Experiment No.

AIM: Review of CAD Modelling Techniques and Introduction to RP

INTRODUCTION TO RAPID PROTOTYPING

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a new manufacturing technique that allows for fast fabrication of
computer models designed with three-dimension (3D) computer aided design (CAD)
software. RP is used in a wide variety of industries, from shoe to car manufacturers. This
technique allows for fast realizations of ideas into functioning prototypes, shortening the
design time, leading towards successful final products.
RP technique comprise of two general types: additive and subtractive, each of which has its
own pros and cons. Subtractive type RP or traditional tooling manufacturing process is a
technique in which material is removed from a solid piece of material until the desired design
remains. Examples of this type of RP includes traditional milling, turning/lathing or drilling
to more advanced versions – computer numerical control (CNC), electric discharge
machining (EDM). Additive type RP is the opposite of subtractive type RP. Instead of
removing material, material is added layer upon layer to build up the desired design such as
stereolithography, fused deposition modeling (FDM), and 3D printing.
This tutorial will introduce additive type RP techniques: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS),
Stereo lithography Apparatus (SLA), FDM, Inkjet based printing. It will also cover how to
properly prepare 3D CAD models for fabrication with RP techniques.
Rapid Prototyping (RP) can be defined as a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a
scale model of a part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD)
data. What is commonly considered to be the first RP technique, Stereolithography, was
developed by 3D Systems of Valencia, CA, USA. The company was founded in 1986, and
since then, a number of different RP techniques have become available.
Rapid Prototyping has also been referred to as solid free-form manufacturing, computer
automated manufacturing, and layered manufacturing. RP has obvious use as a vehicle for
visualization. In addition, RP models can be used for testing, such as when an air foil shape is
put into a wind tunnel. RP models can be used to create male models for tooling, such as
silicone rubber molds and investment casts. In some cases, the RP part can be the final part,
but typically the RP material is not strong or accurate enough. When the RP material is
suitable, highly convoluted shapes (including parts nested within parts) can be produced
because of the nature of RP.
Definition:
Rapid Prototyping is basically a additive manufacturing process used to quickly fabricate a
model of a part using 3-D CAM data. It can be defined as layer by layer fabrication of 3D
physical models directly from CAD.
What is Rapid Prototyping?
Rapid Prototyping is the "process of quickly building and evaluating a series of prototypes"
early and often throughout the design process. Prototypes are usually incomplete examples of
what a final product may look like. Each time a prototype is used, a formative evaluation
gathers information for the next, revised prototype. This cycle continues to refine the product
until the final needs and objectives are met. The following diagram demonstrates the non-
linear nature of Rapid Prototyping.
Why Rapid Prototyping?
The reasons of Rapid Prototyping are
•To increase effective communication.

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•To decrease development time.
•To decrease costly mistakes.
•To minimize sustaining engineering changes.
•To extend product lifetime by adding necessary features and eliminating redundant features
early in the design.
Rapid Prototyping decreases development time by allowing corrections to a product to be
made early in the process. By giving engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and purchasing
a look at the product early in the design process, mistakes can be corrected and changes can
be made while they are still inexpensive. The trends in manufacturing industries continue to
emphasize the following:
• Increasing number of variants of products.
• Increasing product complexity.
• Decreasing product lifetime before obsolescence.
• Decreasing delivery time.
Rapid Prototyping improves product development by enabling better communication in a
concurrent engineering environment.
How does Rapid Prototyping Work?
Rapid Prototyping, also known as 3D printing, is an additive manufacturing technology. The
process begins with taking a virtual design from modeling or computer aided design (CAD)
software.
The 3D printing machine reads the data from the CAD drawing and lays down successive
layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material — building up the physical model from a series of
cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross section from the CAD
model, are automatically joined together to create the final shape.
Rapid Prototyping uses a standard data interface, implemented as the STL file format, to
translate from the CAD software to the 3D prototyping machine. The STL file approximates
the shape of a part or assembly using triangular facets.
Typically, Rapid Prototyping systems can produce 3D models within a few hours. Yet, this
can vary widely, depending on the type of machine being used and the size and number of
models being produced.
NEED FOR THE COMPRESSION IN THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
➢ To increase effective communication
➢ To decrease development time
➢ To decrease costly mistakes
➢ To minimize sustaining engineering changes
➢ To extend product life time by adding necessary features & eliminating redundant features
early in the design.
TRENDS IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES EMPHASIS THE FOLLOWING
➢ Increasing the no of variants of products
➢ Increase in product complexity
➢ Decrease in product lifetime before obsolescence
➢ Decrease in delivery time
➢ Product development by Rapid Prototyping by enabling better communication
First Phase: Manual Prototyping
Prototyping had begun as early as humans began to develop tools to help them live. However,
prototyping as applied to products in what is considered to be the first phase of prototype
development began several centuries ago. In this early phase, prototypes typically are not
very sophisticated and fabrication of prototypes takes on average about four weeks,

