Rapid Prototyping Technologies and Methods
Over the past 25-or-so years, several rapid prototyping (RP) technologies and methods have emerged – all based on the additive manufacturing concept. Rapid prototyping technologies and machines differ in terms of size, part accuracy, time of build, surface finish, and cost. Because of these great variations, rapid prototyping technologies should be considered in light of the needs of the applications being targeted.
The following provides short descriptions of the major rapid prototyping technologies and method, and their RP advantages.
Inkjet Technology
Inkjet rapid prototyping is based on a similar principle to that used in inkjet document printing. Except that instead of jetting drops of ink onto paper, the rapid prototyping method works by jetting layers of liquid photopolymer onto a build tray that are cured by UV light. The layers build up one at a time to create a 3D model, prototype or part.
Inkjet rapid prototyping offers significant RP advantages as it provides superior quality and speed, with a very wide versatility of materials. Pioneered by Objet, the company’s inkjet-based
3D printers can print 16-micron layers with a high accuracy of up to 0.1mm. Prototypes can be printed using a range of
materials offering different properties - from rubber to rigid, from transparent to opaque and from standard to engineering plastics. Objet has also introduced a range of nearly 70 materials with the ability to combine these to produce advanced composite materials and to specify up to 14 separate materials properties in a single printed model or prototype.