Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Government Engineering College,

Bharuch
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Semester: VII
Academic Year: 2024-25 (ODD Term)
Subject: Rapid Prototyping (RP)
Subject Code: 3171926
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE,

BHOLAV, BHARUCH – 392002 (GUJARAT)
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr./Ms. ___________________________________

Enrollment No. _______________ of B.E. Semester 7th, Mechanical

Engineering of this Institute (GTU Code: 014 ) has satisfactorily completed the

Practical / Tutorial work for the subject Rapid Prototyping (3171926) for the

academic year 2023-24.

Date: _________________

Signature of faculty Head of Department

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

INSTITUTE VISION
Impart value based Integrative education to empower youth by fostering innovation and
leadership ethos for socio-professional needs.

INSTITUTE MISSION
1. Strengthen academic infrastructure to achieve excellence in engineering Education.
2. Foster talent by developing global mind-set and sustained leadership in professional outlook to
meet ever-rising industry expectations.
3. Nurture students by inculcating ethical and professional behaviour for their holistic development

DEPARTMENT VISION
Perceive itself as a leader for quality technical education and innovation in the field of
Mechanical Engineering to serve the changing needs of industry and society.

DEPARTMENT MISSION
1. Build requisite skills imparting quality education to prepare competitive mechanical engineers.
2. Offer students environment of academic excellence, leadership, innovation and lifelong learning.
3. Educate and mentor students to inculcate ethical principles and develop professional behaviour.

PROGRAMME SPECIFIC OUTCOMES (PSOs)

Graduate of mechanical engineer will be able to:
1. Apply their knowledge in design, thermal science and manufacturing to provide effective
solutions for the engineering problems.
2. Attain excellence in product design and development through engineering knowledge.

PROGRAMME EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES (PEOs)

Graduate of mechanical engineer will be able to:
1. Demonstrate the ability to analyse, formulate and solve/design engineering/real life problems
based on his/her fundamentals in the field of mechanical engineering.
2. Showcase the ability to apply the knowledge and skills required by a mechanical engineer for a
successful career in diverse domains viz., industry, research and higher education with creativity,
commitment and social consciousness.
3. Exhibit moral and ethical values, communication skills, team work, multidisciplinary approach
and understand the need for lifelong learning for a successful professional career.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

PROGRAM OUTCOMES (POs)

1. Engineering Knowledge: Apply the knowledge of Mathematics, Science, Engineering
fundamentals, and Mechanical Engineering to the solution of complex engineering problems.

2. Problem analysis: Identify, formulate, review research literature, and analyze complex
Engineering problems reaching substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematics,
natural sciences, and Engineering sciences.

3. Design/development of solutions: Design solutions for complex Engineering problems and

design system components or processes that meet the specified needs with appropriate consideration
for the public health and safety, and the cultural, societal, and environmental considerations.

4. Conduct investigations of complex problems: Use research based knowledge and research
methods including design of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, and synthesis of the
information to provide valid conclusions.

5. Modern tool usage: Create, select, and apply appropriate techniques, resources, and modern
engineering and IT tools including prediction and modelling to complex Engineering activities with
an understanding of the limitations.

6. The Engineer and society: Apply reasoning informed by the contextual knowledge to assess
societal, health, safety, legal and cultural issues and the consequent responsibilities relevant to the
professional Engineering practice.

7. Environment and sustainability: Understand the impact of the professional Engineering

solutions in societal and environmental contexts, and demonstrate the knowledge of, and the need
for sustainable developments.

8. Ethics: Apply ethical principles and commit to professional ethics and responsibilities and norms
of the Engineering practice.

9. Individual and team work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader in
diverse teams, and in multidisciplinary settings.

10. Communication: Communicate effectively on complex Engineering activities with the

Engineering Community and with society at large, such as, being able to comprehend and write
effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, and give and receive clear
instructions.

11. Project management and finance: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
Engineering and management principles and apply these to one’s own work, as a member and leader
in a team, to manage projects and in multi- disciplinary environments.

12. Life -long learning: Recognize the need for, and have the preparation and ability to engage in
independent and life- long learning in the broadest context of technological change.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Course Outcome

Sr. No. CO statement

CO-1 Distinguish RP and other related technology.
CO-2 Understand and use techniques for processing of CAD models for rapid Prototyping.
CO-3 Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.
CO-4 Use appropriate tooling for rapid prototyping process.
CO-5 Create component with RP applications.

Relevant Skills
The following industry relevant competencies are expected to be developed in the student by
undertaking the practical work of this laboratory.
1. To aware about CAD software
2. To aware about graphics standard
3. To aware about various rapid prototyping techniques
4. To create the prototype using RP machines
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE

BHARUCH
Bholav, Bharuch – 392002 (Gujarat)

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Index
Sr. Objective(s) of Experiment Page Marks Date Sign.
No. No.
Review of CAD modeling technique and
1.
Introduction to Rapid prototyping
Generating STL files from the CAD models
2.
& Working on STL files.
Study of Fused Deposition Modeling
3.
Process (FDM)
4. Study of stereo lithography process (SLA)

5. Study of selective laser sintering (SLS)

Study of Laminated Object Manufacturing
6.
(LOM)

7. Study of Metal Rapid Prototyping

Processing the CAD data in Catalyst

software (Selection of Orientation,
8
Supports generation, Slicing, Tool path
generation)
9. Simulation in Catalyst Software
Fabrication the physical part on a
10.
RP machine
Learning techniques for fabricating an
11.
assembly.
Prepare a CAD model with complex
geometry and Study effect of slicing
12.
parameters on final product manufactured
through RP.

Name of Faculty: Sign of Faculty:

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT – 1

Aim: Review of CAD modeling technique and Introduction to Rapid prototyping

Relevant CO: CO1: Distinguish RP and other related technology

CAD Modeling

A CAD Model is a computer representation of an object or part. It contains all of the design
information including geometry, tolerances, materials and manufacturing information. A 3D Model is
the most general model used in CAD software. There are many geometric models such as wireframe;
surface and solid model are available. Modeling techniques are decided based on the expected
utilization of the resulting database later in the design and manufacturing process.

There are three types of 3D techniques methods.

a) Wireframe Modeling b) Surface Modeling c) Solid Modeling

a) Wireframe Modeling

It is the simplest geometrical model an object and used to represent mathematically in the computer.
It is also called edge representation. Wireframe model consists of points, lines, arcs and circles, conics
and curves. It doesn’t require much computer time and memory and hence is considered to be the
simplest. The major disadvantage is the ambiguous representation of real object and purely depends
on human interpretation. In fact, the interpretation of the correct object becomes difficult in the case
of complex model. This limits the application of wireframe models from engineering viewpoint.

Wire frame model

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

b) Surface Modelling

Shape design and representation of complex object such as bodies of car, ship, airplane etc can’t be
represented by wireframe model. In such cases surface models are to be used for precise and accurately
representation. In comparison to wireframe model, surface models of an object provide more complete
and less ambiguous representation. In the surface model, the geometry of the object is defined without
storing any information about topology. For example if two surfaces are joined, they share one
wireframe entities edge. But neither the surface nor the entities store such information. Surface
representation can be done in both parametric and nonparametric form. In order to use surface for both
computation and programming purpose, it is required to develop proper equation and algorithms.

Types of surface available in CAD/CAM systems are, Plane surface, ruled surface, Surface of
revolution, Tabulated cylinder, Bezier surface, B-spline surface, Coons patch, Fillet surface, and
Offset surface.

Surface Model

c) Solid Model

A solid model of an object provides more complete representation than its surface model. The database
of the solid model stores geometric data and topological information of the corresponding object.
Geometry is the actual dimension that defines entities of the object whereas topology on the other
hand is the connectivity and associativity of the object. For creating solid models of objects, various
representation schemes have been designed and developed. Such scheme is Half space model, Boundary
representation, Constructive solid geometry, Sweeping, Analytic Solid modeling, Cell decomposition, Spatial
enumeration, Octree Encoding, Primitive Instancing. Boundary representation, Constructive solid geometry,
Sweeping are the most commonly used schemes.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Boundary Representation

Boundary representation is one of the most popular representation schemes widely used to create solid
model. A boundary model is based on the topological notion that a physical object is bounded by a set
of faces. These faces are regions or subsets of closed and orientable surfaces. An orientable surface is
one in which it is possible to distinguish two sides by using the direction of surface normal to point to
the inside or outside of the solid model under construction. Each face is bounded by edges and each
edge is bounded by vertices. The data base of boundary model contains both geometry and topology.

Constructive solid geometry (CSG)

According to CSG model a physical object can be divided in two set of primitives (basic element or
shapes) that can be combined in certain order following a set of rules (Boolean operation) to form the
object as shown in Fig.1.3. Primitives are also valid CSG model. Each primitive is bounded by a set
of surfaces usually close and orientable. Through boundary evaluation process, the primitive surfaces
are combined and the boundary of the object is formed in turn, the faces edges and vertices are
obtained.

Constructive Solid Geometry

Introduction to Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping technologies are able to produce physical model in a layer by layer manner
directly from their CAD models without any tools, dies and fixtures and also with little human
intervention. RP is capable to fabricate parts quickly with too complex shape easily as compared
to traditional manufacturing technology.

