Rapid Prototyping Notes by Shashidhar 2
Rapid Prototyping Notes by Shashidhar 2
RAPID PROTOTYPING
IA Marks : 25
Hours/Week : 04 Exam Hours : 03
Total Hours : 52 Exam Marks : 100
PART – A
UNIT - 1
Introduction: Need for the compression in product development,
history of RP systems, Survey of applications, Growth of RP industry,
and classification of RP systems.
UNIT - 4
Concepts Modelers: Principle, Thermal jet printer, Sander's model
market, 3-D printer. GenisysXs printer HP system, object
Quadra systems.
06 Hours
PART – B
UNIT - 5
Rapid Tooling: Indirect Rapid tooling, Silicon rubber tooling,
Aluminium filled epoxy tooling, Spray metal tooling, Cast kirksite,
3Q keltool, etc. Direct Rapid Tooling Direct. AIM.
06 Hours
UNIT - 6
Rapid Tooling: Quick cast process, Copper polyamide, Rapid
Tool, DMILS, Prometal, Sand casting tooling, Laminate tooling soft
Tooling vs. hard tooling.
06 Hours
UNIT - 7
Software For RP: STL files, Overview of Solid view, magics, mimics,
magic communicator, etc. Internet based software, Collaboration tools.
06 Hours
UNIT - 8
Rapid Manufacturing Process Optimization: factors influencing
accuracy.
Data preparation errors, Part building errors, Error in finishing, influence
of build orientation.
08 Hours
TEXT BOOKS:
1.Stereo Lithography and other RP & M Technologies, Paul F.
Jacobs: SME, NY 1996.
2. Rapid Manufacturing, Flham D.T &Dinjoy S.S Verlog London
2001.
REFERENCE BOOKS:
1. Rapid Prototyping, Terry Wohlers Wohler's Report
2000" Wohler's Association 2000.
2. Rapid Prototyping Materials, Gurumurthi, IISc Bangalore.
3. Rapid Automated, Lament wood. Indus press New York.
RAPID PROTOTYPING NOTES
UNIT 1
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Conventional Machining:
Its not suitable for complex shapes because they are difficult
to machine.
Time consuming
Very costly
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Tessellation defects
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As the parts are going to be built in layers, and there may be areas
that could float away or of overhang which could distort. Therefore,
some processes require a base and support structures to be added to
the file which are built as part of the model and later removed.
(5) Manufacturing
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History of RP system
It started in 1980’s
First technique is Stereo lithography (SLA)
It was developed by 3D systems of Valencia in California, USA
in 1986.
Fused deposition modeling (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 Modeling by 3D systems.
3-D Printing by Solygen incorporation, MIT, USA.
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Applications
Most of the RP parts are finished or touched up before they are used for
their intended applications. Applications can be grouped into
Classification of RP systems
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Classification of RP Processes
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STEREOLITHOGRAPHY
Introduction:
Principle:
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Parameters:
Re-coat material:
Zaphir
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Application Range
Advantages
Disadvantages
Software:
i. 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.
Epoxy Resin has better material properties and less hazardous but
require large exposure time for curing.
SLA HARDWARE:
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1) The process begins with the solid model in various CAD formats
2) The solid model must consist of enclosed volumes before it
is translated form CAD format into .STL FILE
3) The solid model is oriented into the positive octant of Cartesian
co- ordinate system and then translate out Z axis by at least 0.25
inches to allow for building of supports
4) The solid model is also oriented for optimum build which
involves placing complex curvatures in XY plane where possible
and rotating for least Z height as well as to where least amount
of supports are required
5) The .STL FILE is verified
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6) The final .STL FILE one which supports in addition to original file
are then sliced into horizontal cross sections and saved as slice file.
7) The slice files are then masked to create four separate files
that control SLA machine ending with 5 extensions L, R, V and
PRM.
8) 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.
9) 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.
Post Processing:
Advantages:
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Disadvantages:
Applications:
1) Investment Casting.
2) Wind Tunnel Modelling.
3) Tooling.
4) Injection Mould Tools.
