Rapid Manufacturing

3D CAD Prototype Modeling

The process begins by creating a 3D representation from a customer’s blueprint or sketch in Parametric Technology Corporation’s Pro/ENGINEER or SolidWorks. Both programs are three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) packages, which are used by ProtoCAM to create the initial model.

Creating the Stereolithography Part

Once a three-dimensional representation has been created, it is transferred to the heart of the process - 3D Systems’ Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA). This is the machine that creates the prototype model. This step of the process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the height, volume, and complexity of the part. Tolerances as tight as ±0.005 inches can be maintained.

Going into Short-Run Production

When the prototype has been built and approved by the customer, it can be used as a master pattern for creating an RTV mold. This mold is used to create many urethane castings, up to one hundred or more, in one of any number of urethanes that mimic the properties of plastic injection molding plastics.

At Dinsmore, we can also inject mold thermoplastics directly into Nanotool SLA inserts. We use high resolution (HR) Viper machines to quickly fabricate Nanotool inserts that will be fit into one of our custom mold bases or M.U.D. units. Nanotool resin has a H.D.T. (heat deflection temperature) of 505 degrees F which allows us to directly shoot plastics into the inserts.

The prototype can also be used in the fabrication of precision-made metal castings. For low quantities of metal parts, patterns can be fabricated directly using  SLA protypes. For higher quantities, wax patterns can be produced with RTV molding.

For plastic parts, hard tooling can be created to create thousands or millions of copies of the original prototype.

Rapid Manufacturing for small to medium sized products with layer-based manufacturing from metals, plastics, or composite materials is well known for several industrial applications in the military and aerospace sectors. Small products and microsystem applications are known in medical as well as consumer electronics, diagnostics and sensor technologies. Batch production of very small parts by rapid manufacturing techniques like rapid prototyping product development offer cost and time advantages for a pilot production or market testing.

Contact an Account Manager today for more information or a quote.

Pages: 1 2