TIME COMPRESSION 71
Creating new opportunities to help cut costs with stereolithography
You could be mistaken for thinking that stereolithography has matured. However, Paul Stevens reports that not only are the latest innovations creating significant new opportunities, but there is also an entirely new technology that has the potential to cut production times and costs.
Il serait facile de penser que la stéréolithographie est arrivée à maturité. Mais Paul Stevens explique que les nouvelles innovations créent des opportunités importantes et qu’il existe une technologie entièrement nouvelle qui pourrait réduire les délais et les coûts de production.
Sie könnten irrtümlich annehmen, dass die Stereolithographie
ausgereift ist. Paul Stevens berichtet jedoch, dass die neuesten Innovationen nicht nur bedeutende neue Gelegenheiten schaffen, sondern es außerdem eine völlig neue Technologie gibt, die das Potenzial besitzt, Produktionszeiten und -kosten zu senken.
parts rapidly from CAD data made a significant difference to the product development process. And as well as being used for appearance appraisal, stereolithography models could be used for producing multiple replicated parts by means of investment casting, vacuum casting and other processes to enable functional testing to be performed or for the direct creation of low-volume production parts. Indeed, a limited amount of functional testing was possible with the models as manufactured by the stereolithography apparatus (SLA). In less than 10 years stereolithography has
S
evolved such that accuracy and surface finish are better, production is faster and newer resins enable tougher, more robust parts to be created. Nevertheless, the focus of attention more recently has often been on other technologies, such as 3D printing and direct laser sintering of plastic and metal parts. Despite this development of complementary or alternative rapid prototyping and manufacturing technologies, stereolithography remains a valuable process and the most recent developments warrant further investigation. 3D Systems Corporation is one of the leading
developers of stereolithography machines and materials. Towards the end of 2008 the company launched the iPro 8000 SLA Center, a mid-range, high-productivity system that offers all the performance attributes and benefits of the previous iPro SLA Precision Centers but in a smaller format and with a more compact footprint (Fig. 1). Layer thickness is 0.05 to 0.15 mm and the maximum build envelope is up to 650 x 750 x 550 mm, though different sized interchangeable resin delivery modules (RDMs) mean that the volume of resin in the RDM can be more closely matched to the size of the part(s) being built. The iPro 8000 SLA Center is
designed to build small and large parts quickly and economically with excellent surface
tereolithography was a truly amazing technology when it was first commercialised. The ability to create relatively accurate and robust
smoothness, feature resolution, edge definition and tolerances. It is claimed that parts produced on this SLA system have the same accuracy as parts produced by CNC machining. Based on 3D Systems’ patented SLA technology, the iPro 8000 SLA Center features a new-generation, proprietary Proscan digital scanning system that is equipped with a new Steadypower Imager for reliable output and repeatability. In combination with 3D Systems’ portfolio of Accura materials, this next-generation stereolithography machine is said to provide excellent part-building capabilities, improved quality control and faster, cleaner changeover between modelling materials.
Resins
3D Systems’ range of Accura resins gives users a broad choice of material properties for rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing applications:
n Accura 25 Plastic simulates the performance, properties and aesthetics of moulded polypropylene. n Accura 55 Plastic simulates the performance, appearance and feel of moulded ABS. n Accura 60 Plastic simulates the properties and appearance of clear polycarbonate. n Accura Xtreme Plastic delivers extreme performance and durability, simulating the look and feel of moulded ABS and coping with temperatures of up to 60°C. n Accura 48HTR Plastic delivers outstanding rigidity and dimensional stability in temperatures of up to 130°C. n Accura Bluestone Material is an engineered nanocomposite plastic that is claimed to deliver unparalleled stiffness in demanding jig, fixture and wind- tunnel applications. n Accura Clearvue Plastic offers excellent transparency, outstanding durability and enhanced yields and manufacturability.
Fig. 1. 3D Systems says that parts built on its compact, high-productivity iPro 8000 SLA Center have the same accuracy as parts produced by CNC machining.
www.engineerlive.com At the same time that
the iPro 8000 SLA Center was launched, 3D Systems introduced the iPro 8000 MP SLA Precision Center for manufacturing small,
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