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depending on the level of complexity and representativeness. The techniques used in making
these prototypes tend to be craft-based and are usually extremely labour intensive.
Second Phase: Soft or Virtual Prototyping
As application of CAD/CAE/CAM become more widespread, the early 1980s saw the
evolution of the second phase of prototyping — Soft or Virtual Prototyping. Virtual
prototyping takes on a new meaning as more computer tools become available — computer
models can now be stressed, tested, analyzed and modified as if they were physical
prototypes. For example, analysis of stress and strain can be accurately predicted on the
product because of the ability to specify exact material attributes and properties. With such
tools on the computer, several iterations of designs can be easily carried out by changing the
parameters of the computer models.
Also, products and as such prototypes tend to become relatively more complex — about
twice the complexity as before. Correspondingly, the time required to make the physical
model tends to increase tremendously to about that of 16 weeks as building of physical
prototypes is still dependent on craft- based methods though introduction of better precision
machines like CNC machines helps.
Even with the advent of Rapid Prototyping in the third phase, there is still strong support for
virtual prototyping. Lee argues that there are still unavoidable limitations with rapid
prototyping. These include material limitations (either because of expense or through the use
of materials dissimilar to that of the intended part), the inability to perform endless what-if
scenarios and the likelihood that little or no reliable data can be gathered from the rapid
prototype to perform finite element analysis (FEA).
Specifically, in the application of kinematic/dynamic analysis, he described a program which
can assign physical properties of many different materials, such as steel, ice, plastic, clay or
any custom material imaginable and perform kinematics and motion analysis as if a working
prototype existed.
Despite such strengths of virtual prototyping, there is one inherent weakness that such soft
prototypes cannot be tested for phenomena that is not anticipated or accounted for in the
computer program. As such there is no guarantee that the virtual prototype is really problem
free.
Third Phase: Rapid Prototyping
Rapid Prototyping of physical parts, or otherwise known as solid freeform fabrication or
desktop manufacturing or layer manufacturing technology, represents the third phase in the
evolution of prototyping. The invention of this series of rapid prototyping methodologies is
described as a “watershed event” [11] because of the tremendous time savings, especially for
complicated models.
Though the parts (individual components) are relatively three times as complex as parts made
in 1970s, the time required to make such a part now averages only three weeks [9]. Since
1988, more than twenty different rapid prototyping techniques have emerged.
FUNDAMENTALS OF RAPID PROTOTYPING
a) A model or component is modelled on a Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided
Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system. The model which represents the physical part to be built
must be represented as closed surfaces which unambiguously define an enclosed volume.
This mean that the data must specify the inside, outside and boundary of the model. This
requirement will become redundant if the modelling technique used is solid modelling. This
is by virtue of the technique used, as a valid solid model will automatically be enclosed
volume. This requirement ensures that all horizontal cross sections that are essential to RP are
enclosed curves to create the solid object.

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b) The solid or surface model to be built is next converted into a format dubbed the “STL”
(Stereolithography) file format which originates from 3D systems. The STL file format
approximates the surfaces of ten model by polygons. Highly curved surfaces must employ
many polygons, which means that STL files for curved parts can be very large. However,
these are some rapid prototyping systems which also accept IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange
Specifications) data, provided it is of the correct “flavour”.
c) A computer program analyzes a STL file that defines the model to be fabricated and
“slices” the model into cross sections. The cross sections are systematically recreated through
the solidification of either liquids or powders and then combined to form a 3D model.
Another possibility is that the cross sections are already thin, solid laminations and these thin
laminations are glued together with adhesives to form a 3D model. Other similar methods
may also be employed to build the model.
Fundamentally, the development of RP can be seen in four primary areas. The Rapid
Prototyping Wheel depicts these four key aspects of Rapid Prototyping. They are: Input,
Method, Material and Applications.