For those involved in product development, engineering, and other form-giving applications, rapid prototyping (RP) technology can offer an outstanding deliverable for various applications. Prototyping can supply for concept era, ergonomic testing, test installing, functional testing and even small-batch production.
There are several rapid prototyping technology available for use including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (STL), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and 3 DIMENSIONAL Printing. Each of these technologies has advantages and disadvantages.
Fused Deposition Modeling technology is marketed commercially by Stratasys, which also holds a trademark on the phrase. Such as most other RP techniques FDM works on an "additive" principle by putting down material in layers.
A plastic filament or metal wire is unwound from a coil and supplies material to an extrusion nozzle which can make on and off the movement. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be shifted in both horizontal and vertical directions by a numerically handled mechanism, immediately handled with a computer-aided design software package. In the same way to stereolithography, the model is built up from tiers as the material stiffens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle. To gather more info on rapid prototyping, you can simply head to .
Stereolithography is an additive fabrication process utilizing a vat of liquefied UV-curable photopolymer "resin" and a UV laser to build parts a layer at a time. Upon each layer, the laserlight beam traces a part cross-section pattern on the surface of the water resin. Exposure to the UV laser light remedies, or, solidifies the pattern traced on the botanical and adheres it to the layer below.
Rapid Prototyping Technologies Enhance Innovation Opportunity by Mark Freedman