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Quick Start for Rapid Prototyping
polymer. Though large manufacturers increasingly have rapid-prototyping capabilities in house, smaller firms generally work with service bureaus to obtain fast prototyping. Here are some things to keep in mind when working these outside vendors. What you send the service bureau 2D drawings, CAD files
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Stereolithography (SLA): The Pioneer in Rapid Prototyping
Stereolithography (SLA) is often considered the pioneer of the Rapid Prototyping industry with the first commercial system introduced in 1988 by 3D Systems. The system consists of an Ultra-Violet Laser, a vat of photo-curable liquid resin, and a controlling system.
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Stereolithography and RTV Mold Videos
This computer-generated animation demonstrates the actions of the SLA machine. The laser can be seen tracing each layer of the part, as the part is lowered into the resin. The completed part is then raised out of the resin tank, ready to be used. Rapid Prototyping Videos, RTV/Stereolithography
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Rapid Prototyping/Rapid Tooling - Validate the Design First with Rapid Prototyping - 05/07
with full geometry has become an essential part of the moldmaking process for today's mold builders. Nobody can afford to make mistakes up front, which will take big dollars to fix later. The majority of rapid prototyping involves the use of two common rapid prototyping processes: stereolithography (SLA
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Rapid-prototyping resin good enough for wind-tunnel tests
A heavily filled composite stereo-lithography (SL) resin from DSM Somos, Elgin, Ill., let the Italian rapid-prototyping service bureau Provel s.r.l. test a scaled prototype of the M346 trainer aircraft in a wind tunnel. A scale model of the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 trainer was built in several
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Rapid parts for the long haul
the Proto-Therm 12120 photopolymer a prime candidate for rapid prototyping and functional testing at elevated temperature and high humidity. And its outstanding resistance to aging without deterioration in mechanical strength makes it suitable for rapid production applications. Postcure and conditioning
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Selecting a Rapid-Service Bureau
soup. You have an idea -- and it's your "baby." But of the hundreds of rapid-prototyping (RP) firms that will be vying to make the prototype of your baby, how do you know which to trust? The notion of form following function is only as good as the appropriateness of the RP process and material
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Rapid 2008: Manufacturing Blends with Design
Attendees at the recent Rapid Manufacturing Show in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., "kicked the tires" of the latest technologies in rapid prototyping and manufacturing for medical, aerospace, and consumer industries. For additive techniques, "rapid" is a bit of a misnomer because the manufacturing