AM UNIT 1-1

Department of civil Engineering , ADITYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Handling by
Mr. P.Uma maheswara rao. M.Tech.,
Assistant Professor
Conventional or Traditional manufacturing
Additive manufacturing
A prototype is basically a demonstration of your device (in this course, the prototype may also be the final device). It is
the fully operational version of the engineering solution, although it can be made with different materials (which are
cheaper and easier to work with) than the final version.
An approximation of a product (or system) or its components in some form for a definite purpose in its
implementation.
What is the requirement?

1.1.2 Types of Prototypes The general definition of the prototype contains three aspects of interests:
(1) the implementation of the prototype; from the entire product (or system) itself to its sub-assemblies and components,
(2) the form of the prototype; from a virtual prototype to a physical prototype, and
(3) the degree of the approximation of the prototype; from a very rough representation to an exact replication of the
product.
Historical development
Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly
using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data.
Liquid-Based
• Liquid-based RP systems have the initial form of its material in liquid
state. Through a process commonly known as curing, the liquid is
converted into the solid state. The following RP systems fall into this
category
• (1) 3D Systems’ Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA)
• (2) Cubital’s Solid Ground Curing (SGC)
• (3) Sony’s Solid Creation System (SCS)
• (4) CMET’s Solid Object Ultraviolet-Laser Printer (SOUP)
• (5) Autostrade’s E-Darts
• (6) Teijin Seiki’s Soliform System
(7) Meiko’s Rapid Prototyping System for the Jewelry Industry
(8) Denken’s SLP
(9) Mitsui’s COLAMM
(10) Fockele & Schwarze’s LMS
(11) Light Sculpting
(12) Aaroflex
(13) Rapid Freeze
(14) Two Laser Beams
(15) Microfabrication
• Solid-Based
Except for powder, solid-based RP systems are meant to encompass all forms
of material in the solid state. In this context, the solid form can include the
shape in the form of a wire, a roll, laminates and pellets. The following RP
systems fall into this definition
(1) Cubic Technologies’ Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM)
(2) Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
(3) Kira Corporation’s Paper Lamination Technology (PLT)
(4) 3D Systems’ Multi-Jet Modeling System (MJM)
(5) Solidscape’s Model Maker and Pattern Master
(6) Beijing Yinhua’s Slicing Solid Manufacturing (SSM), Melted Extrusion
Modeling (MEM) and Multi-Functional RPM Systems (M-RPM)
• (7) CAM-LEM’s CL 100
• (8) Ennex Corporation’s Offset Fabbers
Two methods are possible for solid-based RP systems. RP systems (1),

(3), (4) and (9) belong to the Cutting and Glueing/Joining method, while
the Melting and Solidifying/Fusing method used RP systems (2), (5), (6),
(7) and (8).
• Powder-Based
In a strict sense, powder is by-and-large in the solid state. However, it is
intentionally created as a category outside the solid-based RP systems to
mean powder in grain-like form. The following RP systems fall into this
definition:
(1) 3D Systems’s Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
(2) EOS’s EOSINT Systems
(3) Z Corporation’s Three-Dimensional Printing (3DP)
(4) Optomec’s Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS)
(5) Soligen’s Direct Shell Production Casting (DSPC)
LIQUID-BASED RAPID PROTOTYPING SYSTEMS

Liquid-based RP systems have the initial form of its material in liquid state. Through a
process commonly known as curing, the liquid is converted into the solid state.
Principle
The SLA process is based fundamentally on the following principles
[3]: (1) Parts are built from a photo-curable liquid resin that cures when
exposed to a laser beam (basically, undergoing the photopolymerization
process) which scans across the surface of the resin.
(2) The building is done layer by layer, each layer being scanned by the
optical scanning system and controlled by an elevation mechanism
which lowers at the completion of each layer.
polymer?
A polymer is any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of

very large molecules, called macromolecules, which are multiples of
simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the
materials in living organisms and are the basis of many minerals and man-
made materials.
There are many types of liquid photopolymers that can be solidified by exposure to electro-magnetic radiation, including
wavelengths in the gamma rays, X-rays, UV and visible range, or electron-beam (EB) [4, 5].
The vast majority of photopolymers used in the commercial RP systems, including 3D Systems’ SLA machines are curable in
the UV range.
UV-curable photopolymers are resins which are formulated from photo initiators and reactive liquid monomers. There are a
large variety of them and some may contain fillers and other chemical modifiers to meet specified chemical and mechanical
requirements [6]. The process through which photopolymers are cured is referred to as the photo polymerization
process.
Photo polymerization,
Process
3D Systems’ stereolithography process creates three-dimensional
plastic objects directly from CAD data. The process begins with
the vat filled with the photo-curable liquid resin and the elevator
table set just below the surface of the liquid resin.
The operator loads a three-dimensional CAD solid model file into

the system. Supports are designed to stabilize the part during
building. The translator converts the CAD data into a STL file.
The control unit slices the model andsupport into a series of cross
sections from 0.025 to 0.5 mm (0.001 to 0.020 in) thick.
The computer-controlled optical scanning system then directs

and focuses the laser beam so that it solidifies a two
dimensional cross-section corresponding to the slice on the
surface of the photo-curable liquid resin to a depth greater than
one layer thickness.
The elevator table then drops enough to cover the solid polymer
with another layer of the liquid resin.
A leveling wiper or vacuum blade (for ZephyrTM recoating

system) moves across the surfaces to recoat the next layer of
resin on the surface.
The laser then draws the next layer. This process continues
building the part from bottom up, until the system completes the
part. The part is then raised out of the vat and cleaned of excess
polymer.
laser and laser scanning