Diagram:
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Important Questions:
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UNIT-2
Introduction:
Selective Laser Sintering is a rapid prototyping process that builds
models from a wide variety of materials using an additive
fabrication method.Selective Laser Sintering was developed by
university of Texas Austin in 1987.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.
.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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The sinter station has built 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 brushesthe excess powder that has
been removed can be kept for recycling and can be reused. Some
material needs additional finishing. Some of the
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Applications:
1. As conceptual models.
2. Functional prototypes.
3. As Pattern masters.
Advantages:
3. Self-supporting build
faster.
5. Damage is less.
Disadvantages:
1. Initial cost of system is high.
2. High operational and maintenance cost.
3. Peripheral and facility requirement.
FUSED DEPOSITION MOULDING
Introduction:
deposits a second layer upon the first. Supports are built along the
way, fastened to the part either with a second, weaker material or
with a perforated junction.
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Software Used:
3) Elastomer.
Extrusion Head:
Dry Blocks:
Tip:
a) The two tips are externally threaded and screwed up into
the heating chamber exit and are used to reduce the extruded
filament diameter to allow for better detailed modelling
b) .The tips are heated by heating chamber up to above the
melting point of the material.
c) The tips can be removed and replaced with different size
openings, the two most common being 0.012 inch and 0.025
inches.
d) The extruding surface of the tip is flat serving as the hot
shearing surface to maintain a smooth upper finish of extruded
material.
e) The tip is the point at which the material is deposited onto a
foam substrate to build the model..
Build Substrate:
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FDM OPERATION:
The part must fit into the building box, if not it will either have to
be scaled down to fit or be sectioned so that the pieces can be
built separately and then bonded together later.
Once the part has been built in appropriate built size, the part should
be oriented in an optimum position for building. The shape of the part
plays an important role in this, in that some orientations may require less
supporting of overhangs than the others.
iv. Slicing:
Once the part has been properly oriented and or scaled it must be
sliced. Slicing is a software operation that creates thin horizontal cross
sections of STL file that will later be used to create control code for
the machine.
In Quick Slice, the slice thickness can be changed before slicing,
the typical slices ranging from
0.05 inches to 0.015 inches.
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To perform simple editing functions on slice files. Also editing
function allows repair of minor flaws in the STL file with the
options of closing and merging of curves.
Build Parameters:
A. Sets:
Quick Slice uses sets or packages of build parameters. Sets contain all
of the build instructions for a selected set of curves in a part. Sets
allow a part to be built with several different settings
E.g. One set may be used for supporting structure of the part, one
for part face, another for thicker sections of the part and still
another for exposed surfaces of the part. This allows flexibility of
building bulkier sections and internal fills quickly by getting finer
details on visible areas of a part.
Sets also allow chosen sections of a part to build hollow, cross hatched or
solid if so desired.
Two of the build parameters commonly worked with are road width
and fill spacing.
B. Road Width:
When FDM builds a layer, it usually begins by outlining the cross section
with a perimeter road, sometimes followed by one or more concentric
contours inside of perimeters.
Next it begins to fill remaining internal area in a raster or
hatched pattern until a complete solid layer is finished.
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C. Fill Spacing:
Once all parameters have been set, road are created graphically
by Quick Slice. The user is then allowed to preview each slice if so
desired to see if the part is going to build as required.
Quick slice has a very good build time estimator which activates
when an SML file is written. SML stands for Stratasys Machine
Language. Basically it displays in the command windows, the
approximate amount of time and material to be used for given
part. Build time estimate allows for a efficient tracking and
scheduling of FDM system work loads.
F. Building a part:
The FDM receives a SML file and will begin by moving the head to
the extreme X and Y portions to find it and then raises the platen to
a point to where the foam substrate is just below heated tips. After
checking the raw material supply and temperature settings, the user
then manually places the head at point where the part has to be built
on the foam and then presses a button to begin building. After that
FDM will build part completely without any user intervention.
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Applications:
Advantages:
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Disadvantages:
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Diagrams:
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Important Questions:
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UNIT 3
The early versions of the system weighed several tons and required
a sealed room. Size was made more manageable and the system
sealed to prevent exposure to photopolymers, but it was still very
large.Instead of using a laser to expose and harden photopolymer
element by element within a layer as is done in stereo lithography,
SGC uses a mask to expose the entire object layer at once with a burst
of intense UV light. The method of generating the masks is based on
electrophotography (xerography).
