Implications on design of rapid manufacturing

Abstract

D uring the last few decades, designers have been educated to develop designs with restricted geometry so that parts can be made easily. The revolutionary aspect of rapid manufacturing will be that geometry will no longer be a limiting factor. The introduction of rapid manufacturing will have a number of effects on design. It will be possible to have re-entrant shapes without complicating manufacturing, no draft angles, variable wall thickness, no split lines and fewer parts, leading to easier assembly and lower stock. The individual designer' s method of working will change with the introduction of rapid manufacturing and also there will be changes to the overall design process.

Materials analysis of stereolithography resins for use in Rapid Manufacturing

“…Stereolithography apparatus Despite the fact that true "RM" does not exist, there has been a significant increase in the use of RP technologies for end-use part manufacture which has mainly been afforded by the marked development of the processes and materials during the past 15 years. Of the available RP processes, the stereolithography (SL) process has always been one of the most significant RP technologies and it is one of the technologies that is considered to be suitable as a future manufacturing process [11]. It is this process and the mechanical properties of the materials that are produced by it (specifically SL7560 and Accura SI40) that are the subject of this paper.…”

“…One such research project that is looking into the possibilities for RM is the "Design for Rapid Manufacture" project at Loughborough University [10]. The project is funded In addition to the design aspects [11], one of the main areas of the Design for Rapid Manufacture project concerns the characterisation and analysis of the mechanical properties of two materials manufactured using a stereolithography RP machine. The materials tested were SL 7560 by Huntsman [12] and SI40 by 3D Systems [13]-both materials represent the state of the art in SL materials and are aimed more for manufacturing purposes as it is considered that their mechanical properties are approaching those of traditional engineering plastics which will allow them to be used in more demanding end-use applications.…”

Design, data and process issues for mega-scale rapid manufacturing machines used for construction

“…In two papers (Hague, Campbell & Dickens 2003a, Hague, Campbell & Dickens 2003b explore the comparison of design for manufacture comparing conventional injection moulding with rapid manufacturing. A number of issues were highlighted.…”

“…Other issues have been explored in (Hague et al 2003, Hague, Campbell & Dickens 2003b and (Rosen et al 2003). Rapid manufacturing relies on a complete digital representation of the build objects geometry.…”

Unlocking the Design Potential of Rapid Manufacturing

“…RM will affect manufacturers and customers alike. For manufacturers, costs will be dramatically reduced as no tooling is required and for customers, complex, individualised products will be cost-effectively made that can be configured to personal use, thus giving the potential for much greater customer satisfaction [5].…”