The important component of the building process is the laser and its optical scanning system.
The key to the strength of the SLA is its ability to rapidly direct focused radiation of appropriate power
and wavelength onto the surface of the liquid photopolymer resin, forming patterns of solidified
photopolymer according to the cross-sectional data generated by the computer [10].
In the SLA, a laser beam with a specified power and wavelength is sent through a beam expanding
telescope to fill the optical aperture of a pair of cross axis, galvanometer driven, beam scanning mirrors.
These form the optical scanning system of the SLA.
The beam comes to a focus on the surface of a liquid photopolymer, curing a predetermined depth of the
resin after a controlled time of exposure (inversely proportional to the laser scanning speed).
The solidification of the liquid resin depends on the energy per unit area (or
“exposure”) deposited during the motion of the focused spot on the surface of the
photopolymer.
There is a threshold exposure that must be exceeded for the photopolymer to solidify.
To maintain accuracy and consistency during part building using the SLA, the cure
depth and the cured line width must be controlled. As such, accurate exposure and
focused spot size become essential.
Parameters which influence performance and functionality of the parts are the physical
and chemical properties of the resin, the speed and resolution of the optical scanning
system, the power, wavelength and type of the laser used, the spot size of the laser, the
recoating system, and the post-curing process.
Models and Specifications

• 3D Systems produces a wide range of machines to cater to various part
sizes and throughput.
• There are several models available, including those in the series of
SLA 250/30A, SLA 250/50, SLA-250/50HR, SLA 3500, SLA 5000,
SLA 7000 and Viper si2
• The SLA 250/30A is an economical and versatile SLA starter system
that uses a Helium Cadmium (He–Cd) laser
• For bigger build envelopes, the SLA 3500, SLA 5000 and SLA 7000
are available
Advantages and Disadvantages
• The main advantages of using SLA are:
(1) Round the clock operation. The SLA can be used continuously and
unattended round the clock.
(2) Good user support. The computerized process serves as a good user support.
(3) Build volumes. The different SLA machines have build volumes ranging
from small to large to suit the needs of different users.
(4) Good accuracy. The SLA has good accuracy and can thus be used for many
application areas.
(5) Surface finish. The SLA can obtain one of the best surface finishes amongst
RP technologies.
(6) Wide range of materials. There is a wide range of materials, from general-
purpose materials to specialty materials for specific applications
The main disadvantages of using SLA :
• Requires support structures.
Structures that have overhangs and undercuts must have supports that
are designed and fabricated together with the main structure.
• Requires post-processing.
Post-processing includes removal of supports and other unwanted
materials, which is tedious, time consuming and can damage the model.
• Requires post-curing.
Post-curing may be needed to cure the object completely and ensure the
integrity of the structure.
Applications
• The SLA technology provides manufacturers with cost justifiable methods
for reducing time to market, lowering product development costs, gaining
greater control of their design process and improving product design.
• The range of applications include:

(1) Models for conceptualization, packaging and presentation.
(2) Prototypes for design, analysis, verification and functional testing.
(3) Parts for prototype tooling and low volume production tooling.
(4) Patterns for investment casting, sand casting and molding.
(5) Tools for fixture and tooling design, and production tooling
Case studies:
Refer Text Book 49 to 53

Solid ground curing (SGC) is a photo-polymer-based additive

manufacturing (or 3D printing) technology used for producing models,
prototypes, patterns, and production parts, in which the production of the layer
geometry is carried out by means of a high-powered UV lamp through a mask.
3.2.4 Principle of Solid ground curing (SGC)
It creates highly physical models directly from computerized

three-dimensional data files. Parts of any geometric complexity
can be produced without tools, dies or molds by Cubital’s RP
technology. The process is based on the following principles:
(1) Parts are built, layer by layer, from a liquid photopolymer

resin that solidifies when exposed to UV light.
The photopolymerization process is similar to that described in

