While consensus exists among manufacturers

Feature regarding the term “rapid prototyping” –

Rapid prototyping or despite the disparate technologies RP
comprises – “rapid manufacturing” lacks
rapid production? clear definition. So says industry
3D printing processes spokesperson Terry Wohlers. In his annual
Wohlers Report 2003, a 270-page market
move industry towards study, he attempts to correct this ambiguity
the latter with a definition clear and precise: “Rapid
manufacturing,” Wohlers states, “is the direct
production of finished goods from a rapid
David Bak prototyping device.”
This definition suggests that true rapid
manufacturing systems are those that employ
additive processes to deliver finished goods
directly from digital data, eliminating all
tooling. Such systems, Wohlers says, do not
The author currently exist, although he acknowledges that
David Bak is based at Presse Professionnelle SARL, conventional RP systems are being
34 Boardman Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts successfully applied to produce low-volume
01950, USA. Tel: +1 978 463 3336; Fax: +1 978 463 2063; end use parts. The challenge, he notes, is to
E-mail: dbak@pressepro.com merge RP capabilities with the high-volume
throughput traditionally associated with
Keywords manufacturing applications.
Rapid prototypes, Advanced manufacturing, “For RP to better penetrate new markets,”
Mass customization Wohlers states, “a number of changes must
occur. Machines must become less expensive
Abstract to buy and easier to use and maintain. System
Rapid manufacturing – defined as the direct production of prices and the overall cost of ownership must
finished goods from a rapid prototyping device – remains drop further and materials must improve.
at present more a goal than reality for industry. Furthermore, new machines and applications
The application of 3D printing technologies, however, must develop that support the production of
promises to merge rapid prototyping capabilities with the
finished manufactured parts, versus models
high-volume throughput of conventional manufacturing.
and prototypes.”
Proponents believe that these processes may soon lead to
Meeting this challenge involves the proper
the tooless production of finished goods and the mass
production of individually customized parts. implementation of rapid production
economics, mass customization, and agile
manufacturing, responds Rick Dove,
Electronic access President of Extrude Hone Corp.’s
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is ProMetalw division (www.prometal-rt.com).
available at “In order to provide mass customization
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister capability,” he explains, “the prime
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
production metrics must be satisfied, and
available at these are cost, cycle time, and quality.”
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0144-5154.htm

Improved economics

Dove claims that recent developments in

metal solid free form (SFF) technology enable
the move from prototype to production
economics. This, in turn, permits the mass
production of individually customized
Assembly Automation
products, generally referred to as mass
Volume 23 · Number 4 · 2003 · pp. 340–345
q MCB UP Limited · ISSN 0144-5154 customization. The production economics,
DOI 10.1108/01445150310501190 which permit virtually unlimited design
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David Bak Volume 23 · Number 4 · 2003 · 340–345

flexibility without tooling costs, encompass Proprietary formulations of metal powders

several cost advantages. plus patented binders, Dove claims, produce
.
Waste. Unlike subtractive machining consistent hardness readings of 30-35
processes that generate waste in the form Rockwell-C for stainless steel and bronze
of chips and unused stock, additive SSF composites, with porosity below 1.5 percent.
processes use little more material than the Resulting parts are crack and stress free.
object requires. In addition, disposal or Based on the cost model for ProMetal’s
recycling costs are avoided. largest 3D printing machine – the R10 with a
.
Inventory. Generation of objects of various build volume of 40 £ 20 £ 10 in: – Dove says
sizes from a common pool of powdered owners of ProMetal systems can generate near
material as opposed to a diverse inventory net shape metal parts and tools for as little as
of pre-sized stock cuts cost. $30 US per pound – with production quality
.
Labor. Near net shape eliminates the skills material properties (Figure 1). The model
and time needed for multi-part design, assumes that the machine is employed in a
machining, and assembly. true production environment. Operation
.
Quality control. As production is driven averages 20 h per day, 5 days per week,
by digital information, there is less 50 weeks per year. The model also assumes a
opportunity for human error. 33 percent density conversion of steel powder
.
Set-up. If a single material is used, set-up in the build box into production parts or tools.
costs are principally focused on CAD file This represents a production rate of 9 pounds
preparation and verification. These, per hour of infiltrated composite material
however, are done off-line, and do not using a 64-jet print head.
impact machine production utilization. Two beta R10s were sold last year with
Many current machines employ technologies production units scheduled to ship third
suitable for low-volume prototyping, but not quarter 2003. ProMetal’s smaller R2 machine
for rapid production. ProMetal’s approach, features an 8 £ 8 £ 6 in: build box and can
therefore, involves 3D printing. Unlike a laser produce parts for as little as $60 US per
that draws a single line to convert material, pound operating under similar conditions.
3D printers leverage their raster scan print
head architecture to greatly increase the
amount of converted material. In simple
Direct metal casting
terms, this is accomplished simply by adding
more print jets. Though not targeted for high-volume
“With 3D printing, we can generate more manufacturing directly, a new metal casting
pounds per hour,” Dove explains, “because process from Z Corporation
raster scan technology allows us to run a (www.zcorp.com) gives manufacturers the
virtually unlimited number of parallel
conversion streams.” Figure 1 Cost model for ProMetal’s R10 3D printer includes machine and
furnace capital depreciation, labor, overhead, utilities, maintenance, and
materials