Highlights
1. Large parts of 500x500x350mm can be fabricated quickly.
3. Masks are
curing required
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Process
First a CAD model of the part is created and it is sliced in to layers using
cubitos data front end software.
1. Spray photosensitive resin:At the beginning of a layer
creation step the flat work surface is sprayed with photosensitive resin.
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6. The top surface is milled flatIn the final step before the
next layer, the wax resin surface is milled flat to an accurate reliable
finish for next layer.
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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.
Advantages
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 post curing is required.
Disadvantages
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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Introduction:
Software’s:
up spindle for the build material. The feed spindle holds the roll of
virgin material whereas the take up spindle serves to store the excess
material after the layer is cut. A heated roller travels across the face
of the part being built after each layer to activate adhesive and
bond the part layer together.
An invisible 25Watts CO2 laser is housed on the back of the LOM
and reflected off three mirrors before finally passing through a
focusing lens on the carriage. The carriage moves in the X direction
and the lens moves in the Y direction on the carriage, thus
allowing focal cutting point of laser to be moved like a plotter pen
while cutting through build material in the shape desired.
This X and Y movement allows for two degrees of freedom or
essentially a 2-D sketch of part cross section. The part being built is
adhered to a removable metal plate which holds the part
stationary until it is completed. The plate is bolted to the platen
with brackets and moves in the Z direction by means of a large
threaded shaft to allow the parts to be built up. This provides the third
degree of freedom where in the LOM is able to build 3D models.
Some smoke and other vapors are created since the LOM functions
by essentially burning through the sheets of material with a laser,
therefore LOM must be ventilated either to the outside air or
through a large filtering device at rates around 500cubic feet per
minute.
LOM OPERATION:
1) As with all RP systems, the LOM must begin with the standard
RP computer file or STL file.
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slowest
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Ease of part removal.
•
Resulting build time.
A very small hatch sizes will make for easy part removal. However if
the part is rather large or has large void areas it can really slow
down the build time. This is the reason for having varying cross
hatch sizes throughout the part.
The LOM operator can either judge where and how the part should
be cross hatched visually or use long slice to run a simulation build
on the computer screen to determine layer ranges for the needed
hatch sizes.
Also since the LOM SLICE creates slices as the part build parameters can
be changed during a build simply by pausing a LOM machine and
typing in new cross hatch values.
System Parameters:
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Diagram:
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Unit-4
Concept modellers
Introduction (Principle)
Ink jet printing comes from the printer and plotter industry where
the technique involves shooting tiny droplets of ink on paper to produce
graphic images. RP ink jet techniques utilize ink jet technology to shoot
droplets of liquid-to-solid compound and form a layer of an RP model.
b) Multi-Jet Modelling.
d) Three-Dimensional Printing.
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e) Genisys Xs printer.
The Sanders Model Maker (MM) series captures the essence of the ink-
jet printing technology, and builds in a layer-by-layer fashion, similar to
other rapid prototyping (RP) systems. The MM uses several different types
of data file formats but has only one base type for the build and support
materials, wax. The MM was developed by Sanders Prototype, Inc. (SPI),
a subsidiary of Sanders Design in Wilton, NH, in the early 1990s with
the intention of revolutionizing the industry as it pertains to accuracy and
precision.
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Software:
Build Materials:
Both models use a build and support material to produce a 3-D model.
These materials are wax based with the support having a lower melting
point than the build. This insures that during postprocessing, the support
material will melt away leaving only the part, made of build material.
Each material has its own heated reservoir and is very sensitive to
contamination, which means handling should not occur.
The Print-head:
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Prior to actually building the part, the STL file must be translated into
the software language used by the MM. This software is MW and is used
for the purpose of preparing and manipulating the file so that the MM can
build it.