RP is capable to fabricate parts quickly with too complex shape easily as compared to traditional
manufacturing technology. RP helps in earlier detection and reduction of design errors.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Principle of Rapid Prototyping

The principal of RP is illustrated in fig. 1(a). The CAD model of the object shown in fig.1 (a) is
sliced by parallel planes. The edges of the slices thus obtained 1(b) are squared 1(b). Thus a
complex 3D object is decomposed into several 2D objects or slices. In other words, a complex
3D manufacturing problem is converted into several simple 2D manufacturing problems. These
slices are physically realized in one of several ways, stacked and pasted together as shown in fig.
1(D), to obtain the physical prototype 1(e). The accuracy of these prototypes, due to the staircase
effect, can be improved by decreasing the slice thickness. For even better finish, polishing can be
applied1 (f). Each physical layer will be placed over the previous one. If the previous layer is
smaller than the current one, then it will not be able to fully support the current layer. For this
purpose, a complementary shaped sacrificial layer of a different material is deposited and fused
to the previous layer using one of several available deposition and fusion technologies. The
sacrificial material has two primary roles: first, it holds the part, analogous to a fixture in
traditional fabrication techniques: second, it serves as a substrate upon which unconnected
regions and overhanging features can be deposited.

Different models

The unconnected regions require this support since they are not joined with the main body until
subsequent layer are deposited. Another use of sacrificial material is to form blind cavities in the
part. The collection of this sacrificial layer is called support structure.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Rapid Prototyping Steps

Classification of Rapid Prototyping Systems:

Classification of Rapid Prototyping Systems

Liquid Based Rapid Prototyping System

Liquid based rapid prototyping systems have the initial form of its material in liquid state. The base
material can include a resin or a polymer. Liquid based rapid prototyping systems works on the
principle of ‘Photo curing’ under which three methods are possible

i.) Single laser beam method ii.) Masked lamp method iii.) Two laser beam method

Most of these systems build parts in a vat of photo-curable resin, an organic resin that solidifies under
the exposure to laser radiation, in UV range. The laser cures the resin near the surface, forming a
hardened layer. The formed layer is lowered by an elevation control system to allow the next layer of
resin to be similarly formed over it. This continues until the entire part is completed. Under liquid
based rapid Prototyping system, stereo lithography is very unique and patented process which
combines CAD, CAM, CAE, Laser Scanning, Optical Scanning technologies including chemistry to
fabricate 3D solid models from 3D CAD data.

Solid Based Rapid Prototyping System

Solid based rapid prototyping systems are meant to encompass all the forms of materials in solid state.
The solid form can include the shape in the form of a wire, laminate, pellets or a roll. Solid-based rapid
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

prototyping systems works on the following principles:

i. Cutting and Gluing / Joining method.

ii. Melting and solidifying / fusing method.

These processes are different from one another, though some of them use the laser in the process of
fabricating prototypes. They all utilize solid in one form or the other, as the primary medium to create
a prototype.

Powder Based Rapid Prototyping System

Powder particles are by-and-large to the particles of solid state in a strict context. However,
intentionally it is categorized outside the solid-based rapid prototyping systems to refer powder in
grain form. All the powder based rapid prototyping systems works on the principle of Joining/Binding.
The method of joining / binding differs for all the systems, in that some employ a laser while others
use a binder/glue to achieve the joining effect. Binder material is deposited on to selected regions of
layer of powder particles to produce a layer of powder particles that are completely bonded at the
selected regions. Iterations would fabricate the desired part. Post-processing is highly required to
remove the unbounded powder particles.

Comparison and selection of Rapid Prototyping Systems

Optimization of an artifact for characterization of the form using the procedure of computed
tomography (CT) with geometric dimensioning and tolerances and internal channels and the structures
those are comparable to that of the cooling channels in heat exchangers. Investigation has been done
to determine the accuracy and capability of computed tomography measurements and is compared
with the reference measurements, determined by co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM).

The layer height for stereo lithography apparatus (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) are same,
but the layer height differs for fused deposition modeling (FDM). Thus, SLA and SLS can be
compared like for like, whereas FDM has to be considered when comparing results.

Process parameters influence the accuracy of the part fabricated. Also the interactions of process
parameters influence the dimensional accuracy of the fabricated component. Parameters such as raster
width, path speed, slice height and tip dimension at two different levels must be taken into
consideration to determine the influence of these process parameters and their interactions on the
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

dimensional accuracy of the part fabricated. Rapid prototyping systems may involve large number of
contradictory factors that majorly influence the accuracy during the fabrication of the component. A
standardized methodology of optimization is used to determine the optimum level settings for the part
fabrication. Thus, experimental and numerical analysis reveals that the control of the process
parameters of the machine at appropriate levels, improve the dimensional accuracy of the fabricated
component or part.

With the availability of growing number of rapid prototyping technologies and their capabilities, it has
created a problem of selecting the appropriate method to suit the requirement. Thus, IRIS intelligent
rapid prototyping system selector, an interactive program guides the potential purchaser to select the
rapid prototyping system which suits the specific requirements. The program’s database includes
complete specifications of all systems. Thus, the program is used to compare specifications and
applications of rapid prototyping system in making the final selection of the suitable method. The
selection of appropriate rapid prototyping system can also be done on the basis of a quantitative
analysis.

The selection of a suitable rapid prototyping process for the required application is facilitated by the
parameters, orientation for building the component, building cost, manufacturing time, dimensional
accuracy, and surface finish. The building cost is the primary optimization objective. Volumes of
building inaccuracy, surface finish, manufacturing time are the secondary optimization objectives to
resolve the tie-breaks for orientations, for building the model.

Part orientation for the part fabrication depends on the surface finish, support structure, shrinkage,
build time, curing and part cost. A support system is developed to facilitate the selection of appropriate
build direction as well as best suitable rapid prototyping process. The three major factors in
determining best part orientation are the build time, surface roughness and part cost. A multi-criterion
decision making method is taken into consideration in order to choose the best part orientation.

RAPID TOOLING

A much-anticipated application of rapid prototyping is rapid tooling, the automatic fabrication of

production quality machine tools. Tooling is one of the slowest and most expensive steps in the
manufacturing process, because of the extremely high quality required. Tools often have a complex
geometry, yet must be dimensionally accurate to within a hundredth of a millimeter.

In addition, tools must be hard, wear-resistant, and have very low surface roughness (about 0.5
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

micrometers root mean square). To meet these requirements, moulds and dies are traditionally made
by CNC-machining, electro-discharge machining, or by hand. All are expensive and time consuming,
so manufacturers would like to incorporate rapid prototyping techniques to speed the process. Peter
Hilton, president of Technology Strategy Consulting in Concord, MA, believes that “tooling costs and
development times can be reduced by 75 percent or more” by using rapid tooling and related
technologies.

Types of Rapid Tooling

Indirect Tooling
Most rapid tooling today is indirect: RP parts are used as patterns for making moulds and dies. RP
models can be indirectly used in a number of manufacturing processes:

Vacuum Casting: In the simplest and oldest rapid tooling technique, a RP positive pattern is
suspended in a vat of liquid silicone or room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) rubber. When the rubber
hardens, it is cut into two halves and the RP pattern is removed. The resulting rubber mould can be
used to cast up to 20 polyurethane replicas of the original RP pattern.

A more useful variant, known as the Keltool powder metal sintering process, uses the rubber moulds
to produce metal tools. Developed by 3M and now owned by 3D Systems, the Keltool process
involves filling the rubber moulds with powdered tool steel and epoxy binder. When the binder cures,
the “green” metal tool is removed from the rubber mould and then sintered. At this stage the metal is
only 70% dense, so it is infiltrated with copper to bring it close to its theoretical maximum density.
The tools have fairly good accuracy, but are limited to less than 25 centimeters in size.

Direct tooling:-

To directly make hard tooling from CAD data is the Holy Grail of rapid tooling. Realization of this
objective is still several years away, but some strong strides are being made. Rapid Tool: A DTM
process that selectively sinters polymer-coated steel pellets together to produce a metal mould. The
mould is then placed in a furnace where the polymer binder is burned off and the part is infiltrated
with copper (as in the Keltool process). The resulting mould can produce up to 50,000 injection
moldings. In 1996 Rubbermaid produced 30,000 plastic desk organizers from a SLS-built mould. This
was the first widely sold consumer product to be produced from direct rapid tooling. Extrude Hone,
in Irwin PA, will soon sell a machine, based on MIT’s 3D Printing process, which produces bronze-
infiltrated PM tools and products.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Quiz
1. Explain the working principle of rapid prototyping with neat sketch.
2. Enlist the various prototyping methods.
3. Define terms of direct tooling and indirect tooling.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT -2

Aim: Generating STL files from the CAD models & Working on STL files.

Relevant CO: CO2: Understand and use techniques for processing of CAD models for rapid Prototyping.

Introduction to STL file format

STL (an abbreviation of "stereo lithography") is a file format native to the stereo lithography CAD
software created by 3D Systems. STL has several after-the-fact acronyms such as "Standard Triangle
Language" and "Standard Tessellation Language". This file format is supported by many other
software packages; it is widely used for rapid prototyping, 3D printing and computer-aided
manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object without
any representation of color, texture or other common CAD model attributes. The STL format specifies
both ASCII and binary representations. Binary files are more common, since they are more compact.

An STL file describes a raw, unstructured triangulated surface by the nit normal and vertices (ordered
by the right-hand rule) of the triangles using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In the
original specification, all STL coordinates were required to be positive numbers, but this restriction is
no longer enforced and negative coordinates are commonly encountered in STL files today. STL files
contain no scale information, and the units are arbitrary.