Fully-functional parts
ProMetal’s 3D printing process produces
fully-functional, near net shape metal
workpieces directly from CAD files, printing
the workpiece one layer at a time from metal
powder. Once complete, parts are sent to a
vacuum furnace which burns away the binder
agent and sinters (fuses) the metal powder
particles together. If a light sintering is done,
a subsequent infiltration of bronze fills the
voids left from binder burn-off, resulting in
a 60 percent stainless steel and 40 percent
bronze composite. A heavy sintering, on the
other hand, can produce a 100 percent dense
stainless steel.
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ability to produce aluminum and other Three casting methods make up the ZCast
non-ferrous castings at high speed and low process: direct pour, the shell method, and
cost. This capability, in turn, enables users to production intent casting. With the direct
produce tooling locally – either for onsite pour method, users design cavities, cores,
casting or at a local partner foundry – to and gating directly into a mold set that will
facilitate short run rapid production needs. be 3D printed as an entire mold assembly.
The ZCaste Direct Metal Casting process After drying, the user casts metal directly into
relies on 3D printing to produce molds or the 3D printed mold set.
mold inserts from digital data, eliminating the The shell method involves designing
patterns and core box production steps of and printing mold inserts to be used in
traditional sand casting processes (Figure 2). conjunction with traditional foundry tools
Customers cast metal into these 3D printed and processes to create a mold. Typically, the
molds for prototype evaluation or fully user positions mold inserts into air set sand
functional parts. Tolerances and surface and then adds gates and venting via
finishes are consistent with sand casting; conventional process. These mold insert
accuracy is ^ 0.38 mm (0.015 in.) while shells are generally 1 cm thick, ensuring
surface finish measures 200-300 microns processing consistency, adequate strength,
untreated, or 100 microns with a mold wash. and gas permeability. Although the shell
Minimum wall thickness is 3.0 mm; minimum method requires more processing than direct
core size, 3.5-4.0 mm. pour, it can be more cost-effective on a
“When a company is producing a relatively material cost basis and fits naturally into the
low-volume part that exhibits a good degree of traditional foundry process.
complexity,” explains Z Corporation Production intent casting, the third
President Tom Clay, “the ZCast method, uses printed parts as patterns
geometry-independent ZCast process to create sand molds in combination with
becomes very attractive”. Clay points to the ZCast printed parts for mold cores (Figure 3).
example of a dispensing manifold, where the Users design foundry tooling in 3D CAD
customer required less than 50 units. and print the pattern on a Z Corporation
“Because the manifold presented a complex 3D Printer. Next, they infiltrate and backfill
tooling challenge, it was more cost-effective the pattern with epoxy to provide high
for them to produce production parts using strength for multiple purposes. The pattern
the ZCast process.” with gating mounts on a foundry plate,

Figure 2 ZCast molds and cores can be printed on a range of Z Corporation’s

Figure 3 Able to create cast metal tools from CAD data in
3D printers including the ZPrinterTM 310 System, ZWR 406 printer, and Z810
as little as 2-3 days with mold/core printing times of
large format 3D printer
3-15 h, Z Corporation’s ZCast direct metal casting system
allows cost-effective low-volume manufacture of complex
parts such as this dispensing manifold

