Blogs/News/PSAs

Talk about Application of Rapid Prototyping Technology in Jewelry Design Briefly

With the development of science and technology, the application of computer technology has been widely used in our life, and the field of jewelry design is no exception. Laser welding, laser marking, numerical control processing, rapid prototyping and other technologies have made tremendous changes in jewelry design and processing. Among them, Rapid Prototyping Manufacturing (RPM), a high-tech manufacturing technology considered as a major achievement in the manufacturing field in the past two decades, has a particularly rapid development momentum. It not only improves the efficiency of jewelry design and processing, but also has a profound impact on jewelry design.

Rapid prototyping technology was born in the late 1980s. It is a part prototype manufacturing technology which integrates the latest achievements of mechanical engineering, CAD/CAM technology, reverse engineering technology, layered manufacturing technology, laser technology, numerical control technology and new materials. Generally speaking, jewelry rapid prototyping technology uses three-dimensional CAD data to stack layers of materials into solid prototypes through rapid prototyping machines. It is different from the traditional "removal" processing method. It uses a new "growth" processing method. Its basic principle is to decompose the complex three-dimensional processing into the superposition of simple two-dimensional processing, so it is also called "laminated manufacturing". It can automatically, directly, quickly and accurately transform design ideas into prototypes with certain functions or directly produce parts, thus providing an efficient and low-cost means for prototyping and verification of new design ideas. There are more than ten kinds of rapid prototyping methods, including SLA, SLS, LCM and FDM.

At present, fused deposition moulding (FDM) and light curing (SLA) are widely used in the field of jewelry. Fused Deposition Molding (FDM) is a method that melts low melting point and low material, sprays out through the nozzle, controls the nozzle to move on the two-dimensional guideway by computer. The nozzle moves along the layered contour and solidifies the material to obtain a thin layer. Through the accumulation of different section contour layers, a three-dimensional solid model is finally formed. SLA uses liquid photosensitive resin as raw material. Under the control of computer, the ultraviolet laser scans the liquid resin point by point according to the contour track of the layered section of jewelry, which causes the resin thin layer in the scanned area to produce photopolymerization (curing) reaction, thus forming a thin section of jewelry. After the liquid photosensitive resin curing layer in a scanned area is completed, the worktable drops one layer. The cured resin surface is scanned and cured repeatedly after being coated with a new layer of liquid resin, so that each layer is adhered to each other repeatedly until the whole part is cured. Compared with traditional jewelry production methods, these technologies not only improve the efficiency of jewelry production, reduce the intensity of labor, but also further improve the accuracy of model plate producing. These advantages undoubtedly makes jewelry production better. Similarly, as an excellent jewelry work, from conception design to production completion, design is a particularly critical step. Today, rapid prototyping technology is popular, and it also affects the development of jewelry design in all aspects.

Give Jewelry Design More Material Selection Possibility

In the past, people used to think of gold, silver, gemstone and other materials in jewelry. With the development of technology, taking 3D printing in rapid prototyping technology as an example, the materials used include polymer materials, metal materials, ceramic materials and composite materials. Because of the relatively fine effect and low cost of 3D printing technology, and the unique texture and plasticity of the material presented by this technology, many jewelry artists and designers now choose to use polymers commonly used in 3D printers as design materials. For example, Svenja John, a pioneer artist in the use of digital technology, has studied computer control technology since 1963. In 1994, Svenja John began to cut polycarbonate into parts by using CAD technology. It is processed and colored to form geometric jewelry with other parts. Later, she used rapid prototyping technology and combined her design with printers that can print different materials and colors at the same time. Color polycarbonate is reorganized by order but accidental. Her works always radiate an incredible vitality, because she skillfully combines artistry and technology, giving new materials unique artistic language. Svenja John said: "I don't want to use synthetic materials as simple decorative or cheap alternatives, but to explore and use the advantages and uniqueness of synthetic materials. Synthetic materials can be colorful, brilliant transparent texture, or elegant semi-transparent sandy texture, which is a medium to give people a real feeling and transmit real touch.