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The file, after being read into MW, produces a picture of the file on screen
in the Cartesian coordinate system (-x , -y , and -z). A box appears around
this grid with a bar that has many functions that allow the user to put the
part in its desired orientation. From this box you can perform slicing
functions, zoom functions, layer thickness alterations, part positioning,
part sizing and other build parameters. The MW software is very useful and
gives the user ultimate control over the end product. Figure 4.3.2 shows
an STL file as viewed by MW
There are several factors to consider when positioning the part. Among
them are the distance the cutter travels, special features, detailing, opening
edges, time to build, and the quality of the model. All of these can be
changed as it pertains to the specific characteristics desired for the part.
The fundamental rule for positioning is to have the longest length of the
part parallel to the cutter.
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Configuration Selection:
Slicing:
The MM utilizes view as a viewer of the .MM2 and .BIN files generated by
MW. This viewer displays slice cross sections and their respective fill
patterns. A digital readout at the bottom of the screen gives the ability to
extract measurements from this file. This information is helpful in determining
the files integrity and getting a view of slice-by-slice formation.
This slice-by-slice file is the code the machine will use to generate a layer-
by- layer creation of the model. To access this function you must select the
Bview button from the menu. There are several different functions that
you can implement to render the model and file exactly how you desire it
to be prior to building. The Navigation buttons allow you to view the
model slice by slice or at 10 percent increments, the Automated Control
button gives you a real time build slice by slice, the Zoom buttons allow you
to adjust the view of the model on the screen, and the Pan buttons allows
you to adjust the -x and -y plane views of the model. Together, all of these
functions give the modeller complete control over not only how the
machine will build the part, but the customization of the part prior to the
build.
Building a Part:
Once the part has been delivered to the MMII it is time to prepare the
machine for building. Initially, you can check the material reservoirs to
determine if you need to add any build or support materials. You can get
a graphical representation by selecting <1> on your opening screen.
The computer will tell you if additional material is needed and how much
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to add. Once you have added the material(s), allow 45 minutes for the
material to
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be liquefied in the reservoir before use. But while you are waiting you can
check the optical tape receptacle to make sure it is empty and you can
mill the substrate. To do so, select <3> from the initial screen (Run MM),
select <I>, and then <N>, this will allow you to choose the mill command and
level your substrate. Mill the original surface (dull finish) of the substrate
until it has a clean, bright finish. This ensures that the surface is level. The
next and most important step is to check the jet-firing status. Before
each use, perform a manual purge to refill the jet reservoir with material
and make sure that the proper amount of air is within the reservoir also.
Cut a 3-inch piece of plastic tubing, remove the purge cap, and place the
tube on the purge spout. Hold the cylindrical tube over the tube and under
<M> choose the respective jet you are purging (build or support). Once the
jet has been selected, another menu will appear that will prompt your
actions, from this menu, choose the purge
command. Allow the jet to purge until you get an even flow of material
into the tube container and allow it to flow for 2 to 3 seconds, and then
press any key to stop the purge. Immediately remove the tube from
the spout and reapply the cap. After making sure that the jets are firing
properly, go back into new build, select the file you want, and build.
Post-processing:
refinish your surface, paint it, or leave it as is. Remember, this process takes
time, if you rush it you could sacrifice the integrity of your part.
3-D printers:
faster
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The Z402 is currently available in only one size, which can build models
up to 8" x 11" x 8". The overall size of the modeller is approximately 3' X
4', so it can fit in a fairly confined area. Parts built with the starch
material can be hardened to fit the application necessary. Wax infiltration
gives the parts some strength but also leaves them usable as investment
casting patterns. Stronger infiltrants, such as cyanoacrylate, can be used to
provide a durable part that can survive significant handling. Since the
starting point of this writing, Z Corp has advanced their 3DP system in
several ways. First, they released updated print cartridges (Type 3)
that last longer along with stronger infiltrants for durable parts.
Secondly, a new material and binder system called ZP100 Microstone
was released that provides stronger models directly from the machine with
little or no postprocessing or infiltrant. Finally, an automated waxer was
released that helps control the wax infiltration process if necessary. The
modeler has several important components, including the following:
1. Build and Feed Pis tons : These pistons provide the build area
and supply material for constructing parts. The build piston lowers as part
layers are printed, while the feed piston raises to provide a layer-by-layer
supply of new material. This provides the z motion of the part build.
2. Printer Gantry: The printer gantry provides the xy motion of the part
building process. It houses the print head, the printer cleaning station, and
the wiper/roller for powder landscaping.
