Rapid Manufacturing

Rapid prototyping is an exciting new technology used to create physical models and functional prototypes directly from CAD models. Rapid tooling concerns the production of tooling using parts manufactured by rapid prototyping. The book describes the characteristics and capabilities of the main known rapid prototyping processes. It covers in detail various commercially available processes such as: Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and others. The text places a strong emphasis on practical applications and contains an abundance of photographs and diagrams to illustrate clearly the principles of the machines and processes involved.

Rapid Manufacturing is a new area of manufacturing developed from a family of technologies known as Rapid Prototyping. These processes have already had the effect of both improving products and reducing their development time; this in turn resulted in the development of the technology of Rapid Tooling, which implemented Rapid Prototyping techniques to improve its own processes. Rapid Manufacturing has developed as the next stage, in which the need for tooling is eliminated. It has been shown that it is economically feasible to use existing commercial Rapid Prototyping systems to manufacture series parts in quantities of up to 20,000 and customised parts in quantities of hundreds of thousands. This form of manufacturing can be incredibly cost-effective and the process is far more flexible than conventional manufacturing. Rapid Manufacturing: An Industrial Revolution for the Digital Age addresses the academic fundamentals of Rapid Manufacturing as well as focussing on case studies and applications across a wide range of industry sectors. As a technology that allows manufacturers to create products without tools, it enables previously impossible geometries to be made. This book is abundant with images depicting the fantastic array of products that are now being commercially manufactured using these technologies. Includes contributions from leading researchers working at the forefront of industry. Features detailed illustrations throughout. Rapid Manufacturing: An Industrial Revolution for the Digital Age is a groundbreaking text that provides excellent coverage of this fast emerging industry. It will interest manufacturing industry practitioners in research and development, product design and materials science, as well as having a theoretical appeal to researchers and post-graduate students in manufacturing engineering, product design, CAD/CAM and CIFM.

Virtual Modelling and Rapid Manufacturing presents essential research in the area of Virtual and Rapid Prototyping. It contains reviewed papers that were presented at the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping, held at the School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Portugal, from September 28 to October 1, 2005. The volume covers a wide range of topical subjects, such as medical imaging, reverse engineering, virtual reality and prototyping, biomanufacturing and tissue engineering, advanced rapid prototyping technologies and micro-fabrication, biomimetics and materials, and concurrent engineering

Collection of 120 peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping, held in Leiria, Portugal in September 2007. Essential reading for all those working on V&RP, focused on inducing increased collaboration between industry and academia. In addition to key

High Value Manufacturing is the result of the 6th International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping, held in Leiria, Portugal, October 2013. It contains current contributions to the field of virtual and rapid prototyping (V&RP) and is also focused on promoting better links between industry and academia. This volume

The term rapid prototyping (RP) refers to a generic group of emerging technologies that enable very quick fabrication of engineering components primarily targeted for prototyping applications. With RP, very complex threeƯ dimensional parts or prototypes can be fabricated without the need of costly tooling and machining. This inevitably leads to much shorter design cycle time and lower cost of building a prototype. Its manifold benefits include significant productivity gains, cost saving, and shortened development time to introduce concept models. As such, RP technologies have attracted tremendous R & D interests from both academia and industry in the past decade. Many different processes and materials have been commercialized and used in industry primarily for the fabrication of physical prototypes. More recent interests in RP technologies are towards functional applications of the fabricated parts, such as in rapid tooling applications and replacements of damaged components. Many processes and materials have been commercialized but are yet to be able to fulfill the aforementioned functional requirements because of limited mechanical strengths of the fabricated parts.

User's Guide to Rapid Prototyping will help designers, engineers, executive management, and others in the company understand how to apply rapid prototyping technologies such as 3D printing, stereo-lithography, selective laser sintering, and fused deposition modeling to the product development process. Intertwined with rapid prototyping, the processes of rapid tooling and rapid manufacturing are also discussed. An aid to making informed business decisions, the book provides information about when it may be right to implement rapid prototyping in-house versus going to a service provider. The path through justification, evaluation, and implementation is outlined. Readers will gain insights into the benefits, risks, and limitations of each technology.

Additive Manufacturing explains the background theory, working principles, technical specifications, and latest developments in a wide range of additive manufacturing techniques. Topics addressed include treatments of manufactured parts, surface characterization, and the effects of surface treatments on mechanical behavior. Many different perspectives are covered, including design aspects, technologies, materials and sustainability. Experts in both academia and industry contribute to this comprehensive guide, combining theoretical developments with practical improvements from R&D. This unique guide allows readers to compare the characteristics of different processes, understand how they work, and provide parameters for their effective implementation. This book is part of a four-volume set entitled Handbooks in Advanced Manufacturing. Other titles in the set include Advanced Machining and Finishing, Advanced Welding and Deformation, and Sustainable Manufacturing Processes. Provides theory, operational parameters, and latest developments in 20 different additive manufacturing processes Includes contributions from experts in industry and academia with a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, providing a comprehensive survey of this diverse and influential subject Includes case studies of innovative additive manufacturing practices from industry