Rapid Prototyping

Zain Shami
Rapid Prototyping – Basic Methodology
 CAD model is constructed and converted to STL
(Standard Triangular Language)
 RP device processes the STL file by creating sliced layers
of the model
 The model is created then layer by layer
 Supports are removed and cleaned to get final model

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Rapid Prototyping
 Stereolithography
 Selective Laser Sintering
 3-D Printing
 Fused Deposition Method

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Stereolithography

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Stereolithography (SLA)
 Photo curable material is used
 Laser is used to cure the material and solidify material

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Stereolithography (SLA)
 The SLA process is based on photo-polymerization of
liquid monomers using ultraviolet (UV) radiation
 A UV laser is scanned over a layer of the liquid monomer to cure the
monomer in selected areas as dictated by the part geometry (or the
computer-generated tool paths)
 After completion of one layer, another layer of resin is coated on top of the
cured layer, and the process is repeated until the part is completed.

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Selective Laser Sintering

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Laser Sintering
 It is an empirical term that refers to a method belonging
to the Additive Manufacturing family of techniques, initially
established as a rapid prototyping tool
 It uses a high-energy laser beam to fuse particle granules
directly into complex, net-shaped, 3D components in a
layer-by-layer manner by repeating a scanning of the laser
beam over a single layer of the powder granules, thereby
consolidating them via full or partial melting
 The process scheme is established by CAD and CAM
 These unique processing conditions result in
characteristic advantages (i.e. geometrical design freedom,
high flexibility, and near net shape production

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Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
 SLS is one of the main processes in the rapidly evolving additive
manufacturing field
 Specifically, it is a rapid prototyping method capable of producing
complex parts and geometry from a computer-aided design (CAD)
model in a relatively short amount of time
 This is accomplished by analyzing the model file and breaking it into
cross sections of small thicknesses, typically less than 0.25 mm
 These cross sections are then used as layers of part build
 The build medium is usually very fine powder, and this is distributed
onto a central platform using a feed-and-roller system
 Once the powder is deposited, a laser is used to sinter it together
into contours of the pre-established layers
 Upon completion, the layer is lowered, covered by new powder, and
the process is repeated until all of the model cross sections have
been finished
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Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
 An illustration of this procedure can be seen below

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Selective Laser Melting (SLM)

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Selective Laser Melting (SLM)
 SLM is a powder bed Additive Manufacturing technology
in which parts are fabricated layer by layer using the
action of a high-energy beam on a powder bed
 In this process, the powders are fully melted and solidified
 The process is very similar to SLS process but the energy
of the beam is much higher and the process is performed
under controlled atmosphere
 SLM is currently very popular for fabrication of metallic
parts

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Selective Laser Melting (SLM)
 SLM is a powder-based additive manufacturing process that permits
attaining three-dimensional (3D) functional parts from CAD data
 SLM follows the same process route as SLS, where complete melting
of the powder occurs instead of sintering or partial melting
 The process begins with the deposition of a thin layer of powder
thickness ranging from 50 to 75 μm across a substrate platform
 A high-power fiber laser scans the powder surface, then the
generated heat melts the powder particles and forms a molten pool
 Once the layer has been scanned, the platform drops down by a
single-layer thickness in the z axis and the fresh layer of powder is
deposited
 The process is repeated until the entire build is completed. Loose
powders are removed once the fully dense part is complete
 SLM parts must be completed in an inert gas atmosphere such
as argon to remove oxygen from the building chamber
 The substrate is removed from the build chamber once the process
completes and the supports are removed carefully.
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Selective Laser Melting (SLM)
 The process is illustrated below

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Difference between SLM and SLS
 Laser Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by
heat and/or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction.
 Laser Melting involves full-on melting of the metal particles and substrate several
layers down

 Note that for sintering, the particles are simply touching real well and there are
large spaces between them throughout the body. Contrast that against the melted
image on the right. The particles seen are partially melted balls on the exterior
surface straight out of the machine that can be worn off through light abrasion.
Behind the spheres, you can see that the metal is a solid mass with no visible voids.
In fact, you can’t even distinguish layers from the additive process because with
every layer of melting, the laser re-melted a couple layers beneath the current
exposure layer.
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 3D Printing Techniques

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Binder jetting
 The binder jetting process uses two materials; a powder based material and
a binder
 The binder acts as an adhesive between powder layers
 The binder is usually in liquid form and the build material in powder form
 A print head moves horizontally along the x and y axes of the machine and
deposits alternating layers of the build material and the binding material
 After each layer, the object being printed is lowered on its build platform.
 Due to the method of binding, the material characteristics are not always
suitable for structural parts and despite the relative speed of printing,
additional post processing can add significant time to the overall process
 As with other powder based manufacturing methods, the object being
printed is self-supported within the powder bed and is removed from the
unbound powder once completed
 The technology is often referred to as 3DP technology and is copyrighted
under this name.

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Binder jetting process
 Powder material is spread over the build platform using a
roller.
 The print head deposits the binder adhesive on top of the
powder where required.
 The build platform is lowered by the model’s layer thickness.
 Another layer of powder is spread over the previous layer. The
object is formed where the powder is bound to the liquid.
 Unbound powder remains in position surrounding the object.
 The process is repeated until the entire object has been made

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Binder jetting

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Fused Deposition Method

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Fused Deposition Modeling FDM
 FDM is an additive manufacturing technology commonly used for
modeling, prototyping and production applications
 FDM is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes in the
world today, due to its ability to produce complex geometrical
shapes without tooling in office-environment
 This process produces three-dimensional parts in layer-by-layer
manner directly from computer aided design (CAD) model
 The process usually begins with taking the material in the form of
filament and heating it to the molten state
 The semi-molten filament is then extruded through the nozzle,
which moves over the build table horizontally and vertically,
depositing layers of three-dimensional object onto the platform
from bottom up
 Each deposited layer of material cools, hardens, and bonds to the
layer beneath it
 This process is repeated up to the last layer.

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 The process is illustrated in the figure below

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