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The Z402 has a very user-friendly interface, where very few commands
are necessary to build a part. Since the parts are built in a powder bed,
no support structures are necessary for overhanging surfaces, unlike
most other RP systems.
Software:
The Z402 starts with the standard STL file format, which is imported into the
Z Corp software where it is automatically sliced and can be saved as a BLD
(build) file. When a file is first imported into the software, it is automatically
placed in an orientation with the shortest -z height. This is done as the fastest
build capability, like other RP systems, is in the -x, -y direction. The part can
be manually reoriented if necessary for best-part appearance. Multiple STL
files can be
imported to build various parts at the same time for maximum efficiency.
The default slice thickness is 0.008", however the value can be varied to
fit the needs for particular parts. Objects can be copied, scaled, rotated
or moved for optimum part build. Moving/translating a part can either be
done by a simple drag-and-drop method, or else by entering coordinates.
Parts can also be justified to either side of the build envelope, be it front,
back, left, right, top, or bottom, with a simple menu command. Parts are
copied simply by highlighting the part and clicking one copy command. The
new part is automatically placed beside the current part if there is room in
the build envelope; otherwise it is placed above it. Since the build envelope is
a powder bed, three-dimensional nesting can be accomplished so that parts
can be built in floating space to make room for others. This 3D nesting
capability is only available in a few other RP systems, and provides for a
higher throughput of parts to be accomplished. After the STL is imported
and placed, a "3D Print" command is issued and the part file is sent to the
machine to build. During the build, a progress bar shows the percentage
of the part building, as well as the starting time and the estimated
completion time. When a build is
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complete, a dialog box is displayed with the final build time of the part,
along with the volume of
material used and the average droplet size of the binder used.
• The remaining steps are carried out after this landscaping automatically
• When the first layer of the powder is spread, the liquid binder is
called for binder spray
• The binder jet moves as per our virtual design (CAD model)
• After spraying the binder, the next layer of powder is spread and
rolled for bonding
• The powder and binder spray depends upon the thickness of the
product
The parts that are made using 3D printing, not as strong as SLS products.
Because the material is
adhesive bonded, where in SLS, the material is taken to fusion bonding.
Postprocessing:
Other than the Z402 system itself, there are several components needed
for postprocessing of the part. For a concept model, the starch parts are
generally infiltrated with paraffin wax, although more durable materials are
available, from plastics to cyanoacrylate. Before infiltration, starch parts are
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fragile and
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must be handled with care. The following are the postprocessing steps for a
part to be infiltrated with wax, with a total process time of about 15 to 20
minutes.
1. Powder Removal: After the parts are taken from the machine, the
excess powder must be removed. With the system comes a small glove
box with an airbrush system inside. The airbrush is used to easily and gently
blow
the powder off the part, and a vacuum cleaner is hooked to the glove box
to remove the powder as it is blown from the part. (5 Minutes)
2. Heat for Infiltration: Once the powder is removed from the part
surfaces, the part is placed in a small oven and heated to a temperature
just above that of the infiltrant wax, to provide a wicking
characteristic as
opposed to coating. The part temperature for paraffin infiltrant is
approximately 200°F. (10 Minutes).
The actual postprocessing time will depend on the complexity of the part,
the skill of the user, and the infiltrant used. Nonetheless, it is still minimal
compared to some other RP processes.
Parts built with the Z402 system are directly intended for use as
concept- verification models in a design environment. The nontoxic
materials allow for the models to be safely handled in meetings or the
office, directly after fabrication. Another application that is beginning to be
explored, not unlike other RP systems, is the use of Z402 parts for investment
or sandcast patterns. The starch-based material burns out of an investment
shell readily, therefore providing a quick way to produce metal hardware
for testing or analysis.
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Ultimately, the speed is the most desirable trait of the Z402. With an
average build time of one vertical inch per hour, even a part several
inches tall can be built within a normal work day. This is extremely
advantageous to any company where time is a factor in sales or
production. The key disadvantages of the system include rough part
surfaces, which can be remedied with sanding, and the cleanliness
problems faced when dealing with any system that uses a powder as a
build material or operating medium. Also, the ink- jet cartridges must be
replaced quite frequently, on the order of every 100 hours of operation,
so users must understand that the jets are expendable items just as the
build powder itself. Finally, these concept models aren't fabricated to
high dimensional tolerances, which may hinder the building of complex
assembly prototypes.