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the sand mold is poured, and the pattern polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, and
removed. ABS.
When necessary, the user next prints the .
Selective laser sintering (SLS). SLS creates
cores for the mold in ZCast casting powder. three-dimensional objects from powdered
Mold and core are assembled and the metal is materials, including plastics and metals
poured. Standard finishing practices remove for a wide latitude in material properties.
flash. Heat from a CO2 laser – also driven by
An example of combining traditional sand the part’s CAD data – fuses or sinters the
cast methods with the ZCast process is the powder layer-by-layer within a precisely
production of a hydraulic valve body. In this controlled process chamber. Introduced
case, says Clay, the customer applied by DTM Corp., which is now owned by
traditional tooling to produce the valve 3D Systems, SLS offers parts suitable for
enclosure’s relatively simple geometry, and functional analysis and application.
ZCast for the more complex core, allowing .
Fused deposition modeling (FDM).
the cost-efficient production of hundreds of Developed and manufactured by
parts. Stratasys, Inc. (www.stratasys.com),
Offering a powder/binder material set good FDM offers functional plastic prototypes
for ferrous applications the fourth quarter with ABS, polycarbonate,
2003, ZCast is presently under trial operation polyphenylsulfone (PPSF) and other
at more than 50 sites globally – verifying an materials. Extruded as a semi-molten
observation made by industry analyst Wohlers filament, these thermoplastics are
for the rapid prototyping industry, “3D deposited on a layer-by-layer basis to
printing was a bright spot in 2002”. It also construct the prototype from 3D CAD
bolsters his prediction that while “rapid data. FDM materials are produced from
manufacturing systems with the desired custom blends of commercially available
speed, cost, and quality do not exit at present, thermoplastic resins, making material
they will in the future.” properties one of this technology’s strong
points.
Other additive RP systems such as laminated
Sidebar A object modeling (LOM) and 3D printing can
be used to process paper, ceramic, metal, and
Rapid prototype primer composites. LOM, originally brought to
Digitally-driven additive processes define the market by Helysis Corp., laser cuts the
term “rapid prototyping”. Applying periphery of successive paper or plastic film
downloaded cross-sectional data from CAD, layers. Because it does not scan the entire
CT, MRI, or handheld digitizers, rapid surface of each cross section, LOM offers
prototyping systems build three-dimensional relatively fast build times. The build material
objects layer-by-layer. Results, as the name features a thermo-setting resin glue on its
implies, are fast as well as accurate. underside. During operation, a heated roller
Applications vary from conceptual passes over each layer, bonding it to the
visualization to the functional analysis, previous one. LOM objects are machinable
depending on the system type and material structures that can be sanded, polished, and
used. The following are the best known painted.
examples of additive rapid prototyping. The 3D printing process, patented at the
.
Stereolithography (SLA). Widely used for Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
visualizing design concepts, SLA enables 1989, takes advantage of raster-scan
users to construct complex, ink-jet-like technology to form objects from
three-dimensional models one layer at a layers of powder and a jetted binder. Running
time. During operation, an ultraviolet a large number of jets in parallel allows for
laser, driven by successive slices of the high production rates. One example: The
CAD model, systematically solidifies a ProMetal division of Extrude Hone Corp.
photopolymer resin. Developed by 3D (www.prometal-rt.com) produces fully
Systems, Inc. (www.3dsystems.com), functional metal and ceramic objects directly
SLA accommodates a wide range of from CAD files. As a result, the company
photopolymer materials to approximate claims that customers can generate near-net
the characteristics of thermoplastics like shape metal parts and tools with
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production-quality material properties for short run production and even mass
significantly less cost than with competing RP customization. The following materials
methods. illustrating this trend were featured at this
Advances in such systems illustrate why year’s Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing
industry analyst and consultant Terry Wohlers Conference/Exposition, sponsored by the
predicts “a dramatic increase in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers
application of 3D printing technology, (www.sme.org), Chicago, 12-15 May.
possibly at the expense of conventional RP
ABS-like parts
systems”, as the industry develops and
When prototyping the functional model of a
matures (Figure 4). Wohlers also notes that
28-piece hairdryer designed for the consumer
while rapid prototyping has had a big impact
market, Taiwan’s Rapid Tech International
on the production of models, prototype parts,
Company Ltd opted for a new
and tooling, “companies are now extending
stereolithographic material: RenShapew SL
the application of the technology to the
7560 photopolymer from Vantico Ltd
production of finished goods, eliminating all
(www.vantico.com). Offering the appearance,
tooling”. He believes that this practice,
surface finish, and physical characteristics of
termed rapid manufacturing, may ultimately
injection-molded ABS thermoplastic, the
overshadow present rapid prototyping
rapid-build material also helped Rapid Tech
markets[1].
meet a very tight project deadline (Figure 5).
“We had considered producing the
required model from polyurethane that had
Sidebar B been cast in a silicone rubber mold, or from
CNC-machined ABS sheet” explains Ernest
Material properties promote “rapid Yen, Rapid Tech’s General Manager.
manufacturing” “A polyurethane model would have taken
For the past few years, the trend in rapid 3 weeks to produce and a CNC-machined
prototyping has been a steady improvement of model 2 weeks. We built the functional SL
existing methods like SLA, SLS, and FDM. model directly from CAD data in 3 days.”
In particular, the industry has focused on new Claimed to be the only SL photopolymer
materials development for expanded on the market that looks and feels like ABS,
performance capabilities. Such RenShape SL 7560 combines rigidity with
advancements, in turn, are helping users move durability and heat resistance. Material
from rapid prototyping applications only, to properties include a flexural modulus of