CAD Representation of a torus

Figure 2.1 shows two concentric circles, representing a CAD model of a doughnut shape, and a series
of triangles approximating the doughnut, representing how STL modeling works.

STL file formats

The STL file format provides two different ways of storing information about the triangular facets that
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

tile the object surface. These are called the ASCII encoding and the binary encoding. In both formats,
the following information of each triangle is stored:

1. The coordinates of the vertices.

2. The components of the unit normal vector to the triangle. The normal vector should point
outwards with respect to the 3D model.

A facet object with three faces and three vertices

The ASCII STL file format

The ASCII STL file starts with the mandatory line:

solid <name>

where <name> is the name of the 3D model. Name can be left blank, but there must be a space after
the word solid in that case. The file continues with information about the covering triangles.
Information about the vertices and the normal vector is represented as follows:

facet normal nx ny nz

outer loop
vertex v1x v1y v1z
vertex v2x v2y v2z
vertex v3x v3y v3z
endloop
endfacet
Here, n is the normal to the triangle and v1, v2 and v3 are the vertices of the triangle. Co-ordinate
values are represented as a floating point number with sign-mantissa-e-sign-exponent format, e.g.,
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

“3.245000e-002”.
The file ends with the mandatory line:
endsolid<name>
The binary STL file format

If the tessellation involves many small triangles, the ASCII STL file can become huge. This is why a
more compact binary version exists. The binary STL file starts with an80-character header. This is
generally ignored by most STL file readers, with some notable exceptions that we will talk about later.
After the header, the total number of triangles is indicated using a 4-byte unsigned integer.

UINT8[80] – Header
UINT32 – Number of triangles
The information about the triangles follows subsequently. The file simply ends after the last triangle.
Each triangle is represented by twelve 32-bit floating point numbers. Just like the ASCII STL file, 3
numbers are for the 3D Cartesian co-ordinates of the normal to the triangle. The remaining 9 numbers
are for the coordinates of the vertices (three each). Here’s how this looks like:

for each triangle

REAL32[3] – Normal vector
REAL32[3] – Vertex 1
REAL32[3] – Vertex 2
REAL32[3] – Vertex 3
UINT16 – Attribute byte count
End

Note that after each triangle, there is a 2-byte sequence called the “attribute byte count”. In most cases,
this is set to zero and acts a space between two triangles. But some software also uses these 2 bytes to
encode additional information about the triangle. We will see such an example later, where these bytes
will be used to store colour information.

Working with STL file on CAD program

Virtually all 3D Rapid Prototyping machines and 3D Printers use the STL file format for input. Almost
all CAD programs have a way to save or export to the STL file format. Following is the list of programs
that supports exporting the CAD model as STL file format.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

 Alibre
 AutoCAD  Ironcad Pro/ENGINEER
 Autodesk 3ds Max (3D Studio MAX)  Revit Rhino
 Autodesk Inventor  Siemens PLM NX
 Autodesk Mechanical Desktop  Google Sketchup
 Bentley Microstation V8  Solid Edge
 Blender  SolidDesigner
 Cadkey / KeyCreator  SolidWorks
 Catia  Unigraphics
 CoCreate  Vectorworks
 Creo Direct  Creo Parametric
 Creo Elements/Pro  I-DEAS
 Inventor

Generating STL files from the CAD models in various CAD software

3D solid model can be exported to STL file in most of the CAD software. Following are the procedures
to export 3D CAD file as STL file in some of the famous 3D CAD software packages.

AutoCAD

In AutoCAD one can only export 3D solid objects to STL. Following are the steps to generate STL
file from 3D CAD model in AutoCAD.

1. At the command prompt type "FACETRES"

2. Set FACETRES to 10
3. Type "STLOUT"
4. Select the objects
5. Enter Y or hit Enter for Create a binary STL file? [Yes/No] <Yes>
6. Enter Filename
7. Save

Autodesk 3ds Max (3D Studio MAX)

1. File > Export

2. Select type StereoLitho *.stl
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

3. Enter Filename
4. Save
5. Select Binary
6. OK
Catia

The export to the STL format is only possible in the Part Design environment. If you want to export a
complete assembly (CAT Product) as a single STL file, you will have to convert the assembly in the
Assembly Design environment to a CAT Part as follows:

1. Select the entire product tree

2. Tools > Generate CAT Part from Product
3. Enter New Part number
4. do NOT check: Merge all bodies of each part in one body
5. OK
Now you can export the CAT Part in the Part Design environment. The accuracy of the STL file
depends on the Display accuracy. First set the display accuracy.

1.Tools > Options...

1.In the tree select General > Display

2.select the Performance tab
3.Under 3D Accuracy select Fixed
4.Set to 0.02 mm (0.0008 in)
5.Adjust Curves' accuracy ratio to 0.2
6.OK
2.File > Save As
3.Enter Filename
4.Select type stl
5.Save

Creo Direct (Creo Elements/Direct, CoCreate, OneSpace, SolidDesigner)

1.File > Save

2.Press Select > select the objects (or click All Objects)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

3.Select File Type STL (*.stl)

4.Click Options
1.Check Binary
2.Max Deviation Distance: enter 0.025 mm (0.001 in)
3.Angle: enter 30°
5.Enter Filename
6.Save
Creo Parametric (Creo Elements/Pro, Pro/ENGINEER)

1.File > Save a Copy

2.Select type STL > OK
3.Select Coordinate System Standard
4.Check Binary
5.Set Chord Height to 0 (Pro/E changes it to the smallest allowable value)
6.Leave Angle Control at the default
7.Enter Filename > OK
Autodesk Inventor / Mechanical Desktop

One can export individual parts or whole assemblies.

1.Manage tab > Update panel > Rebuild All

2.File > Save as > Save Copy As
3.Select STL
4.Enter Filename
5.Select Options
1.Format > Binary
2.Units > mm or inches
3.Resolution > High
6.Save

Siemens PLM NX (Unigraphics)

1.File > Export > STL

2.Select Output Type Binary
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

3.Set Triangle Tol to 0.025 mm (0.001 in)

4.Set Adjacency Tol to 0.1 mm (0.04 in)
5.Set Auto Normal Gen to On
6.Set Normal Display to Off
7.Set Triangle Display to On
8.OK
9.Enter Filename > OK
SolidWorks

1.File > Save As...

2.Set type to STL(*.stl)
3.Click Options...
1.Output as: check Binary
2.Unit: >Millimetres or Inches
3.Resolution > Fine
4.OK
4.Enter Filename
5.Save
Optimizing an STL file for best 3D printing performance
The STL file format approximates the surface of a CAD model with triangles. The approximation is
never perfect, and the facets introduce coarseness to the model.

Effect of degree of approximation in tessellation on Solid geometry

Figure shows the Effect of degree of approximation in tessellation on Solid geometry. The perfect
spherical surface on the left is approximated by tessellations. The figure on the right uses big triangles,
resulting in a coarse model. The figure on the centre uses smaller triangles and achieves a smoother
approximation.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

The 3D printer will print the object with the same coarseness as specified by the STL file. Of course,
by making the triangles smaller and smaller, the approximation can be made better and better, resulting
in good quality prints. However, as you decrease the size of the triangle, the number of triangles needed
to cover the surface also increases. This leads to gigantic STL file which 3D printers cannot handle.
It’s also a pain to share or upload huge files like that. It is therefore very important to find the right
balance between file size and print quality. It does not make sense to reduce the size of the triangles
ad infinitum because at some point your eye is not going to be able to distinguish between the print
qualities.

Most CAD software offer a couple of settings when exporting STL files. These settings control the
size of the facets, and hence print quality and file size. Let’s dig into the most important settings and
find out their optimum values.

Chord height or tolerance

Most CAD software will let you choose a parameter called chord height or tolerance. The chord height
is the maximum distance from the surface of the original design and the STL mesh. If you choose the
right tolerance, your prints will look smooth and not pixelated. It’s quite obvious that the smaller the
chord height, the more accurately the facets represent the actual surface of the model.

The chord height (height between the STL mesh and the actual surface)

It is recommended to set the tolerance between 0.01 millimeters to 0.001 millimeters. This usually
results in good quality prints. There is no point in reducing this any further, as 3D printers cannot print
with that level of detail.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Angular deviation or angular tolerance

Angular tolerance limits the angle between the normals of adjacent triangles. The default angle is
usually set at 15 degrees. Decreasing the tolerance (which can range to 0 to 1) improves print
resolution. The recommended setting for this parameter is 0.

Angular tolerance (Angle between the normal of adjacent triangles )

Selection between Binary and ASCII

Finally, we have a choice of exporting the STL file in binary or ASCII format. The binary format is
always recommended for 3D printing since it results in smaller file sizes. However, if we want to
manually inspect the STL file for debugging, then ASCII is preferable because it is easier to read.

STL File Manipulation

Once a part has been converted into STL there are only a few operations that can be performed. This
is because the triangle-based definition does not permit radical changes to the data. Associations
between individual triangles are through the shared points and vertices only. A point or vertex can be
moved, which will affect the connected triangles, but creating a regional effect on larger groups of
points would be more difficult. Consider the modeling of a simple geometry, like the cut cylinder in
Fig. 2.6a Making a minor change in one of the measurements may result in a very radical change in
distribution of the triangles. While it is possible to simplify the model by reducing the number of
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

triangles, it is quite easy to see that defining boundaries in most models cannot be easily done. The
addition of a fillet in Fig. 2.6b shows an even more radical change in the STL file. Furthermore, if one
were to attempt to move the oval that represents the cut surface, the triangles representing the filet
would no longer show a constant-radius curve.