The Genisys (and Genisys Xs) system, produced by Stratasys, Inc. is an office -
friendly modelling system that builds parts with a durable polyester material.
The current line of Genisys systems are small, compact table-top rapid
prototyping (RP) machines that deliver single-
material capability, and interoffice network queues for operation much like
a printer.
Not unlike most newly developed technologies, the original Genisys machines
had small quirks and technicalities that prevented it from really being a true
"trouble free" office modeller.
However, after analyzing and working with customers, most of the
systems were recalled and refurbished to correct the problems. The new
line of Genisys, the Xs, apparently has printer-like reliability and operation,
providing concept-modelling capability to the office
environment as intended.
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System Operation
Software
The software of the Genisys systems, which is compatible on both Unix and NT
platforms, is designed for ease of operation. With simple point-and-click
part- building features, the software automatically places, slices,
generates supports, and then downloads the part file to the network queue
to be fabricated. Parts can be set to be scaled automatically as well,
although there is a manual scaling feature. Multiple parts may be nested in
the -x, -y plane, again with single-click
operability.
Build Material
Hardware:
The Genisys has a maximum build capacity of 12" X 8" x 8", whereas the
entire system occupies a space of only 36" x 32" x 29". The unit weighs in
at about 210 pounds and can operate on standard house current of 110 to
120 Volts AC. The polyester material comes stock in the form of wafers,
which are loaded into a bank of cartridges within the machine. One wafer
is loaded into the deposition head, where it is melted and deposited in
thin layers through a single extrusion tip while tracing the cross section of
the part being built. Once the wafer in the head is spent, it is replaced by
another automatically and the build resumes. The build chamber is
operated at ambient temperature,
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The advantages of the Genisys system include the ease of use and the
network operability. Since the preprocessing is kept to a minimum, and
the systems can be networked much like printers, the Genisys lends itself
to the office modelling environment. Perhaps the major disadvantage
of the system would be its single- material capacity, which results in more
difficult support removal on complex parts. This situation may well be
addressed in the future, similar to what was done in the progression of its
sister technology of fused deposition modelling, however the vendor has
no plans released at the time of this writing.
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Important questions:
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Unit 5
RAPID TOOLING
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Epoxy Tools:
•
Moulds for prototype injection plastic
•
Moulds for casting
•
Compression moulds
•
Reaction Injection Moulds
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•
Limited tool life
•
Poor thermal transfer
•
Tolerance dependent on master patterns
•
Aluminum filled epoxy has low tensile strength
3D Keltool Process:
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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 RT methods that allow inserts for pre production
and production tools to be built.
•
These methods come under hard tooling.
Classification of Direct RT methods:
DIRECT AIM:
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•
A Direct AIM mould is not durable like aluminum filled epoxy
mould. Injection cycle time is long.
Advantages:
•
It is suitable for moulding up to 100 parts.
Both resistance to erosion and thermal conductivity of D-AIM tools can
be increased by deposition of a 25micron layer of copper on mould
surfaces.
Important Questions:
1. What is rapid tooling? Compare rapid tooling with conventional
tooling.
2. Write a short notes on indirect rapid tooling?
3. Write a short notes on silicon rubber tooling?
4. Write a short notes on aluminium filled epoxy tooling?
5. Write a short notes on spray metal tooling?
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Unit 6
RAPID TOOLING
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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.
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Copper polyamide:
DMLS:
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A schematic of DMLS
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Prometal:
Machine types:
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Direct routes:
Indirect routes:
Patterns for sand casting: The RP patterns SLA FDM and LOM
are used as master patterns to fabricate a silicone rubber mould,
which is used for making multiple hard patterns from polyurethane
(PU) and epoxy rubber. The figure 9.5a shows PU and epoxy
pattern s fabricated from RTV silicone rubber mould. The figure
9.5b and table shows the summary of the techniques used for
fabricating the PU and epoxy patterns. The life of the silicone
rubber mould is about 15-20 epoxy or PU parts. The PU and
epoxy parts can be used for sand casting.
