporate design intent.
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