Enrich the formal expression of jewelry design

Whether in the process of jewelry design or the presentation of design results, rapid prototyping technology has become one of the most effective assistants. Compared with the traditional way of drawing design drawings or making samples according to sketches, rapid prototyping technology can construct models and proofing accurately in a shorter time. In the form of design results, rapid prototyping technology gives jewelry design unlimited possibilities. Standard symmetrical jewelry is the best rapid prototyping technology, and stereo, multi-layer, hollow and other complex modeling, it is absolutely difficult to invert rapid prototyping technology. Moreover, according to the characteristics of computer software required by rapid prototyping technology, many elements with digital traces have been brought into jewelry design. Through the design of 3D printing technology, the texture of digital traces on the surface can also be said to be decoration, and it is also an important element of the overall modeling. This is reflected in many designs after the maturity of computer technology.

It can be said that if rapid prototyping technology does not appear, it is estimated that designer Maria Eife will not be a hit. Maria Eife is a veteran player of rapid prototyping technology, and she has been fascinated by the innovation and reconstruction of existing jewelry forms. Her design often has traces of traditional jewelry, but the design is exaggerated and modern. According to her experience, it's very difficult to make her jewelry in other ways. Maria Eife said: "The shapes I create are often impossible or difficult to create in other ways. Some of my designs tend to be too heavy or expensive if they are made in other ways. "It is undeniable that rapid prototyping technology gives designers more freedom of creation and formal expression.

Provide new creative ideas for jewelry design

Design concept is the soul of jewelry works. Excellent jewelry works can not leave input and excavation of design ideas and connotations of Designers. Rapid prototyping technology not only provides efficient and convenient production, but also brings new creative ideas for jewelry design. For example, the work of Professor Wang Xiaoxin, of Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University uses rapid prototyping technology. In the shape of metal form, the neat arrangement of human body group images, with the combination of jade articles and people, reflects the cultural connotation of "harmony of heaven and man". Its deep deconstruction and reconstruction of "harmony" culture is shown in the carrier of jade ritual ware. The design concept of this work originates from tradition, but the method of expression is modern. This design idea of combining traditional concept with modern language has also been developed and realized with the maturity of rapid prototyping technology.

Rapid prototyping technology not only attracts jewelry designers, but also inspires the visual artist Beate Eismann who is interested in jewelry design. She has produced a series of jewelry works by using rapid prototyping technology such as 3D printing and computer control technology. Beate Eismann has devoted herself to digital design and production for many years. There is a recurring theme in her research over the years: the printing technology of the past and the present. It can be said to be a new way of thinking in her creation. Therefore, she combines the printing plate of jewelry with modern technology and puts forward the concept of the relationship between the original and the copy. This concept combined with 3D printing made her feel like drawing in a space. In this process, she discovered the interaction between handcrafting and computer control, an experimental space for the combination of traditional materials and new materials. The research of rapid prototyping technology makes her creation success. Her works give people a surreal feeling, like "hybrid" living works. Inspired by a project in 2016 and combined with 3D printing, Beate Eisman began exploring and experimenting with intelligent materials. This spring-like creative thinking is developed from the deep study of rapid prototyping technology and the requirement of self-creation and perfection.

HASCO is a leading European manufacturing company for moulding services and moulds, and is considered to be the standard maker for European moulds. The company recently developed a Quick-Change Mold System. This enables injection moulding manufacturers to quickly and effectively replace their moulds to reduce the time and cost of resetting their machines. Mould printed by Stratasys 3D Printer makes the whole process cheaper. It can make cnc prototyping china samples faster and cheaper, or make small batch production with reasonable cost.

Duch Group provide customers with competitive solutions such as rapid prototype, mass production, small batch production, 3D printing, mold making, and injection molding. With more than 20 years of extensive production experience in the china rapid prototype suppliers, it is the world's largest rapid prototyping service company.

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.

HASCO is a leading European manufacturing company for moulding services and moulds, and is considered to be the standard maker for European moulds. The company recently developed a Quick-Change Mold System. This enables injection moulding manufacturers to quickly and effectively replace their moulds to reduce the time and cost of resetting their machines. Mould printed by Stratasys 3D Printer makes the whole process cheaper. It can make cnc prototyping china samples faster and cheaper, or make small batch production with reasonable cost.

Duch Group provide customers with competitive solutions such as rapid prototype, mass production, small batch production, 3D printing, mold making, and injection molding. With more than 20 years of extensive production experience in the china rapid prototype suppliers, it is the world's largest fast prototyping service company.