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Laminate tooling
As pressure continues to mount to reduce the costs and lead times for
tooling, several companies have turned to laminate tooling as a
solution. Laminated tooling is an alternative to building cavities
directly on an RP machine. Using the similar principles to the
Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) process, layers of
sheet metal are cut to replicate slices through
a CAD model. Laser cutting or water jet technologies generally
produce the profiles.
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To produce a mold tool, the CAD model must take the form of
the required cavity. By cutting all of the slices of the cavity in sheet
metal, a stack of laminates can be made to replicate the
original CAD model. Using either clamping or diffusion bonding, it
is possible to create a pseudo-solid cavity in hardened tool steel
without the need for complex post process cutter path planning.
Due to the use of relatively thick laminates - typically 0.040 inch
(1 mm) - the surface finish of the tools is generally poor;
therefore, some form of finish machining is generally required.
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Hard Tooling:
RP systems that are used for direct hard tooling due to characteristics
of sintering process and implemented building materials (powder
materials based on metal) require obtaining extremely high
temperatures in primary process of tools manufacturing, which
is mostly realised through the application of lasers or some other
sources of intent energy.
Hard tooling will have the longest life. Simple tooling will last for
hundreds of thousands of parts. Complex tooling with slides and cores
will wear over time but can
generally be refurbished. This is not normally necessary for
many years.
120
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Soft Tooling :
Pattern cost is higher than Hard Tooling. This is because the tooling
will cycle slower due to the poor thermal conductivity of mold
material
Life of soft tooling is limited. Life will depend upon the complexity of
part. The more complex the shorter the life Surface finish and
dimensional control is not as good as Hard Tooling
A single SLA (stereolithography) or Objet pattern is generally used to
make the tooling
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121
prototype, patterns do not melt and must be burned out of
shell. Unfortunately some also expand and can severely crack the
shell if not hollow. On thin edges it is not possible to hollow the
section and that is where the foundry‘s expertise is needed to
help chose the most appropriate pattern for your application.
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Objet
UNIT-7
Software for RP
STL File:
This format has long been the industry standard in rapid prototyping.
Let‘s look into the process of approximating surfaces with triangles:
Each 3D form is made out of polygons. A polygon is defined as a flat
shape which is bounded by a closed circuit. Each polygon with n sides
can be represented using n-2 triangles.
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If we look at a box, for example: It is easy to see the box has 6 sides-
each one is a polygon.
Each one of those sides is a square, meaning it can be represented using 12
triangles.
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The two triangles above, though they are identical, are facing in opposite
directions.
While all CAD software allows the creation of STL files, not always this
process ends with a
printable file. STL manipulation solutions allow:
•
Magics RP is the most extensive solution available
•
Meshlab is satisfactory as a free tool, although not very easy to
use and lacking some functionality
•
Pricing is not specified, as this greatly varies from region to
region. Additionally, most vendors offer several packages. Please
consult your local distributor for pricing.
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Inverted normal:
The meaning of an inverted normal is that one surface does not have
a consistent direction. Occasionally, the interpretation of the
surface between CAD and STL results in inverted normal let‘s
look at an example:
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The box above has one face with an inverted normal. This means we
will need to fix the file in order to print it using an Objet 3D printer. We
will discuss later on this document on how this can be achieved.
Zero thickness:
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Bad edges:
Near bad edges are defined as edges which have a neighbour triangle
which is closer than a set threshold. Those are usually closed automatically
using your software of choice.
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bad
Real bad edges typically enclose a hole in the shape. This is slightly more
complex, as it might cause a case of zero thickness.
The part above has a real bad edge in one of his faces. As a result, the
boundaries of the box
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Once the user closes (adds triangles) to the hole, the model is once again
watertight and has a positive volume. Once again, it is
printable.