STL files of a cut cylinder.

Here it is to be noted that Note that although the two models in (a) are very similar, the location of the
triangles is very different. Addition of a simple filet in (b) shows even greater change in the STL file.

Quiz

1. Explain the importance of graphics standard.

2. What is STL file format? Explain the importance of conversation of CAD file into stl format.
3. Define the terms: Chordal height.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT NO. 3

AIM: - Study of Fused Deposition Modelling Process

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

The FDM process was originally developed by Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR) in Tucson,
Arizona, but the process has been significantly advanced by Stratasys, Inc. FDM is a non-laser
filament extrusion process that utilizes engineering thermoplastics, which are heated from filament
form and extruded in very fine layers to build each model from the bottom up. The models can be
made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyphenylsulfone (PPSF),
and various versions of these materials. Furthermore, the models are tough enough to perform
functional tests The extrusion-based process utilizes filaments of molten thermoplastic that are
extruded from a heated tip to build up layers comprising the physical model. As shown in Figure the
Extrusion head in which the material is pulled off the spool, heated just above the melting
temperature, and deposited at the desired location. Application of FDM technology includes
Conceptual Modelling Fit, form applications and models for further manufacturing procedures,
Investment casting and injection moulding.
The key steps are

1. Starting with the filament being fed into the drive wheels

2. The drive wheels force the filament into the liquefier

3. The heater block melts the filament

4. The solid filament is used as a linear piston

5. The melted filament is forced out through the tip

The material used is fed into the head in solid wire form and then liquefied in the head and deposited
through a nozzle in liquid form. The extrusion head is able to move in the X–Y plane and is
controlled to deposit very thin beads of molten material onto the build platform to form the first
layer. The platform is maintained at a lower temperature to ensure the deposited thermoplastic
hardens quickly in 0.1 s. After the platform lowers, the extrusion head deposits a second layer upon
the first. The material then cools and solidifies in place. The speed of the drive wheels can determine
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

the width of the extrusion path that is controlled using the software. The build process lays down
both modeling and support material in separate steps for one layer at a time. To switch between
modeling and support material, one nozzle will raise up so it will not interfere with the material
being laid down. The appropriate amount of Z-axis movement is determined by a setting within the
software. The heads are moved in the X–Y plane by a set of linear motors to improve resolution,
which hang from the machine ceiling.

This process is repeated and alternates between build and support materials until the part is
completed. The support material is then removed and the part is cleaned. The selection of the
material for support is important. Built materials used include ABS, Polycarbonate, Elastomers,
Polyethylene Polypropylene.

Fused Deposition Modeling Process (FDM)

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

The use of water-soluble material is very convenient as it is easy to remove those structures. This
process is office friendly, does not make noise during build, produces parts with comparable speeds,
and very small parts can be manufactured. In recent years improvements in the surface finish have
also been obtained. The ultrasonic-based water-soluble material is very noisy, and thus should be
placed in an isolated room.

Although this process is classified as a solid process, due to the nature of the material, the
process actually lays down ribbons of material creating a secure bond from layer-to-layer. Support
material may be removed in two different ways. BASS stands for Break Away Support Structure.
The support is broken away manually and the model is then cleaned with sand paper and tools. Water
Works is a method that removes the support material automatically in a water- based solution. This
automates the process to free up time, and it also results in a model with greater surface finish
smoothness and feature detail.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT NO. 4

Aim: Study of stereo lithography process

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

The stereolithography (SL or SLA) is an additive manufacturing technology for producing
models, prototypes, patterns, and in some cases, production parts. It a first RP technique and is still
most widely used. The term “stereolithography” was coined in 1986 by Charles (chuck) W. Hull.
Stereolithography was defined as a method and apparatus for making solid objects by successively
“printing thin layers of the ultraviolet curable material one on top of the other”. Hull described a
concentrated beam of ultraviolet light focused onto the surface of a vat filled with liquid
photopolymer. The light beam draws the object onto the surface of the liquid layer by layer, causing
polymerization or crosslinking to give a solid. This is the complex manufacturing process so it’s
control must be done by use of computer.
PROCESSER: -
Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process using a vat of liquid UV-curable
photopolymer “resin” and a UV laser to build parts a layer at a time. On each layer, the laser beam
traces a part cross section pattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the UV laser light
cures, solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and adheres it to the layer below.

Stereolithography Process
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

After a pattern has been traced, the SLA’s elevator platform descends by a single layer thickness,
typically 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm (0.002” to 0.006”). Then a resin filled blade sweeps across the
part cross section, re-coating it with fresh material. On this new liquid surface, the subsequent
layer pattern is traced, adhering to the previous layer. A complete 3-D part is formed by this
process. After building, parts are cleaned of excess resin by immersion in a chemical bath and
then cured in a UV oven.
Stereolithography requires the use of support structure to attach the part to the elevator
platform and to prevent certain geometry from not only deflecting due to gravity, but to also
accurately hold the 2-D cross sections in place such that they resist lateral pressure from the re-
coater blade. Supports are generated automatically during the preparation of 3-D CAD models
for use on the stereolithography machine, although they may be manipulated manually, this is
not true for all rapid prototyping technologies.

Avantages And Disadvantages:-

 Inexpensive compared to other techniques.

 Uses light-sensitive liquid polymer.
 Requires post-curing since laser is not of high enough power to complete.
 Long-term curing can lead to warping.
 Parts are quite brittle and have a tacky surface.
 No milling step so accuracy in Z can suffer.
 Support structures are typically required.
 Process is simple: There are no milling or masking steps required.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT NO. 5

Aim – To study about selective laser sintering (SLS).

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

Selective leaser sintering process was originally developed at the university of Texas at Austin
in USA and then commercialized by DTM corporation, USA. It was subsequently developed and
marketed EoS, Germany also. In SLS a layer of powdered material is spread out and levelled
over the top surface of the growing structure shown in fig. A laser then selectively scan the layer
to fuse those area defined by the geometry of the cross section. The laser energy is also fuses
layers together. The unfused material remains in place as the support structure. After each layer
is deposited the platform lowres the part by the thickness of the layer is deposited, the platform
lowers the part by the thickness of the layer, and the next layer of powder is deposited. When the
shape is completely built up, the part is separated from the loose supporting powder. Several type
of materials are in use including plastics, wexes and low melting temperature metal allo y.

Selective laser sintering (SLS)

This process has been successfully proved for making steel die insert for short run production.
For making steel dies on DTM’s SLS machine, the row material is steel powder with each steel
particle coated with polymer that act as binder. The same machine is used for non-metal as well
as steel prototypes. When the building takes places, only the binder coating is fused keeping the
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

particles together. Thus what is obtained at the end is green part. This green part is put in
the special oven to complete the sintering when the binder evaporates leaving it a porous part.
Subsequently it is put inside another chamber for several hours to impregnate the pours with
copper. Copper impregnation is required both to get dense parts as well as good polishability. In
Eos’s SLS process, there is one machine for each material. Viz, EOSINT-P for polymer,
EOSINT-C for ceramic and EOSINT-M foe metallic process prototypes. There is no binder
coating on the metallic particle and the metallic powder is not strong steel but one with lower
melting point. The laser used for making metallic part is sufficiently powerfull to fuse the
metallic particles. The metallic particle in EoS process apparently do not require post-sintering
as well as copper impregnation. However, its laser is more powerful. For making ceramic molds.
The sand particles are coated with a binder as is done for steel tool in the case of DTM’s SLS
procress.

Advantages
 Any material that can be converted in to powders and can be bonded together by fusing
its particles at a reasonably low temp. can be used for making the parts in SLS process.
Material commonly used for making parts in this process are nylon, ABS and investment
casting wax
 This is the commercially available direct RP process to make prototypes out of the metals.
Hence this is use ful for tool makers.
 This can also produce ceramic mold cavities directly and hence there is no need for
patterns.
 Parts obtained are tough.
 No external support structure is required.
 No post curing is required for nonmetals. Only metal parts required sintering.
 There is no wastage of material

Disadvantage
 This is one of the costly process.
 Surface finish of part is grainy.
 Parts are porous in nature.
 The building operation needs to be monitored.
 Long time is required to heat up the material chamber before building the parts and to
cool it down after the building is over.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT NO. 6

Aim: Study of Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM).

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

Laminated Object Manufacturing

In this technique, developed by Helisys of Torrance, CA, layers of adhesive-coated sheet material
are bonded together to form a prototype. The original material consists of paper laminated with
heat-activated glue and rolled up on spools. As shown in the figure below, a feeder/collector
mechanism advances the sheet over the build platform, where a base has been constructed from
paper and double-sided foam tape. Next, a heated roller applies pressure to bond the paper to the
base. A focused laser cuts the outline of the first layer into the paper and then cross-hatches the
excess area (the negative space in the prototype). Cross- hatching breaks up the extra material,
making it easier to remove during post-processing. During the build, the excess material provides
excellent support for overhangs and thin- walled sections. After the first layer is cut, the platform
lowers out of the way and fresh material is advanced. The platform rises to slightly below the
previous height, the roller bonds the second layer to the first, and the laser cuts the second layer.
This process is repeated as needed to build the part, which will have a wood-like texture. Because
the models are made of paper, they must be sealed and finished with paint or varnish to prevent
moisture damage.