Rapid prototyping is a kind of professional manufacturing technology that is used to produce high-quality entity models of three-dimensional designs. Prototypes are useful for design improvements and can be used as stepping stones for comprehensive production or engineering testing. With the plastic rapid prototyping , you can manufacture parts or the products to test for the component fit and function. According to the analysis results, you can make further adjustments (about the design, shape, materials, etc.) before the products finally enter the market. It can help you effectively save time and costs. A lot of our customers need to manufacture a entity component quickly to verify the feasibility of a design or a part. Nowadays, various kinds of rapid prototyping processes are available. You can choose the process which best suits your needs. With only thirty years around of development, rapid prototyping technology, as its name implies, has already been widely used in many areas. Meanwhile, the silicone rapid prototyping services are still growing at a fast speed.

Different Rapid Prototyping Processes

Prototypes can be made through different rapid prototyping processes. With thirty years around of development, a variety of prototype manufacturing processes are available. In addition, they are continuing to evolve. Since companies or customers have different requirements and demands, different types of rapid prototyping processes will be chosen. So how does rapid prototyping work? Reading the following contents and you will know which rapid prototyping service suits you best.

SLA （StereoLithography）

Description: SLA is a photo-curing molding technology, which refers to the method of forming three-dimensional solid layer by layer through the polymerization reaction of liquid photosensitive resin by ultraviolet irradiation. The work piece prepared by SLA has high dimensional accuracy and is the earliest commercial 3D printing technology.

Printing Material: Photosensitive Resin

Strength: photosensitive resin is insufficient in toughness and strength and is easily broken. At the same time, under high temperature conditions, the printed parts are easy to bend and deform, and the bearing capacity is insufficient.

Features of finished product: SLA printed workpieces have good details and smooth surface, which can be colored by spray painting and other processes.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Description:SLS is a selective laser sintering technology, similar to SLM technology. The difference is the laser power. It is a rapid prototyping method that uses infrared laser as a heat source to sinter powder materials and form three-dimensional parts layer-by-layer.

Printing Material:Nylon powder, PS powder, PP powder, metal powder, ceramic powder, resin sand and coated sand (common printing materials: nylon powder, nylon plus glass fiber)

Strength:material performance is better than ABS products, and the strength and toughness are excellent.

Features of finished product:the finished product has superior mechanical properties and is suitable for direct production of measurement models, functional models and small batch of plastic parts. The disadvantage is that the precision is not high, the surface of the prototype is relatively rough, and it is generally required to be polished by hand, sprayed with glass beads, ash, oil and other post-processing.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

Description: FDM is a melt lamination technology, that uses high temperature to melt materials, extrudes them into filaments through the print head, and builds up on component platform. FDM is the simplest and most common 3D printing technology, which is commonly used in desktop 3D printing devices.

Printing Material：usually ABS or PLA wire

Strength: PLA is brittle,its surface hardness is higher, and it is easier to break when bending. ABS parts are more resilient than PLA parts, and are easy to bend rather than break under pressure. Moreover, ABS has higher strength, better plasticity, and easier post-processing.

Features of finished product: the printing layer is thick, the precision is poor, and the stratification of the surface is very obvious. Under high temperature conditions, the printed parts are easy to bend and deform, and the bearing capacity is insufficient.

CNC

Description: CNC machining is a subtractive manufacturing process in which the software control system issues instructions to make the tool perform various required movements. In this process, various precision tools are used to remove the raw materials and make parts or products.

Materials: CNC processing materials are quite extensive, including plastics and metals. Plastic hand model materials are: ABS, acrylic, PP, PC, POM, nylon, bakelite, etc.; Metal hand model materials are: aluminum, aluminum Magnesium alloy, aluminum zinc alloy, copper, steel, iron, etc.

Strength: different materials have different strengths and are difficult to list

Features of finished product: CNC machined parts have a smooth surface, high dimensional accuracy, and the best compactness, and there are a variety of post-processing options.

Vacuum Casting

Description: vacuum casting technology is to use the prototype (rapid prototyping parts, CNC hand parts) to make a silicone mold under vacuum condition. It also uses PU, ABS and other materials to pour, so as to clone the same copy with the product prototype.

Material: ABS, PU, PVC, silicone, transparent ABS

Strength: the strength and hardness are lower than the CNC hand parts. Common PU material is relatively brittle, toughness and high temperature resistance are poor. ABS has higher strength, better plasticity, and easier post-processing.

Features of finished product: easy to shrink and deform; the accuracy is generally only 0.2mm. In addition, the vacuum casting hand parts can only resist high temperature of about 60 degrees, and is lower than CNC hand parts in strength and hardness.

