ABSTRACT
CONTENTS Overview .................................................................................................... 114 Rapid Prototype Technology .................................................................... 116 In-House RP vs. Service Bureaus............................................................. 119
RP Service Bureaus ............................................................................... 120 Office-Based RP Machines.................................................................... 120
Types of Available RP Technologies........................................................ 121 3D Systems: SLA® .................................................................................. 121
Stereolithography Materials ....................................................................... 122 Sony SCS™ ................................................................................................. 123 3D Systems: SLS™...................................................................................... 123 Stratasys: FDM............................................................................................ 124 Resolution and Surface Finish .................................................................. 125 Solidscape................................................................................................... 127 LOM™......................................................................................................... 127 Z Corp.: Three-Dimensional Printing....................................................... 128 Polyjet Objet™ Printer............................................................................... 129 DLP: Envisiontec® Perfactory™................................................................. 130 Sintering and Direct Metal ........................................................................ 131 RP Applications in Product Design.......................................................... 131 CNC............................................................................................................. 133 Full-Size VMC CNC Machines................................................................... 135 Machinable Prototype Materials................................................................ 136 Rapid Tooling and Molding ...................................................................... 137 Which Technology Is Best?....................................................................... 138 File Preparation.......................................................................................... 138
Other File Formats..................................................................................... 139 RP Cost-Saving Tips................................................................................... 140 Secondary Processes to RP Parts.............................................................. 141
Painting .................................................................................................. 141 Electroplating ......................................................................................... 141 Machining............................................................................................... 141 Threaded Inserts.................................................................................... 141
Installing the Inserts ......................................................................... 141 UV Cure Sealing of Foam Parts ............................................................... 142 RP Casting Patterns.................................................................................... 142 Reverse Engineering .................................................................................. 143 Innovative Applications of RP .................................................................. 143
RP and Surgical Planning ..................................................................... 143 RP and Training Models ....................................................................... 144
Molecular Modeling .......................................................................... 144 RP-Produced Medical Products ............................................................ 145
Investment Cast Orthopedic Implants............................................. 145 RP and RE Combined into a Product and Service............................. 146
Crowns in One Visit ......................................................................... 146 RP and Tissue Engineering................................................................... 148
The Envisiontec Bioplotter............................................................... 150 RP and Pharmeceuticals........................................................................ 152 RP and Analysis..................................................................................... 152
Programmable RP Molding .............................................................. 153 Printed Food and Inkjet Proteins .................................................... 154 Direct Manufacturing Freedom of Creation.................................... 154 Direct Manufacturing: The Center for Bits and Atoms.................. 155
Conclusion.................................................................................................. 156 Resources.................................................................................................... 156
In-Print and Online Resources ............................................................. 156 Professional Societies and Resources .................................................. 157
Universities and Organizations ................................................................. 158 Acknowledgments...................................................................................... 159
The past decade has seen an explosion of rapid prototyping (RP), rapid tooling, and reverse engineering (reverse modeling) technologies. All of these technologies have become more readily available, less expensive, and more flexible and capable each year. RP has only been widely available for less than 20 years. These technologies put exciting and unprecedented capabilities into the hands of the designer to develop, iterate, and manufacture products. In parallel with the growth of RP,
computing power has grown by orders of magnitude and plummeted in price. Computer-aided design (CAD) applications that not so long ago required a $50K workstation running a proprietary operating system can now be run on a sub-$5000 computer and an inexpensive operating system (OS), with high-end graphics. Desktop replacement laptops are making this computing power portable. Affordable CAD solid modelers and highspeed Internet connections allow designers and engineers to work from any location and transmit files to in-house RP resources, or remote service bureaus, and receive parts quickly via courier service.