Schematic diagram of laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Helisys developed several new sheet materials, including plastic, water-repellent paper, and
ceramic and metal powder tapes. The powder tapes produce a "green" part that must be sintered
for maximum strength. As of 2001, Helisys is no longer in business.

Advantages

 Only the outline is cut and no time is spent in building the interior of the layer. Therefore, this process
is fairly faster.
 The materials used for building the parts are the least expensive among all RP processes.
 Cost of the machine is one of the lowest.
 No external support structures or post-curing is required.
 It is suitable and economical for making large parts to be used as patterns for sand castings.
 The process can be carried out unattended.
 LOM is also a direct Rapid Tooling process. It has been successfully used in making metallic
laminated tools for sheet metal forming operations.

Limitations

 Parts are weak along Z-direction.

 Paper parts have poor surface finish and absorb moisture.
 The process is not suitable for making small intricate parts. As the stock needs to be chipped out
during decubing, it requires a fair amount of skill is required.
 There is a lot of material wastage.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT NO. 7

Aim – Study of Metal Rapid Prototyping

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

Need for the Metal RP
Despite many benefits, the use of many of the commercially available RP technologies in industry is
not feasible due to their limited use of functional or standardized working materials. As can be
observed in Table 1, the majority of RP technologies produce prototypes made of some certain and
often proprietary, polymers.

RP Technology Working Principle Material

UV laser is selectively Liquid UV photopolymers;
Stereolithography (STL) scanned onto photo-sensitive highly toxic
polymer
Fused Deposition Modeling Plastic filament is extruded Wax, ABS, Elastomers
(FDM) through heated nozzle
Selective Laser Sintering Using a heated laser to sinter Polycarbonate, Nylons,
(SLS) together particles Elastomers, ceramics, some
metals
CO2 laser is used to cut cross
Laminated Objective sections out of layers of
Manufacturing (LOM) paper; layers are thermally Paper; similar to wood
fused
together
3D printing Printer head deposits molten Wax and starch, fragile and
wax onto bed of starch powdery
Similar to an ink-jet printer,
Multi-jet modeling (MJM) several print heads deposit Wax
beads of wax

RP technology & material used

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

This issue of limited material selection is identified as one of the key reasons why rapid prototyping
has yet to make a major advance towards rapid manufacturing. It has been a goal of many researchers
in the past few years to overcome this limitation through the development of RP processes that are
capable of producing metallic components. The development of a RP technology capable of creating
metallic parts would herald significant advantages in manufacturing and design:
 Objects created using RP will no longer be limited to prototypes of fit and form, but will be
useful as functional prototypes; the design iteration will be greatly shortened as prototypes
with materials extremely similar to the actual manufactured part will be used for analysis
without expensive tooling
 RP will no longer be limited to the production of prototypes; instead actual parts will be able
to manufactured straight from the machine
 For large production runs where manufacturing through RP would be too slow, the
technology could be used to create tooling (molds, inserts, etc.) for the production process
 Due to the ability to manufacture several different parts in one batch, customized products
could easily be made
 There also exists an opportunity to create functionally graded materials; RP’s nature of
additive fabrication enables itself to the placement of different materials in specific places
throughout a geometry
 Geometrically tailored components optimized for high strength and low mass would also be
able to be manufactured.
 As can be seen, there is a large motivation to overcome the materials limitation of current RP
technologies.
Metal Rapid prototyping Technologies classification
Although research in the rapid prototyping of metallic components is relatively new, there are
currently numerous different directions in metal RP technology development. These technologies
can be grouped according to their fundamental metal deposition working principles. First distinction
of metal RP technologies lies in the manner in which the metallic part was generated. Indirect
fabrication is the use of a RP machine to generate inserts or molds for the creation of metallic parts.
Also known as Rapid Tooling, indirect fabrication techniques involve creating a mold out of a
standard RP material from which several hundred parts can be injection molded. Usually the RP
molds must have an epoxy affixed to them in order to withstand the high temperatures of molding.
Other indirect fabrication techniques involve the use of a rapidly prototyped part as a pattern for the
creation of a mold.
Direct fabrication, on the other hand, is the use of a RP machine to create a functional
metallic part. Many different and new technologies have been created in order to tackle this large
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

problem. Simply, direct metal RP fabrication techniques can be divided into laser based and non-
laser based technologies. Non-laser based technologies involve the selective deposition of metal
material. Currently, Multiphase Jet Solidification (MJS) is the only non-laser based technique
being developed. It is very similar to Fused Deposition Modeling in that it selectively deposits
its preheated material through a nozzle. Laser based fabrication involves the use of a laser to
selectively join the metallic material. As can be seen in Figure 1, this can be done through
sintering, cladding, or binding. Laser sintering involves the use of a high powered laser to
selectively melt the surfaces of pure metallic powders in order to create a “green” part. The part
typically undergoes subsequent infiltration in order to create a fully dense part. Laser cladding is
analogous to 3D welding. Using an extremely high-powered laser, metal particles are completely
melted and selectively deposited on a substrate. Finally, laser binding generally involves the use
of a laser to bind a second phase in order to hold the metallic particles together. These parts are
then required to undergo a de-binding stage and a sintering stage.

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS)

Working Principle of LENS
The working principle of the LENS process is the use of a laser to selectively clad metallic
powder. A schematic of the process is provided in Figure.

A high-powered laser beam (typically >300W Nd:YAG) is focused on a metal substrate to create
a molten weld pool. Metallic powder is then injected into the weld pool by an inert carrier gas.
The powder is melted in the pool; as the laser passes by the deposit is quickly cooled, leaving
behind a thin line of metal. The substrate is moved relative to the laser beam in order to deposit
thin metallic lines with a finite width and thickness. Rastering of successive cross-sectional layers
is done as the laser-focusing lens and powder delivery nozzle are raised along the z-axis. Once
the part is complete, the substrate is removed by machining or by dissolving with chemicals. In
addition to the basic hardware (laser, powder delivery apparatus, and CNC table), the system also
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

consists of control system hardware and a cooling system for the powder nozzle. The cooling
system is used for the powder nozzle because it is exposed to a thermal load by scattered and
reflected laser radiation. Control system hardware includes sensors and CCD cameras in order to
provide online control – an integral part of the process. The major strength of the LENS process
is its ability to deposit a multitude of materials. Since the material deposition relies only on the
feeding of a powder or wire, it is relatively simple to use multiple kinds of materials. Currently
titanium, nickel, cobalt, steel, and aluminum can be deposited with LENS. In fact, recent research
has shown that LENS is capable of manufacturing binary functionally graded materials. The
LENS process does have some weaknesses, however. While LENS is lauded for its planar
accuracy (+/- 005”) and its ability to manufacture thin-walled parts, it is only capable of
producing “near net shape” components because of its poor accuracy in the build direction
(0.015”). Also, unlike standard RP technologies, LENS does not have the ability to generate
support structures for complex geometries featuring overhangs. As such, the geometry able to be
created by the LENS process is limited; the maximum angle achieved in a single width deposition
is 30o, and about 15o for solid parts. However, research on the development of a multi-axis LENS
machine is underway. The deposition rate of LENS is quoted as 0.5 cubic inches per hour.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the LENS Process

To summarize the LENS process, and the laser cladding process in general, the following list of
advantages and disadvantages is presented.

Advantages
 Capable of depositing numerous materials
 Good accuracy in build plane; capable of producing thin walls and ribs
 Material properties are improved over casting
50% material usage (compared to 5-20% for standard forging and machining)
 Capable of producing functionally graded materials
 100% dense parts

Disadvantages
 Poor accuracy in growth direction
 Poor surface finish
 Cannot to do complex geometry
 In need of more specialized process control for reliable deposits
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Working Principle of SLS
Looking back to Figure 1, it is observed that Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is listed under three
different categories of RP metal fabrication: as an indirect fabrication method, as a laser sintering
method, and as a laser binding method. This technology is one of RP’s most robust. This
technology’s working principle is the use of a C02 laser to fuse and sinter metallic powder one
layer at a time.

Advantages
• Accurate deposition both in-plane and in growth direction
• Net shape parts
• Capable of generating complex shapes without the need to remove support structures

Disadvantages
• Plagued by porosity
• Some shrinkage; part accuracy suffers
• Only a few metal-like substances; proprietary metal compounds

Multiphase Jet Solidification (MJS)

Working Principle of MJS

The working principle of Multiphase Jet Solidification (MJS) is shown schematically in
figure below.

Working Principle of the MJS Process

A powder-binder mixture is passed through the machine as feedstock, where it is first heated above
its solidification point to achieve a suitable viscosity. It is then squeezed out of nozzle by a pumping
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

system and deposited layer by layer (the deposition head unit is mounted on a xyz-table that is
controlled by a computer system). The molten material solidifies once in contact with the platform or
the previous layer due to the decrease in temperature and pressure. The contact of the liquefied
material leads to partial re-melting of the previous layer and a good bonding between the layers.
Critical process parameters to successful deposition are the speed of the deposition nozzle, and the
flow rate of the material. In order to make a functional metal part, the green part made via the
deposition (typically 50-70% percent volume solid material) must then undergo a de-binding step and
a sintering step, as shown in Figure.