Advantages of Rapid Prototyping

High degree of automation in forming process

Precise entity replication

High dimensional accuracy. Dimensional accuracy can be up to±0.1mm

Excellent surface quality

Unlimited design space

No assembly required

Fast forming speed and shorter delivery time

Saving raw materials

Improving product design

Duch Group Provides:

Complete process equipment: we are the only independent manufacturer with large scale in China and can provide both small batch and large batch production services for subtractive manufacturing and additive manufacturing. We have self-developed high-speed intelligent 3D printing equipment, large CNC machining center, vacuum casting machine, low-pressure perfusion and other advanced equipment as well as post-processing production lines such as polishing, painting and so on.

Leading technology: with the latest technology in the world, four world-first 3D printing technology can be diversified, rapid, low-cost, accelerate the research and development speed of enterprise products, and achieve world-class production capacity.

One-stop 3d printing service: 3D printing integrated solution provider, with product development and service output capabilities from equipment, software, materials to cloud printing, can provide global users one-stop service from product design and development to final mass production.

Application of Rapid Prototyping

Shoemaking

3D printing is advancing the revolution of shoemaking industry with the aim of reducing costs, reducing outsourcing, greatly increasing flexibility and preparing for the era of personalized customization and tailoring. Whether through our on-demand production services or our advanced 3D printers, Vistar is happy to participate in this new industrial revolution with our customers.

Medical

It has a high requirement on accuracy and reliability related to the R&D and production of the medical industry. Vistar 3D printing has earned the support and trust from many hospitals and other medical clients through the advantages of on-demand manufacturing service.

Fashion and Cultural Creative

The additive manufacturing provides an entirely new medium for artists that can almost realize any idea. For the fashion designer, Vistar’ production solutions creat an exciting new age which has enabled designers to gain significant on product launches and personalization.

Automobile

The developed at top speed and innovation of the automotive industry is highly compatible with Vistar's manufacturing innovation. 3D printing and related technologies can significantly reduce time to market, as well as make the personalized customization possible.

Dentistry

3D printing technology is becoming more and more mature and popular in the dental market. The total value of dental components manufactured by 3D printing solution exceeded 4 billion US dollars in 2016. The era of digital dentistry is just beginning and Vistar can help you transition easily.

Electronic Product

Diversified electronic industry technology update with a high speed, but Vistar has always been able to adapt to this rhythm and provide customers with required services. Whether it's making new models quickly or making advanced stereo curable 3D printers, you'll be able to make your bold and subtle design more powerful.

Future of Rapid Prototyping

The development of equipment to large-scale

Diversification of Materials development

From the ground to space

Deep space exploration

Benefit thousands of households

Duch Group Provides customers with competitive solutions such as china 3d prototyping , mass production, small batch production, 3D printing, mold making, and injection molding. With more than 20 years of extensive production experience in the rapid prototyping industry, it is the world's largest rapid prototyping service company.

What is CNC Machining?

CNC machine offered by cnc machining companies in china is commonly used in manufacturing and industrial production. But exactly what is CNC machining?

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining is a kind of subtractive manufacturing process. In CNC manufacturing, the software control system issues commands to make the tool meet the required movements. In this process,various precision tools are used to remove layers of raw materials and make parts or products. Therefore, it can also be called cnc precision machining.

Types of CNC Machining

Three-axis CNC machining

The 3-axis machining is performed by straight lines to the axes X, Y, and Z. 

Machining features: the cutting tool orientation remains constant during movement along the entire cutting path. 

The 3-axis machining center has the advantages of high precision and high efficiency. It is commonly used to machine general parts, but it is more troublesome when machining complex workpieces, which may cause the workpiece to fail. Therefore, multi-axis simultaneous machining is the first choice when machining more complex workpieces.

Five-axis CNC machining

Five-axis machining is the use of CNC to move parts or cutting tools on five different axes simultaneously, which can process very complex parts. 

The remarkable feature of the five-axis linkage CNC machine tool is that it can complete the surface machining, and no special fixture is needed during machining, which greatly reduces the number of clamping and improves the machining accuracy, quality and efficiency. The five-axis machining center has unparalleled advantages in the processing of complex workpieces.

