RAPID PROTOTYPING

 

This paper deals with” RAPID PROTOTYPING” as in conventional machining process. Rapid prototyping refer to creation of three-dimensional objects directly from CAD files. And it is the automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication. System of rapid prototyping to a set of processes in which the physical object is obtained directly from its cad model without explicitly going through the various steps of manufacturing which includes tooling and material removal. Rapid prototyping system using base materials are thermoplastics, metal powders, eutectic metals, photopolymer, titanium alloys and various materials. It advantages is offers direct manufacturing from cad files and sketches and paperless manufacturing, very past development of functional parts is possible, it offers greater capability to compute mass properties of components and assemblies.

 INDRODUCTION

              Rapid prototyping starts with quick creation of manufacturing ready, CAD models; continues to verify the design using CAE (computer aided engineering) tools.the first techniques for rapid prototyping became available in the late 1980s and were used to produce models and prototypes parts. Today, they are used for a much wider range of applications and are even used to manufacture production quality parts in relatively small numbers. Some sculptors use the technology to produce complex shapes for fine arts exihibition.In rapid prototyping,the machine reads in data from a CAD drawing and lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material, and in this way builds up the model from a series of cross sections.

 

PROTOTYPING

Prototyping can resolve uncertainty about how well a design fits the user's needs. It helps designers to make decisions by obtaining information from users about the necessary functionality of the system, user help needs, a suitable sequence of operations, and the look of the interface.

PROTOTYPING METHODS

Various kinds of prototyping have been developed to obtain different kinds of information such as requirements animation, rapid, incremental, and evolutionary prototyping.

v Requirements animation, in most cases used to demonstrate functionally, is construed in the software prototype that can be assessed by users. 

v Rapid prototyping is a form of collecting information on requirements and on the adequacy of possible designs.

v Incremental prototyping enables large systems to be installed in phases to avoid delays between specification and delivery.

v Prototyping evolutionary considered to be the most involved form of prototyping, is a compromise between production and prototyping.

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