RAPID PROTOTYPING

Rapid prototyping is the fast fabrication of a physical part,

model or assembly using 3D computer aided design
(CAD). The creation of the part, model or assembly is
usually completed using additive manufacturing, or more
commonly known as 3D printing.

Where the design closely matches the proposed finished

product it is said to be a high fidelity prototype, as
opposed to a low fidelity prototype, where there is a
marked difference between the prototype and the final
product.

How Does Rapid Prototyping Work?

Rapid prototyping (RP) includes a variety of Fig 1.1 Typical Rapid Prototyping model

manufacturing technologies, although most utilise layered additive manufacturing.

All RP techniques employ the basic five-step processes:

1. Create a CAD model of the design.

2. Convert the CAD model to STL format.

3. Slice the STL file into thin cross-sectional layers.

4. Construct the model one layer atop another.

5. Clean and finish the model.

Fig 1.2 Workflow of RP Process.

 1. CAD model creation

First, the object to be built is modeled using a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software
package.

Solid modelers, such as Pro/ENGINEER, tend to represent 3-D objects more accurately than
wire-frame modelers such as AutoCAD, and will therefore yield better results.

This process is identical for all of the RP build techniques.

2. Conversion to STL format

To establish consistency, the STL format has been adopted as the standard of the rapid
prototyping industry.

The second step, therefore, is to convert the CAD file into STL format. This format represents
a three-dimensional surface as an assembly of planar triangles

STL files use planar elements, they cannot represent curved surfaces exactly. Increasing the
number of triangles improves the approximation

Fig 1.3 Conversion to STL format

This figure shows a typical example of STL model which is composed of triangles and each
triangle is described by a unit normal vector direction and three points representing the vertices
of the triangle.

3. Slice the STL file

In the third step, a pre-processing program prepares the

STL file to be built. The pre-processing software slices the
STL model into a number of layers from 0.01 mm to 0.7
mm thick, depending on the build technique.

The program may also generate an auxiliary structure to

support the model during the build. Supports are useful for
delicate features such as overhangs, internal cavities, and
thin-walled sections. Fig 1.4 Slicing
 4. Layer by layer construction

The fourth step is the actual construction of the part.

RP machines build one layer at a time from polymers, paper, or powdered metal.

Most machines are fairly autonomous, needing little human intervention

5. Clean and finish

The final step is post-processing. This involves removing the prototype from the machine and
detaching any supports.

Some photosensitive materials need to be fully cured before use

Prototypes may also require minor cleaning and surface treatment.

Sanding, sealing, and/or painting the model will improve its appearance and durability.

Different Types of Rapid Prototyping

1. Stereolithography (SLA) or Vat Photopolymerization

This fast and affordable technique was the first successful method of commercial 3D printing.
It uses a bath of photosensitive liquid which is solidified layer-by-layer using a computer-
controlled ultra violet (UV)

Fig. 1.5. Stereolithography

 Fig. 1.6. Basic components of SLA system

Laser – concentrative UV beam to transom liquid into solid state.

Elevator – control the movement of platform upward and downward

Platform – a steel plate with plenty of holes as the basement for part building

Resin vat – contain raw material to form SLA model

Mirrors – control the path of movement of the laser beam at X and Y axis

Sensor – locate the coordinate and instant power of the laser beam and feedback to the control
unit for fine adjustment

Sla process

Stereolithography (SLA or SL; also known as stereolithography apparatus, optical

fabrication, photo-solidification, or resin printing) is a form of 3D Printing technology used for
creating model,prototype,patterns and production parts in a layer by layer fashion
using photochemical processes by which light causes chemical monomers to link together to
form polymers. Those polymers then make up the body of a three-dimensional solid.

Applications

 Medical modeling
 Prototyping.
 Advantages
One of the advantages of stereolithography is its speed; functional parts can be manufactured
within a day. The length of time it takes to produce a single part depends upon the complexity
of the design and the size. Printing time can last anywhere from hours to more than a
day. Prototypes and designs made with stereolithography are strong enough to
be machined and can also be used to make master patterns for injection molding or
various metal casting processes.

Disadvantages
Although stereolithography can be used to produce virtually any synthetic design it is often
costly, though the price is coming down. Common photopolymers that once cost
about US$200 per liter, are now US$60 per liter and professional SLA machines can
cost US$250,000.Since 2012 however, public interest in 3D printing has inspired the design
of several consumer SLA machines which can cost between US$3,500 to as little as US$200,
such as the Form 2 by Formlabs or the Anycubic Photon.

2. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Used for both metal and plastic prototyping, SLS uses a powder bed to build a prototype one
layer at a time using a laser to heat and sinter the powdered material. However, the strength
of the parts is not as good as with SLA, while the surface of the finished product is usually
rough and may require secondary work to finish it. An object printed with an SLS machine

Fig.1.7. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Starts as a computer-aided design (CAD) file. CAD files are converted to .STL format, which
can be understood by a 3D printing apparatus.

Objects printed with SLS are made with powder materials, most commonly plastics, such as
nylon, which are dispersed in a thin layer on top of the build platform inside an SLS machine.

A laser, which is controlled by a computer that tells it what object to "print," pulses down on
the platform, tracing a cross-section of the object onto the powder.

The laser heats the powder either to just below its boiling point (sintering) or above its
boiling point (melting), which fuses the particles in the powder together into a solid form.

Once the initial layer is formed, the platform of the SLS machine drops — usually by less
than 0.1mm — exposing a new layer of powder for the laser to trace and fuse together. This
process continues again and again until the entire object has been printed.