CNC milling

CNC milling machine processing is based on the technical requirements of the shape, accuracy, size and surface roughness of the workpiece to determine the processing technology and processing parameters. Program the machining program into the controller and send the command to the servo. CNC milling machines can process parts with particularly complex contours or difficult to control dimensions, such as mold parts and housing parts. It has the advantages of strong adaptability, high processing precision, stable processing quality and high efficiency.

CNC turning

CNC turning is one of the most used machining methods in CNC machining. During CNC turning, the workpiece makes a rotary motion, and the tool moves in a straight line or a curve. While the tool tip moves relative to the workpiece, a certain workpiece material is removed to form a corresponding workpiece surface.

 

Applications of CNC Machining

Electronic Products

The full metal casing of 3C products is basically processed by CNC machine tools CNC. CNC has become a must-have for 3C enclosure manufacturers due to its high efficiency, high precision and stable processing quality.

Automobile

CNC machining plays an important role in the automotive industry. It can be said that most automotive parts are processed by CNC machining. 

The advantages of CNC machining in automobile manufacturing include multi-axis linkage to obtain the tortuous machining of prototype machining; high precision and good product consistency; high degree of automation, resulting in low labor intensity; CNC also ensures simplicity and high efficiency.

Case: CNC machining car hood model

Material: ABS

Accuracy: 0.01mm

Advantages: high precision, good surface quality, low cost and short time.

Hardware parts processing

Case: CNC machining hardware accessories

Material: hardware parts made of aluminum, copper, stainless steel, etc.

Accuracy: 0.01mm

Advantages: high precision, good surface quality, low cost and short time

Applications: Metal casings, hardware, metal panels, environmental protection equipment parts, non-standard micro-miniature components, copper/aluminum alloy spare parts, medical equipment parts, instrumentation parts, precision machinery parts, communication and communication parts, electronic products High standards and high quality products in the industry of spare parts and auto parts.

Medical Instruments

Case: Aluminum alloy medical robot model production
Size: 30mm*1m
Accuracy: 0.01mm
Advantages: durability and precision

Mold Processing

With the rising labor costs, the preparation of mold templates in the past has been gradually replaced by CNC. Compared with the previous manual preparation, its advantages are: CNC machining holes and hole position relative position accuracy is higher, and work efficiency is extremely Great improvement. In addition, CNC machining processes are required for the machining of curved surfaces, profiled parts, and plastic mold forming cavities in metal molds.

Smart Home

Case: Smart Service Robot
Production materials : ABS, acrylic, sheet metal, PMMA, 45 steel, magnet, aluminum alloy
Size: 1.6m
Accuracy: 0.01mm
Advantages: high precision, fast speed and high processing efficiency

Advantages of CNC Machining

• High degree of automation and high production efficiency. Except for the manual clamping of the blank, all other processing can be done automatically by the CNC machine.
• High production efficiency. CNC machine tools can shorten production preparation time and increase the ratio of machining time. Increase productivity by reducing machining time with optimum cutting parameters and optimal path.
• It has strong adaptability to the processing object. When changing the machining object, Except to changing the tool and solving the blank clamping method, it only needs to be reprogrammed, and no complicated adjustment is required, which shortens the production preparation cycle.
• High processing precision and stable quality. Machining dimensional accuracy is between 0.005 and 0.01 mm, independent of the complexity of the part. Most of the operations are done automatically by the machine, eliminating human error and increasing the consistency of batch part sizes.
• A wide range of optional processing materials. The materials processed by CNC are relatively wide, including plastics and hardware.

If you are looking for a reliable rapid prototyping services china to process plastic and metal parts. Please contact our professional team.

What is the vacuum casting?
The vacuum casting technology which uses prototype (SLA laser rapid prototyping china piece, CNC products) to make silicone mold under vacuum, and is poured under vacuum conditions, such as PU, ABS, etc. Vacuum casting is also used to clone the prototype or copy the piece. It has different types including vacuum mould casting, vacuum pressure casting, vacuum sand casting and so on. This method is especially suitable for small batch production. It is a low-cost solution to solve experimental production and small batch production in a short time, and can also meet the functional test proofing of some structurally complicated engineering samples.

Vacuum Casting Process

1. Make a silicone mold by using the master made by CNC machining and 3D printed.

2. Put the silicone mold into the vacuum molding machine.

3. Inject liquid epoxy resin and heat to cure.

4. After the curing is completed, take out the same part as the Master from the silicone mold, and one silicone mold can be used for 20 times.