Section 3.1.4, except that the irradiation source is a high power
collimated UV lamp and the image of the layer is generated by
masked illumination instead of optical scanning of a laser beam.
The mask is created from the CAD data input and “printed” on a transparent substrate (the mask plate) by an nonimpact
ionographic printing process, a process similar to the Xerography process used in photocopiers and laser printers [15].
The image is formed by depositing black powder, a toner which adheres to the substrate electrostatically. This is used to mask
the uniform illumination of the UV lamp. After exposure, the electrostatic toner is removed from the substrate for reuse and
the pattern for the next layer is similarly “printed” on the substrate.
(2) Multiple parts may be processed and built in parallel by grouping them into batches (runs) using Cubital’s proprietary
software.
(3) Each layer of a multiple layer run contains cross-sectional slices of one or many parts. Therefore, all slices in one layer
are created simultaneously. Layers are created thicker than desired. This is to allow the layer to be milled precisely to its
exact thickness, thus giving overall control of the vertical accuracy. This step also produces a roughened surface of cured
photopolymer, assisting adhesion of the next layer to it. The next layer is then built immediately on the top of the created
layer.
(4) The process is self-supporting and does not require the addition of external support structures to emerging parts since
continuous structural support for the parts is provided by the use of wax, acting as a solid support material.
3.2.3.3 Model Making

In this step, a thin layer of photopolymer resin is spread on the
work surface (see item 2, Figure 3.6).
The photo mask from the mask generator is placed in close

proximity above the workpiece, and aligned under a collimated
UV lamp (item 3).
The UV light is turned on for a few seconds (item 4).
The part of the resin layer which is exposed to the UV light

through the photo mask is hardened.
Note that the layers laid down for exposure to the lamp are
actually thicker than the desired thickness. This is to allow for
the final milling process.
The unsolidified resin is then collected from the workpiece

(item 5).
This is done by vacuum suction. Following that, melted wax is

spread into the cavities created after collecting the liquid resin
(item 6).
Consequently, the wax in the cavities is cooled to produce a

wholly solid layer. Finally, the layer is milled to its exact
thickness, producing a flat solid surface ready to receive the
next layer (item 7).
In the SGC 5600, an additional step (item 8) is provided for

final curing of the layer whereby the workpiece travels under a
powerful longitudinal UV lamp. The cycle repeats itself until
the final layer is completed.
3.2.2 Products 3.2.2.1 Models and Specifications

Cubital’s products include the Solider 4600 and
Solider 5600. The Solider 4600 is Cubital’s entry
level three-dimensional model making system based
on Solid Ground Curing. The Solider 5600,
Cubital’s sophisticated high-end system, provides a
wider range and options for the varied modeling
demands of Solid Ground Curing. Table 3.2
summarizes the specifications of the two machines.
Advantages and Disadvantages The Solider system has the following advantages:
(1) Parallel processing. The process is based on instant, simultaneous curing of a whole cross-sectional layer area (rather than
point-bypoint curing). It has a high speed throughput that is about eight times faster than its competitors. Its production costs
can be 25% to 50% lower. It is a time and cost saving process.
(2) Self-supporting. It is user-friendly, fast, and simple to use. It has a solid modeling environment with unlimited geometry. The
solid wax supports the part in all dimensions and therefore a support structure is not required.
(3) Fault tolerance. It has good fault tolerances. Removable trays allow job changing during a run and layers are erasable.
(4) Unique part properties. The part that the Solider system produces is reliable, accurate, sturdy, machinable, and can be
mechanically finished.
(5) CAD to RP software. Cubital’s RP software, Data Front End (DFE), processes solid model CAD files before they are
transferred to the Cubital’s machines. The DFE is an interactive and userfriendly software.
(6) Minimum shrinkage effect. This is due to the full curing of every layer.
(7) High structural strength and stability. This is due to the curing process that minimizes the development of internal stresses in
the structure. As a result, they are much less brittle.
(8) No hazardous odors are generated. The resin stays in a liquid state for a very short time, and the uncured liquid is wiped off
immediately. Thus safety is considerably higher.

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Department of civil Engineering , ADITYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Conventional or Traditional manufacturing

What is the requirement?

Two methods are possible for solid-based RP systems. RP systems (1),

LIQUID-BASED RAPID PROTOTYPING SYSTEMS

A polymer is any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of

The operator loads a three-dimensional CAD solid model file into

The computer-controlled optical scanning system then directs

A leveling wiper or vacuum blade (for ZephyrTM recoating

laser and laser scanning

Models and Specifications

• The range of applications include:

Refer Text Book 49 to 53

Solid ground curing (SGC) is a photo-polymer-based additive

3.2.4 Principle of Solid ground curing (SGC)

It creates highly physical models directly from computerized

(1) Parts are built, layer by layer, from a liquid photopolymer

The photopolymerization process is similar to that described in

3.2.3.3 Model Making

The photo mask from the mask generator is placed in close

The UV light is turned on for a few seconds (item 4).

The part of the resin layer which is exposed to the UV light

The unsolidified resin is then collected from the workpiece

This is done by vacuum suction. Following that, melted wax is

Consequently, the wax in the cavities is cooled to produce a

In the SGC 5600, an additional step (item 8) is provided for

3.2.2 Products 3.2.2.1 Models and Specifications

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