Schematic of the MJS Process Chain

OTHER METAL RP TECHNOLOGIES

In this the technologies yet to be presented from Figure 1 are briefly discussed. The majority of these
technologies are in their infancy; as such, their accompanying literature focuses on the working
principle and not on the associated material properties.

1.3D Printing
This technology involves the use of a printer head to selectively deposit a binder polymer over a bed
of metal powder. The selectively bound part, when later removed from the bed, is a relatively low-
density (about 50%) “green” part. The green part is then subsequently fired and infiltrated to make a
dense metal part. Stainless steel-bronze parts have been made with this technology.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

2.Shape Deposition Manufacturing (SDM)

This technology combines laser cladding (as in the LENS process) with subtractive machining. A
laser is used to melt powdered metal in order to deposit metal;a milling machine is then used to create
a near-net shape component. This process has been proven to successfully make functionally graded
materials.

3.Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)

This technology has been traditionally used to cut stacks of paper layers with a laser. Recent research
from Japan shows interest in using the same technology to create metal parts from several layers of
cut sheet metal.

4. Ultrasonic Object Consolidation (UOC)

This technology utilizes solid-state joining techniques to deposit layers of tape to form solid
aluminum parts. The process involves depositing several layers of aluminum tape, followed by a
trimming step in order to produce near-net shape parts. The process is extremely fast but is currently
limited to aluminum. There exist limits on the aspect ratio of the part due to the trimming stage of the
process. The bonds between each layer of the part also provide anisotropic material properties. Also,
this technology does not enjoy the freedom to build complex geometries, such as overhanging
structure, cannot be built.

5.Optoform
A newer RP technology, Optoform uses viscous pastes as its working material. Similar to SLA,
Optoform uses a UV laser to solidify the paste layer by layer. The material is composed of resin,
some fillers, and a photoinitiator. The building speed is 18 about 25 mm/hour, and there is no waiting
time during the recoating. After building on the Optoform machine, post-processing is required
consisting of debinding and sintering steps. Currently two types of polymers and one ceramic material
are commercially offered. Research on the production of metal parts with this technology has been
recently abandoned because of the poor resultant material properties.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT - 8

Aim: Processing the CAD data in Catalyst software (Selection of Orientation, supports
generation, Slicing, Tool path generation)

Relevant CO: CO2: Understand and use techniques for processing of CAD models for rapid
Prototyping.

Introduction

Dimension 1200es printers build models, including internal features, from CAD STL files. Three
dimensional parts are built by extruding a bead of ABS plastic through a computer-controlled
extrusion head, producing high quality parts that are ready to use immediately after completion.
With two-layer resolution settings, you can choose to build a part quickly for design verification,
or you can choose a finer setting for higher quality surface detail. The Dimension 1200es systems
consist of two primary components — the Dimension 1200es 3Dprinter and CatalystEX.
CatalystEX is the preprocessing software that runs on a Windows Vista or Windows 7 platform.
The build envelope measures 254 x 254 x 305 mm (10 x 10 x 12 in). Each material cartridge
contains 922 cc (56.3 cu. in.) of usable material.

Stratasys 1200es
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

CatalystEX overview
• General tab:
This section is where you can select the model fill style, support style, change the STL units and
STL scale.
• Orientation tab:
This section allows you to rotate, resize and auto-orient your parts. You can also change the view
and insert a pause.
• Pack tab:
This section shows you which parts are in the pack for printing. You can add parts, arrange the
parts for a better fit or clear the pack from this section.
• Printer Status tab:
This section shows you the amount of material remaining (both model and support) as well as
which parts are in the Build Queue.

• Printer Services tab:

From this section you can check the printer history, set the printer time, set the printer password,
update printer software, get printer info and export configuration files(files containing specific
operating information regarding the printer).

CatalystEX overview
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Processing your STL file for printing

Opening your STL file with CatalystEX:

1. Create an STL file using your CAD software. Refer to your CAD software help section for more
information about converting your CAD drawings into STL files.
2. Open the Catalyst EX.
3. From the File menu select Open STL.
4. Navigate to and select the STL file that you have created.

3.4 Selecting layer resolution:

Layer resolution can be changed on the printer. Changing layer resolution will affect surface finish
and build times. Selecting a smaller layer resolution creates a smoother surface finish, but takes longer
to build. Layer resolution also affects the minimum wall thickness. Minimum wall thickness applies
to the horizontal (XY) plane of your part. If a feature in an STL is smaller than the limit, the modeler
will increase the size of the feature to the minimum wall thickness.

Available layer resolutions Minimum Wall thickness

.010 inch (.254 mm) .036 inch (.914 mm)

.013 inch (.330 mm) .047 inch (1.194 mm)

Slicing methods

STL-based Slicing

• Uniform slicing generates constant layer thickness slices. Adaptive slicing is a variant of the
uniform slicing, where the spacing between the slices is not constant but determined by the
geometry and machine capability.
• However, there are still not 3D printers that fully support or able to take full advantages of
adaptive slicing. Therefore, uniform slicing seems more versatile.

Direct Slicing

• Direct slicing can generate precise slice contours from original 3D models and discard the error-
detection and repairing process of STL files.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

• it can only be used for a specific set of software and machine, and is not applicable to any other
3D CAD combinations. So , STL-based slicing is still the commonly used method in processing
the problem of layered 3D printing.

Slice

A single, horizontal, cross-sectional cut of a 3D model. Each slice will have support (if
necessary) and model tool path information for the printer. See Slice Height.

Slice-Height

The thickness (magnitude) of each slice. The height will be equal to the amount of material
extruded to produce each layer of the model. Selection is available from the Resolution Property on
the General Tab. (Syn: Layer Resolution)

Slicing

The action of cutting the 3D STL model into a stack of 2D horizontal part boundary contours
(slices). The slicing operation begins at the bottom of the model and progresses sequentially to the
top at a constant interval.

Selecting model interior fill style:

This establishes the type of fill used for the interior areas of the part. There are three types of
model interior that you can choose from.

1. SOLID: Used when a stronger, more durable part is desired. Build times will be longer and more
material will be used.
2. SPARSE HIGH DENSITY: This is the default model interior style and is highly recommended.
Build times will be shorter, less material will be used and the possibility of part curl for geometries
with large mass will be greatly reduced.
3. SPARSE LOW DENSITY: The interior will be “honeycombed” or “hatched”. This style allows for
the shortest build times and lowest material usage but will decrease the strength of the part.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

(A) solid (B) sparse high density (C) sparse low density

Selecting support style (Support generation):

Support material is used to support the model during the build process. It is removed when the part is
complete. Support styles will affect the support strength and build time of the print. SMART support
is the default support setting.

1. BASIC- May be used for most parts. Basic support uses a consistent spacing between support
tool paths.
2. SMART - minimizes the amount of support material used, reduces the build time, and improves
support removal for many parts. SMART supports use a wide spacing between tool path raster
and change the shape of the support region. As the supports descend from the underside of the
part feature to the base of the supports, the support region shrinks and transforms to a simpler
shape to reduce the amount of material used and the build time. SMART supports are suitable
for all parts, especially those with large support regions, and are the default style for builds using
soluble supports
3. SURROUND- The entire model is surrounded by support material. Typically used for tall, thin
models.

Selecting the scale of your STL files

Before you process a part for printing, you can change the size of the part within the build Envelope.
Every part has a pre-defined size within the STL file. After you have opened the file you can change
the size of the part produced from the STL file by changing the scale. The scale always relates to the
original STL file size definition. For example: a cube that is defined as 2 X 2 X 2 can be built to be 4
X 4 X 4 by simply changing the scale to 2.0. If after changing the scale to 2.0, you decide that a size
of 3 X 3 X 3 would be preferred, change the scale to 1.5 - the scale relates to the original size of 2.0,
NOT the resulting4.0 from the first scale change. Click within the scale input box to type a scale of
your choice.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Selecting the orientation of your STL file:

It refers to the inclination of the part in a build platform with respect to the X-Y-Z axis. The X & Y
axis are considered in parallel direction to build platform & Z axis is considered along the direction
of built part.

Orientation

The Orientation tab has an expanded preview window. It provides options for viewing a part,
measuring a part, orienting a part, processing a part and viewing the layers of a part. How parts
oriented in the preview window will determine how the part is oriented when it prints. Orientation
impacts build speed, part strength, surface finish and material consumption. Orientation can also
affect the ability of CatalystEX to repair any problems with the STL file. You can choose to auto
orient your part, which allows Catalyst EX to determine the best orientation for the part for the fastest
build time and least material usage, or you can manually change the orientation of your part.

Orientation Considerations:

1. Build Speed - Closely related to material use. A lesser amount of supports will allow for a faster
build speed. Another factor affecting build speed is the axis orientation. The printer can build
faster across the X-Y plane than it can along the Z axis. Orienting a part so that it is shorter within
the modeling envelope will produce a quicker build.
2. Part Strength - A model is stronger within a layer than it is across layers. Depending upon what
features you want your part to demonstrate, you may need to orient your part to have its greatest
strength across a specific area. For example, a tab that needs to be pressed would be weakest if
you are applying pressure across layers.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

3. Surface Finish - Much like orienting for strength, how the part is oriented will determine how
the surface finish will look and allow the printer to provide the smoothest finish for a specific
area. For example, if building a cylinder, orienting the cylinder upright will have a smoother
surface finish than building it on its side.