When the object is fully formed, it is left to cool in the machine before being removed.

Advantages

 Flexibility of materials used (PVC, Nylon, and Sand for building sand casting cores,
metal and investment casting wax).
 No need to create a structure to support the part ◦Parts do not require any post curing
except when ceramic is used.

Disadvantages

 During solidification, additional powder may be hardened at the border line.

 The roughness is most visible when parts contain sloping (stepped) surfaces. 

Application Range

 Visual Representation models

 Functional and tough prototypes
 Cast metal parts

3. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) or Material Jetting

This inexpensive, easy-to-use process can be found in most non-industrial desktop 3D printers.
It uses a spool of thermoplastic filament which is melted inside a printing nozzle barrel before
the resulting liquid plastic is laid down layer-by-layer according to a computer deposition
program. While the early results generally had poor resolution and were weak, this process is
improving rapidly and is fast and cheap, making it ideal for product development.

PROCESS

(FDM) is a solid-based rapid prototyping method that extrudes material, layer-by-layer, to

build a model.
A thread of plastic is fed into an extrusion head, where it is heated into a semi-liquid state and
extruded through a very small hole onto the previous layer of material.

Support material is also laid down in a similar manner.

Advantages

 Easy fabrication
 Minimal wastage
 Ease of removal
 Easy handling

Application Range

 Designing
 Engineering analysis and planning
 Tooling and manufacturing

4. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) or Powder Bed Fusion

Often known as powder bed fusion, this process is favoured for making high-strength, complex
parts. SLM is frequently used by the aerospace, automotive, defence and medical industries.
This powder bed based fusion process uses a fine metal powder which is melted in a layer by
layer manner to build either prototype or production parts using a high-powered laser
or electron beam. Common SLM materials used in RP include titanium, aluminium, stainless
steel and cobalt chrome alloys.

Applications

 The aerospace and aerospatial industries are among its first beneficiaries.
 SLM parts are used for tooling, fixtures, motor parts such as rotors and impellers,
cooling channels, etc.
 Automative, research, dental and medical engineering are also frequent users of SLM
technology.

Advantages

 The ability to quickly produce a unique part is the most obvious because no special
tooling is required and parts can be built in a matter of hours.
 Additionally, it's the best type of printing to use. There's no stress, and it's easy to use
and process.
 5. Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) or Sheet Lamination

This inexpensive process is less sophisticated than SLM or SLS, but it does not require
specially controlled conditions. LOM builds up a series of thin laminates that have been
accurately cut with laser beams or another cutting device to create the CAD pattern design.
Each layer is delivered and bonded on top of the previous one until the part is complete.

As the name implies the process laminates thin sheets of film (paper or plastic).

The laser has only to cut/scan the periphery of each layer.

The process

1. The build material (paper with a thermo-setting resin glue on its underside) is stretched from
a supply roller across an anvil or platform to a take- up roller on the other side.

2. A heated roller passes over the paper bonding it to the platform or previous layer.

3. A laser, focused to penetrate through one thickness of paper cuts the profile of that layer.
The excess paper around and inside the model is etched into small squares to facilitate its
removal.

4. The process of gluing and cutting continuous layer by layer until the model is complete.

5. To reduce the build time, double or even triple layers are cut at one time which increases the
size of the steps on curved surfaces and the post processing necessary to smooth those surfaces.

Fig. 1.8. Laminated Object Manufacturing

Advantages

 Wide range of materials

 Fast Build time o High accuracy
 LOM objects are durable, multi-layered structures which can be machined, sanded,
polished, coated and painted
Application Range

 Used as precise patterns for secondary tooling processes such as rubber molding, sand
casting and direct investment casting.
 Medical sector for making instruments.

6. Digital Light Processing (DLP)

Similar to SLA, this technique also uses the polymerisation of resins which are cured using a
more conventional light source than with SLA. While faster and cheaper than SLA, DLP often
requires the use of support structures and post-build curing.

An alternative version of this is Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP), whereby the
part is continuously pulled from a vat, without the use of layers. As the part is pulled from the
vat it crosses a light barrier that alters its configuration to create the desired cross-sectional
pattern on the plastic.

7. Three dimensional printing

3DP is the process of creating an object using a machine that puts down material layer by layer
in three dimensions until the desired object is formed. A 3D printer extrudes melted plastic
filament or other material, building objects based on specifications that come from modelling
software or from a scan of an existing object.

The Process step by step

1. To create something with a 3D printer, a user begins either by scanning an existing object
with a 3D scanner to obtain the needed specifications or by generating the specs in a 3D
modelling application.

2. The specifications are then sent to an extrusion printer, where plastic filament or other
material is used to create the three-dimensional model one layer at a time.

3. As the material is extruded from the nozzle of the printer, the software controlling the
machine moves either the platform or the nozzle itself such that the material is deposited in a
succession of layers to create the object. Often, the completed object is a single colour, but
printers are now available with two nozzles for dual-colour prints. Printing can take a few
minutes for a small object the size of a keychain or several hours for larger, more complicated
objects.

Applications

 Cloud-based additive manufacturing

 Rapid manufacturing
 Research
 Bio-printing
  Medical devices
 Industrial art and jewellery
 Firearms
 Soft sensors and actuators
Advantages

 Faster Production
 Easily Accessible
 Better Quality
 Cost-effectiveness
 Unlimited Shapes and Geometry

Fig. 1.9. 3D printer