MANUFACTURING
CAPITALIZE ON RAPID
Navigating the various rapid manufacturing methods can be daunting, but the results they bring are straightforward.
W SHANNON WETZEL, SENIOR EDITOR
hen a designer wants a part fast, there’s no shortage of methods—or terms—for delivering them quickly. It’s not uncommon to hear the terms rapid prototyping (RP), rapid manufacturing, rapid casting and rapid tooling all used to describe the acquisition of components within a shortened time frame. “When I think of rapid proto-
typing, I think of the fastest way to get from point A to point B using all the tools in your toolbox, such as additive layering and subtractive processes like CNC milling and turning,” said Reg Gustafson, project manager for Clinkenbeard & Associates, Rockford, Ill. “If the casting process cannot deliver quickly enough, there is the op- tion to machine hog-outs from solid stock in aluminum, iron, steel—any material
which is available in solid stock.” Another industry engineer views
rapid prototyping as acquiring the positive of a part. Te geometry is the same, but the material may not be. “Some processes, such as selective laser sintering (SLS) will produce metal parts, but other processes, such as fused deposition modeling, can produce plastic parts that can provide some of the capabilities of the end material and show how it fits within the whole assembly,” said David Poweleit, who has worked as application engineer with the American Metalcasting Consortium.
Nov/Dec 2011 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 41
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