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b. Create thickness
If the design intent was to create a box with one missing face, the user
would need to create thickness, making the part printable. This is
typically achieved using the ―offset‖ command.
file type chose to use the most basic form of surface that can be
described from point data only — the triangle. If any three points are
chosen from a 3-dimensional surface then a triangle can be described
by those points to approximate a portion of that surface. Of course, a
triangle is by definition flat — lacking any curvature whatsoever — so
if the surface in question contains any curvature then there is some
error, or deviation, in the approximation. However, if the triangle size is
reduced to the point where it is much smaller than any curvature in the
surface, then the deviation can be brought down to a level where it is
negligible. What is the limit to such a reduction? There is a practical limit
— as the triangles decrease to an infinitesimally small size, the number
of them required to complete the surface becomes infinitely large, as
does the size of the final STL file. Most configuration settings for
outputting STL files are aimed at this very issue
— how small to make the triangles to best approximate the
surface geometry while not making enormous file sizes. This knowledge
base article will attempt to give you the tools you need to
understand this configuration process, and visualize the outcome of the
final part.
Let‘s take a look at a ―perfect‖ CAD shape and a rather coarse STL file
approximation of it.
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Notice how the areas of curvature are approximated in the STL file with
large flats — deviating from the proper geometry. This effect is
called
―faceting‖ and it would be evident in the final RP part if built with this
coarse file.
Let‘s take a closer look at the small hole in the centre, and highlight the
edges of the triangles used to create it:
Note that the true shape of the hole is drawn here, and an indication as to
the deviation from true, due to the use of large triangles.
Now let‘s reduce the size of the triangles to get a better approximation
and compare:
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Clearly, this does a much better job of approximating the curvature, and
the triangles are not so numerous as to make a huge file size. The coarse
STL file size was 77KB while the fine STL file is 308KB.
Armed with this information, you can use the help function for the
CAD software that you use, and develop an approximation that works
for your needs. The major CAD software programs such as
ProEngineer and SolidWorks actually show you an image of the
faceted STL file so that you can see for yourself how closely the triangles
approximate your geometry. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak,
so we recommend installing a file viewer for STL files just to be sure.
Doing so, you can rotate, zoom, pan and cross-section the file to be sure
that it is true to form. Here are links to some good STL viewers that are
free to install and use.
• 3D –Tool
• Minimagics
Solid view
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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Magics:
Mimics Z™:
For the first time, doctors, nurses, and technicians who have no
previous experience with 3D modelling or 3D printing can create 3D
anatomical models from MRI and CT scan images quickly and easily.
Key Features
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Mimics software allows you to process and edit your 2D image data
(CT, µCT, MRI, etc.) to construct 3D models with the utmost
accuracy,
flexibility and user-friendliness. The powerful segmentation tools allow
you to segment your medical CT/MRI images, take measurements and
engineer directly on your 3D model. From there you can export your
3D data to a wide range of output formats and engineering
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Cardiovascular
Craniomaxillofacial
Orthopedic
Pulmonology
Magics communicator:
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;
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Visualise
View STL, IGES*, VDA* and DXF 3d faces*, with fast rotation, zooming and
cross sectioning.
Annotate
Measure
Present
Important questions:
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UNIT-8
Process optimization
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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.
Errors due to slicing: Real error on slice plane is much more than that
is felt, as shown in figure 8.2
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Fig 8.2 Real error slice plane Fig 8.3 Error due to replacement of
arcs with stair-steps cusp height (after Pham and Demov, 2001)
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 8.3). 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 8.4), 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,
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adaptive slicing scheme, which can slice a model with better accuracy and
surface finish without loosing important features must be selected.
Figure 8.4: Slicing of a ball, (a) No slicing (b) Thick slicing (c) Thin slicing
(d) Adaptive slicing
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 control. Figures
11.5 illustrate effect of over curing on part geometry and accuracy.
Adjustment of chamber temperature and laser power is needed for
proper curing. Calibration of the system becomes mandatory to
minimize control errors. Shrinkage also causes dimensional inaccuracy
and is taken care by choosing proper scaling in x, y and z directions.
Polymers are also designed to have almost negligible shrinkage
factors. In SL and SLS processes problem arises with downward facing
layers as these layers do not have a layer underneath and are slightly
thicker, which generate dimensional error. If proper care is not
taken in setting temperatures, curling is frequently observed.
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Part finishing:
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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 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.
Important questions:
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