Inventive Design: Rapid Prototyping

Prototyping

SLA - Overview

For very accurate form/fit prototypes or when a pattern quality surface finish is required the stereolithography (SLA) process is the industry standard. SLA can produce parts in a clear rigid pattern material, SOMOS-11120, or a flexible material, SOMOS-8110, which simulates flexible thermoplastics such as polypropylene. The SLA process uses a UV laser to selectively cure an epoxy photopolymer into a solid object. SLA prototypes are finished and delivered in days after receipt of the CAD data.

SLS - Overview

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is another process, with a wider range of material than SL. SLS can produce highly complex parts from materials such as metal, plastic, ceramic, and sand. The material in powdered form is deposited on a platform, and a carbon dioxide (CO 2) laser is used to selectively melt or sinter powder into the desired shape for each layer. The layers are lowered on a platform, with loose powder around the growing structure acting as a support for the top powder layer. The strength and porosity of the material can be controlled by adjusting various process parameters, such as laser scanning speed and power. Products have ranged from turbine rotors to medical inserts.

Main reasons of Rapid Prototyping

•	To increase effective communication.
•	To decrease development time.
•	To decrease costly mistakes.
•	To minimize sustaining engineering changes.
•	To extend product lifetime by adding necessary features and eliminating redundant features early in the design.

Rapid Prototyping decreases development time by allowing corrections to a product to be made early in the process. By giving engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and purchasing a look at the product early in the design process, mistakes can be corrected and changes can be made while they are still inexpensive. The trends in manufacturing industries continue to emphasize the following:

•	Increasing number of variants of products.
•	Increasing product complexity.
•	Decreasing product lifetime before obsolescence.
•	Decreasing delivery time.

Rapid Prototyping improves product development by enabling better communication in a concurrent engineering environment.

If you want to receive a free quotation and evaluation of your Rapid Product Development project, please visit our RFQ section and upload your CAD data together with your requirements.