Figure 4 RP model use. Each bar reflects the relative number of responses received from those surveyed

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Figure 5 Hairdryer’s functional prototype features of engine testing by Parker Hannifin’s Racor
RenShape SL 7560 parts Division Beta-test site. Mounted onto a V8
automobile engine, the PPSF filter collected
gasses containing 1608F oil, fuel, soot, and
other combustion by-products.
“The assembly didn’t leak,” reports Parker
Hannifin’s Senior Development Engineer
Russ Jensen, “and it appeared to have the
same strength and properties as when first
assembled”.
Featuring a glass-transition temperature of
4508F (2328C), PPSF is specially developed
for the Stratasys FDM Titan system.

Composite SL resins
Since the first rapid prototyping systems were
sold more than 15 years back, manufacturers
have wished for prototypes with the accuracy
and material properties of injection molded
parts. Not only would such RP systems allow
the creation of production equivalent
components without a large investment in
tooling, they would significantly improve
turn-around times.
A composite SLA resin called ProtoTool
350,000 psi, 15 percent elongation, a 20Le, available from DSM Somos
0.7 ft lb/in. notched Izod impact strength, and (www.dsmsomos.com), moves manufacturers
heat deflection temperature of 1878F (868C) in this direction. Filled with tiny ceramic
with a postcure or 1408F (608C) without a beads, ProtoTool closely approximates the
postcure. Yen adds that the new product is stiffness of a 33 percent glass-filled Nylon 6/6,
easy to process, offering a low viscosity, fast while offering high accuracy and surface
photo speed, and high green strength. finish. In addition, a heat deflection
Because of these material properties, temperature of 5168F (2698C) is well above
RenShape SL photopolymers are also being the melting temperature of nearly all injection
used to make production parts such as molded plastics and even most common
custom-molded hearing aid shells. plastics.
Availability of an RP material offering the
Chemical- and heat-resistant components
material properties of engineered plastics plus
Claimed to have the highest operating
the surface finish and accuracy associated
temperature and toughness of any rapid
with SLA may, predicts Charles Kaufmann,
prototyping material except metals, PPSF
Manager of new business development for
from Statasys, Inc. (www.stratasys.com) is
DSM Somos USA, enable RP systems to be
currently available to aerospace, automotive,
used as low-volume and custom
and medical equipment makers. The
manufacturing systems. Potential ProtoTool
aerospace industry will likely welcome the
high-heat applications include under-hood
material’s flammability properties while
automotive components, electronic housings,
automobile manufacturers are expected to
and home appliances. High stiffness
take advantage of its petroleum resistance
applications include power tool housings and
and its ability to function at temperatures
structural components.
exceeding 4008F (2048C). Medical
equipment designers should be interested
in PPSF’s capacity to withstand sterilization
Note
in an autoclave. 1 Credit: T.A. Grimm and Associates
Recently used to model a crankcase vapor (www.tagrimm.com), and Wohlers Associates
coalescer, the PPSF material withstood 40 h (www.wohlersassociates.com).

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