Introduction
Rapid prototyping is an advanced manufacturing technology developed rapidly in recent years. This technology can quickly produce solid parts or models with arbitrary complex shapes from CAD data without any dies, cutters and tools, thus realizing the "die-less manufacturing" of new product development. It greatly shortens the development cycle, reduces costs and improves quality. It can automatically and quickly materialize the idea of ignorance into prototype or directly manufacture parts with certain structure and function, so as to evaluate and modify the product design quickly in response to market demand and improve the competitiveness of enterprises.
Principle of Define Rapid Prototyping Technology
Rapid prototyping is a digital prototyping technology based on discrete stacking forming. It uses discrete/stacking principle (such as solidification, bonding, welding, sintering, polymerization or other chemical reactions) to produce parts. Its working process is to obtain the path, restriction and mode of accumulation by discretization, and to "superimpose" materials to form three-dimensional entities by accumulation. First, in the CAD software system, the chieftain obtains the three-dimensional model plough or the surface data of the part entity through the measuring instrument, and then transforms the model into three-dimensional model. Secondly, the model is processed by data processing, and the CAD model is discretized along a certain direction (usually Z direction), and the plane slice is stratified.
Then the discrete layered information is combined with the information of forming process parameters and converted into the NC code to control the work of the forming machine. A three-dimensional solid part can be obtained by regularly and accurately stacking the materials controlled by a special CAM system.
Typical Rapid Prototyping Process
At present, there are more than ten methods of rapid prototyping technology, such as light curing, laminated manufacturing, laser sintering, fused deposition, mask curing, three-dimensional printing, spraying and so on. Mainstream forming methods are the first four.
Stereo lithography apparatus
Stereo lithography apparatus(SLA) is also known as stereolithography. SLA process is based on the principle of photopolymerization of liquid photosensitive resins. Under the specific wavelength and intensity of ultraviolet light irradiation, the liquid materials rapidly undergo photopolymerization, and the materials change from liquid to solid. The schematic diagram of SLA forming process is shown in Fig. 1 (a). The liquid tank is filled with liquid photosensitive resin. Under the deflection mirror, the laser beam can scan on the liquid surface. Where the light spot is scanned, the liquid solidifies. At the beginning of forming, the depth under the liquid level of the working platform is determined , and the liquid level is always out of the laser focusing plane. After focusing, the spot is scanned point by point on the liquid surface according to the instructions of the computer. It is point by point solidification. When a layer of scanning is completed, the untreated area is still liquid resin. Then the elevator drives the platform down one layer of height, and the formed layer is covered with a layer of resin. The scraper scrapes the liquid surface of the resin with high viscosity, and then scans the next layer. The newly solidified layer is firmly adhered to the former layer. This is repeated until the whole part is manufactured and a three-dimensional solid model is obtained.
Fig. 1 (a) 3.1Stereo lithography apparatus
SLA method is the most widely studied method in the field of RP technology, and it is also the most mature method in technology.
Generally, the thickness of the layer is (0.1-0.15) mm, and the precision of the formed parts is high. Years of research have improved the cross-section scanning mode and resin formability, so that the processing accuracy of the process can reach 0.1 mm, and now the highest accuracy has reached 0.05 mm. However, this method also has its own limitations, such as the need for support, resin shrinkage leading to a decline in accuracy, and photosensitive resin has a certain degree of toxicity, and so on.
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