4. STL File Repair - It is possible for an STL file to have errors while appearing to be trouble free.
If the STL file contains errors, Catalyst EX may have problems processing the file. Catalyst EX
has the ability to automatically correct some STL file errors. How the part is oriented can impact
this automated repair function.

Adding your STL file to the pack:

The Add to Pack button is found on the General, Orientation and Pack tabs. When you click on the
Add to Pack button, Catalyst EX will add the file that is currently in the preview window (General
tab or Orientation tab) to the pack preview window (Pack tab).If the file in the preview window has
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

not been processed for printing, processing will occur before the file is added to the pack. Each
additional click of the Add to Pack button will add another copy of the file to the pack.

Printing your STL file:

The Print button is found on the General, Orientation and Pack tabs. CatalystEX will now process
all parts in the pack and create a CMB file from which the printer will print the parts.

Plotting and path control:

Quiz

1. Enlist the various process parameter of FDM process.

2. Define the terms: Hatch Distance, Layer Thickness, and Scanning Speed.
3. Discuss the effect of layer thickness on mechanical properties.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT – 9

Aim: Simulation in Catalyst Software

Relevant CO: CO2: Understand and use techniques for processing of CAD models for rapid
Prototyping.
CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

The simulation was carried out CatalystEX software which is used for producing part directly from
CAD model in Fused Deposition Modeling, which is one of the widely used rapid prototyping
process. First the CAD model of part to be produced in any high-end modeling software like Nx,
Solidworks, Creo, Inventor, etc. is converted to STL (Standard Triangulation Language) file format.

Step 1: open the CatalystEX software and import STL file of the part to be produced.

Step 2: After importing file general properties like layer thickness, model interior, support fill, etc
should be given. In this software depending on the machine capabilities there are two fixed value
of layer thickness 0.01 inch and 0.013 inch available. According to the complexity of the part two
of this value entered.

Selection of layer thickness

Step 3: After selecting layer thickness model interior should be selected. There are three option is
available: (1) Sparse-low density, (2) Solid (3) Sparse-High density. The effect of this factor is
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

directly on the production time and material usage and strength of the part achieved. If Sparse-low
density is selected then there is less material usage, time of production and strength of part achieved.
For Sparse-High density is selected then there is higher material usage, time of production and
strength of part achieved and solid option gibe intermediate result of these two options. According
to feasibility of the part this model interior option should be wisely chosen.

Selection of model interior

Step 4: After selection of model interior support fill should be selected. There are four options
available for support fill: (1) Sparse (2) Basic (3) Smart (4) Surround. This option takes more time
of production and support material in ascending order. According to part to be produced support
fill option should be wisely chosen.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Selection of support fills

Step 5: This option allows to select number of copies pf same part to be produced and STL scale is
also provided in the software so that scaling of the part can be possible without modifying original
geometry. As per requirement this option can be used.

Selection of number of copies to be produced and STL scale

Step 6: This software allows to change the unit of that STL file without changing the original CAD
model.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Selections of STL units

Step 7: Part can be oriented under the orientation option provided by this software. Part orientation
plays important role to provide proper strength to the part and it saves the support material
effectively. There are two option available (1) Auto orient (2) Manual orient. By selecting auto
orient option software automatically set orientation of the part and in manual orientation part can
be rotate at available degrees about X, Y and Z axis. According to the part to be built proper
orientation should be selected.

Selection of part orientation

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Selection of manual orientation at diff. degree

Step 8: After selecting proper orientation add to pack option is to be selected which slice the object
according to selected value. The below fig shows 0.01-inch layer thickness throughout the part. The
white color shows the support material and red color shows the model material. This software also
provides different views of the product by selecting that option.

Layer thickness of 0.01 inch throughout the part

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

ISO view of the part to be produced

Step 9: After adding to the pack the pack detail of the part is available under the pack option. Under
this option main focus is to locate the part where it should be built on palate. This option allows to
produce number of same part by copy it and remove it also. Name of the part is also edited in this
option and this option shows the volume of model and support material that will be used to produce
the part and also shows the time require to build that part.

Pack details

Step 10: Finally print option selected to start the production of the part.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Quiz

1. Explain the step to print the parts in FDM machine.

2. Discuss the importance of simulation in RP.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT- 10

Aim: Fabrication the physical part on a RP machine

Relevant CO: CO2: Understand and use techniques for processing of CAD models for rapid Prototyping.
CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

Introduction to CAD part

Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of physical part or
assembly by using three dimensional computer aided design data. Construction of the part usually
has done using 3d printing or additive layer manufacturing technology. As with CNC subtractive
methods the computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing CAD-CAM workflow in the
tradition rapid prototyping process start with the creation of geometry data, either as a 3d solid using
a cad workstation, or 2d slices using a scanning device. For rapid prototyping this data must represent
a valid geometric model whose boundary surfaces enclose a finite volume contain no holes exposing
the interior, and do not fold back on them. In other word the object must have an “inside”. The model
is valid if for each point in 3d space the computer can determine uniquely whether that point lies
inside, on the boundary surface of the model. CAD post process will approximate the application
vendors internal CAD geometric forms with a simplified mathematical form, which in turns is
expressed in a specified data format which is common feature in additive manufacturing

After the STL file is provided as an input to the RP machine using the CATALYST software,
the orientation is set as per the support material estimation and also the time duration required. Here
the detail drawing of the printed part is on below fig. CAD model was developed in Creo-Parametric.

Main process parameters

1. Orientation: Part builds orientation or orientation referrers to the inclination of part in a build
platform with respect to X, Y, Z axis. Where X and Y-axis are considered parallel to build platform
and Z-axis is along the direction of part build.

2. Layer thickness: It is a thickness of layer deposited by nozzle and depends upon the type of nozzle
used.

3. Contour width: The width of contour deposited by nozzle.

4. Part raster width (raster width): Width of raster pattern used to fill interior regions of part curves.
.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

6. Raster angle: It is a direction of raster relative to the x-axis of build table.

7. Shrinkage factor: Shrinkage factor applied in the x, y and z direction.

8. Perimeter to raster air gap: The gap between inner most contours and the edge of the raster fill
inside of the contour.

9. Raster to raster gap (air gap): It is the gap between two adjacent rasters on same layer.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

CAD Model in Creo-Parametric

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Detailed drawing of printed component

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Machine Specification

Type of Technology:

Nozzle Diameter:

Build Volume (Height / width /depth):

Maximum Nozzle Temperature:

Maximum Bed Temperature:

Materials:

Minimum Layer thickness:

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Component Loading in slicing software

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Post Processing

Part developed after then post processed and is being separated from the support material. The
support material can be separated from the part directly by tearing it off.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Printed Part

Quiz

1. Enlist various command which is being used in FDM and SLA machine.

2. How to set process parameter while printing parts on SLA?

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT- 11

Aim: Learning techniques for fabricating an assembly

Relevant CO: CO4: Learning techniques for fabricating an assembly.

Introduction

An assembly is an end product consisting of solids in point, line or surface contact. The
solids made of different materials. The contacts can be stationary, rolling or sliding. Assemblies
can be articulated by having moving contacts.

The traditional approach fabrication involves producing paths first and then assembling
them one by one. The process of assembly itself can be manual or automated through mechanized
or robotic automation. Much if the progress in assembly modeling has occurred from this traditional
viewpoint.

There are four techniques of representation and reasoning techniques for fabricating an
assembly in rapid prototyping:

1. Algorithmic
2. Knowledge based
3. Expert system based
4. ANN-based
Many representational and reasoning schemes have been proposed to address issues such as
tolerance and mating, connectivity and mating, connectivity and precedence and assembly
directions. Almost all these issues are closely related to the mating features on the pans. Hence,
progress in assembly modeling has closely related 10 the mating features on the pans. Hence,
progress in assembly modeling has depended much on progress in geometric and technological
feature recognition.

Design consideration in assembly

 Tolerance
 Mating
 Connectivity
 Precedence
 Assembly direction
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Almost any RP process that can deposit more than one material in each layer and with
supports easily removed can be modified to build MM assemblies. When multi-material assembly
is made by means of layer-based RP process, all component regions within each layer are built
within the corresponding layer build cycle. Hence may traditional assembly issues such as
precedence and assembly direction become irrelevant. However, information regarding location
dimensions, tolerance, mating relationships and mating types continues to be highly important.

Approaches of fabrication of assembly

Layer based fabrication methods approach

In fabricating articulated assemblies using layer-based fabrication methods approach, a

graph model organizes components in the given assembly by their boundary mating intonation to
create an n-manifold (NM) representation. An NM is a connected point set where every point has a
neighborhood topologically equivalent to an open ball of En. Local mating information is also
explicitly represented, so slicing operations can be performed directly on model. In particular,
slicing is performed using a dexel encoding approach that eliminates the need for intermediate
tessellation of curved bounding surfaces.

Dexel Approach

The object is intersected by set of parallel and equidistant rays (i.e., infinite straight lines).
Next the points of intersection of each ray with the object are noted. Each pair of points defining a
straight-line segment. That is totally inside a given object material makes up a dexel. Drexel’s
corresponding to different material regions within the ray via are identified through an algorithmic
approach.

The dexels so obtained are fleshed out into boxes, so the object can be approximated by
resulting collections of boxes corresponding to different material regions. Thus, alter slicing the
MM assembly, there will be different 2 D regions of the heterogeneous materials. The dexel model
of the object is then combined with the 3D assembly model to assimilate mating intonation.

Tolerances are appended to the end points of each dexel such that positive, negative, and
zero values indicate interference clearance and neutral fits respectively. Collision free tool paths
(path of liquefier heads in FDM) are calculated on the basis based of a longest first scheduling
approach. This novel approach facilitates Filling of MM regions simultaneously and efficiently.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Inevitable impact on assembly and joining operations

An assembly is a collection of manufactured parts, brought together by assembly operations

to perform one or more of several primary functions an assembly operation is defined as the process
or series of acts involved in actual realization of an assembly. Joining finalizes assembly operating
and generates joints.

Virtual Assembly Analysis (VAA)

The current design and analysis practices for verifying a design concept are usually performed
after selecting a final design concept. Prediction of various effects corresponding to specified
assembly processes in up-front design is critical to understanding the performance of an assembly.
VAA is a transparent and remote virtual simulation and testing paradigm utilized in a service-oriented
collaboration environment. A VAA tool embedded in the assembly design process can be used to
represent an assembly and imply the physical effects of a joint.

Assembly design formalism and assembly design model generation

The assembly design formalism specifies assembly/joining relations symbolically and it is

used as the mechanism to perform product assembly design tasks. This assembly formalism is
comprised of five phases: spatial relationship specification, mating feature extraction, joint feature
formation and extraction, assembly feature formation and assembly engineering relation construction.
By interactively assigning spatial relationships the designer can assemble components together to
make friar products and infer the degrees of freedom remaining on the components.

In assigning spatial relationships, mating features are defined and extracted from parts. Mating
feature extraction is a preliminary step to capturing joining information. This process provides
geometric information directly related to assembly operation.

The mating feature is not sufficient to represent a joining operational. The designer can specify
specific joining methods and constraints such as welding conditions and fixture locations in joint
features.

Assembly engineering relations of the entire assembly are constructed based on the assembly
features after specifying the spatial relationships and joining relationships between components. The
mating binds and an assembly relation model are used to represent the engineering relationships on
the entire structure. Their approach was to represent all of the assembly design concepts explicitly
and also in a universally acceptable manner.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Quiz
1. Define term: allowance, tolerances.
2. Enlist various approach for assembly. Explain pros and cons of them.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

EXPERIMENT- 12

Aim: Prepare a CAD model with complex geometry and Study effect of slicing parameters on
final product manufactured through RP.

Relevant CO: CO3: Apply fundamentals of rapid prototyping techniques.

CO5: Create component with RP applications.

Introduction:

Rapid prototyping is finding applications in diverse fields in the industry today, with prototypes
used for form, fit and function. Design engineers around the world use rapid prototyping to pre
estimate product characteristics like shape, manufacturability and finish. Especially when it comes
to manufacturing precise parts like aerospace components and parts with critical dimensions, it
becomes imperative to check for surface finish a good surface finish on the parts helps eliminate
dimensional inaccuracy and cost due to subsequent post processing of the part to attain the desired
surface finish. Common surface finishes include the staircase effect, chordal effect, support
structure burrs and errors due to starting and ending of deposition. Fused deposition modeling is a
layered manufacturing process. In all layered manufacturing process, the slicing of the CAD model
leaves a characteristic effect called the staircase effect on the part produced. This error cannot be
eliminated but can be scaled down by reducing the slice thickness.

The chordal error is induced when STL files are generated from the CAD model. All the curved
surfaces in the CAD model are approximated as a series of triangles, hence leading to a non-smooth
surface. A rough solution to this problem is to do a positive offset to the surface, build the prototype
and then do surface finishing operation to bring it back to the original. This would however never
result in a perfect model. It is confirmed that the surface finish problem cannot be completely
eliminated. Hence one has to come up with a way to reduce the problem by a certain degree. This
can be done by careful process parameter control.

A number
Slicing of solid model
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

of algorithms have been reported for slicing faceted models with uniform layer thickness (Luo and
Ma 1995 and Liao and Chiu 2001a and references therein). Some researchers have also explored
adaptive slicing using a variable layer thickness (Tata et al. 1998 and Tyberg and Bohn 1998). This
section focuses on the basic slicing algorithms applicable to a faceted surface model with uniform
slicing. Adaptive slicing will be discussed in the next section together with direct slicing. To
efficiently perform model slicing for rapid prototyping applications, the input STL geometry must
be organized in a concise data structure.

Model Slicing and Skin Contour Determination

A STL facet model used for rapid prototyping applications contains a collection of planar faces.
These faces define an approximate boundary representation for the object. During subsequent tool
path generation, we need to slice the model based on either uniform layer thickness or adaptively
variable layer thickness. In this section, we use uniform slicing to illustrate the slicing algorithm.
As for adaptive slicing, one only needs to determine the corresponding adaptive layer thickness and
the slicing algorithms are the same. A generalized discussion of adaptive slicing will be presented
in the next section.

Based on a user-entered layer thickness, a sequence of parallel slicing planes can be defined for
model slicing. As a convention, we assume that the model has been properly oriented such that the
z-axis will be the building direction. Let d be the layer thickness and n be the total number of slicing
planes excluding the bottom plane with z = Zmin that are not used during the slicing procedure.
Further, let Zmax and Zmin be the extreme z-coordinatesof the STL model. The total number of
layers (valid slicing planes) required is then defined by the following equation

For RP applications, one further needs to convert the surface contour points into skin contour points
for later tool path generation. The determination of skin contours is mainly based on the tolerance
requirement. Figure 5 -26 illustrates several cases with different tolerance requirements.

Figure a) shows a model produced using a 'top-down' approach. All the computed surface contours
are directly used as skin contours for the current layer for model prototyping.

Figure b) shows a model produced using a 'bottom-up' approach. The computed surface contours
are directly used as skin contours of the next layer.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Figure c) shows a model produced with negative tolerance. The produced model is always smaller
than the actual computer model.

Figure d) shows a model produced with positive tolerance. The produced model is always larger
than the computer model.

Top down approach b) bottom up approach c) nagative tolerance d) positive tolerance

Direct and Adaptive slicing:

This section addresses adaptive slicing for obtaining a smooth surface finish while ensuring high
building speed. Instead of working with a STL model, direct slicing algorithms are presented, i.e.,
the algorithms directly work with a CAD model. The discussion is mainly adapted from Ma et
a!.(2003b) on· direct slicing of a NURBS-based surface model, but is applicable to all parametric
surface or B-rep solid models. The general approach is also based on the work reported in (Kulkarni
and Dutta 1996) on generic adaptive slicing and (Dolenc and Makela 1994) on adaptive slicing of
a STL model. The procedure is subdivided into the following major steps.

Peak feature point identification: When producing prototype models with uniform layer thickness,
there is no guarantee that important features of an object, such as horizontal features and other
important feature points, are properly reproduced. With adaptive slicing, one can place a layer
anywhere and hence all the peak features can be reproduced on the prototype model. In order to do
so, all the peak features in a CAD model are first identified from the model surfaces as a set of
feature points. These feature points subdivide the CAD model into slabs along the slicing direction,
i.e., the z-direction.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Normal slicing and adaptive slicing

Adaptive slicing with arbitrary tolerance control: An adaptive slicing algorithm based on surface
curvature along the vertical direction at the reference level/points is applied to each of the slabs
with a pre-specified cusp height tolerance, and the minimum and maximum layer thickness. The
skin contours on each layer are obtained from the allowable layer thickness, the local geometry
information, and the given tolerance.

Adaptive layer thickness determination:

The tolerance requirement of a RP part is an important input for layer thickness determination. The
tolerance distribution can be either negative, positive or a combination of both as illustrated in
Figure c. The negative tolerance shown in Figure 5-33a can be used for situations where the
fabricated RP part acts as a core pattern. The positive tolerance shown in Figure 5 -33b is often used
in situations where a post-treatment operation, such as polishing, can be entertained. Both the cases
of negative and positive tolerances are addressed in (Kulkarni and Dutta 1996) as a containment
problem. In other general situations, a mixed tolerance as shown in Figure c might be desirable for
faithfully representing the model shape or for satisfying other fitting conditions. This section
provides a generalization of the containment problem where the user may use an arbitrary
combination of both negative and positive tolerances. It is therefore possible for users to controlthe
fitting conditions irrespective of whether the RP model is to be used as a core pattern or is followed
by some post treatment operations. In this case, the same distribution of the mixed tolerance occurs
at all layers. This feature is different from the situation pointed out in (Sabourin et a l.1996, Kulkarni
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

and Dutta 1996) where the RP part is skewed.

Fig. a) negative tolerance b) positive tolerance c) mixed tolerance

Identification of peak features:

Peak features of an object are easily missed when performing slicing in Layered manufacturing (
Dolenc and Makela 1 994). Figure 3 illustrates two slicing strategies. All the peak features are
preserved with the second strategy shown in Figure 3 b. This is however not the case for the first
strategy shown in Figure 3 a. A peak feature may occur at places including a corner, a boundary
curve, and an interior area of a surface. A peak feature may also be a horizontal edge or a horizontal
face. For the purpose of layered manufacturing, all peak features can be handled with
characteristic/feature points on the individual surfaces.

Fig. (a) peak features lost with uniform slicing (b ) peak feature preserved with adaptive slicing
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Effect of Slicing Parameters on 3D Printed Part

Rapid Prototyping (3171926)

Quiz
1. Discuss the effect of layer thickness on curve surface.
2. How can overcome the issue related high layer thickness.
Rapid Prototyping (3171926)