Vacuum Casting is suitable for small batch production, which can greatly reduce production costs, increase production efficiency and shorten the construction period.

Applications for Vacuum Casting

It is mainly used for product copying and mold making in various industries. 
The outer casing of consumer electronics: 

Auto parts:

Industrial parts: 

Vacuum Casting Materials

We offer a wide range of material options: ABS, PP, PC, PMMA, POM, high temperature resistant materials, soft rubber, silicone rubber, etc. Varieties of materials are available to make silicone molds comparable to injection molded parts. The following pictures are rubber, PC-like material, ABS-like material, POM-like material and transparent material.

Advantages of Vacuum Casting

• The cost is low and the production cycle of the product is relatively short. Less waste and processing costs are much lower than CNC machining and 3D printing.
• It is suitable for the processing and production of small batch products. After making an original version, it can be copied according to the original version, and the production efficiency is high.
• Good mold operation. The soft molds after curing are all transparent or translucent, have good tensile strength, and are easy to cut and shape.
• The probability of processing failure is small. As long as there is no problem with the original, the copy will naturally not go wrong.
• Good repeatability. The silicone for molding has good fluidity before curing, and the fine structure and decoration of the model can be accurately maintained with vacuum defoaming.

 
We have the world's most advanced vacuum casting equipment, and provide post-processing lines such as polishing, painting and assembly. We can provide small batch production of small and medium-sized parts quikly. If you are looking for reliable vacuum casting service, please contact our professional team at info@duchgroup.com or contact us by visiting our website, we will provide quotes and suggestions free of charge.                                                                      

                                                            

What is rapid prototyping?
Rapid prototyping is a kind of professional manufacturing technology that is used to produce high-quality entity models of three-dimensional designs. Prototypes are useful for design improvements and can be used as stepping stones for comprehensive production or engineering testing. With the rapid prototyping china, you can manufacture parts or the products to test for the component fit and function. According to the analysis results, you can make further adjustments (about the design, shape, materials, etc.) before the products finally enter the market. It can help you effectively save time and costs. A lot of our customers need to manufacture a entity component quickly to verify the feasibility of a design or a part. Nowadays, various kinds of rapid prototyping processes are available. You can choose the process which best suits your needs. With only thirty years around of development, rapid prototyping technology, as its name implies, has already been widely used in many areas. Meanwhile, the rapid prototyping services are still growing at a fast speed.

Different Rapid Prototyping Processes

Prototypes can be made through different rapid prototyping processes. With thirty years around of development, a variety of prototype manufacturing processes are available. In addition, they are continuing to evolve. Since companies or customers have different requirements and demands, different types of rapid prototyping processes will be chosen. So how does rapid prototyping work? Reading the following contents and you will know which rapid prototyping service suits you best.

 

SLA（StereoLithography）

• Description: SLA is a photo-curing molding technology, which refers to the method of forming three-dimensional solid layer by layer through the polymerization reaction of liquid photosensitive resin by ultraviolet irradiation. The work piece prepared by SLA has high dimensional accuracy and is the earliest commercial 3D printing technology.
• Printing Material: Photosensitive Resin
• Strength: photosensitive resin is insufficient in toughness and strength and is easily broken. At the same time, under high temperature conditions, the printed parts are easy to bend and deform, and the bearing capacity is insufficient.
• Features of finished product: SLA printed workpieces have good details and smooth surface, which can be colored by spray painting and other processes.

 

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

• Description:SLS is a selective laser sintering technology, similar to SLM technology. The difference is the laser power. It is a rapid prototyping method that uses infrared laser as a heat source to sinter powder materials and form three-dimensional parts layer-by-layer.
• Printing Material:Nylon powder, PS powder, PP powder, metal powder, ceramic powder, resin sand and coated sand (common printing materials: nylon powder, nylon plus glass fiber)
• Strength:material performance is better than ABS products, and the strength and toughness are excellent.
• Features of finished product:the finished product has superior mechanical properties and is suitable for direct production of measurement models, functional models and small batch of plastic parts. The disadvantage is that the precision is not high, the surface of the prototype is relatively rough, and it is generally required to be polished by hand, sprayed with glass beads, ash, oil and other post-processing.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

• Description: FDM is a melt lamination technology, that uses high temperature to melt materials, extrudes them into filaments through the print head, and builds up on component platform. FDM is the simplest and most common 3D printing technology, which is commonly used in desktop 3D printing devices.
• Printing Material：usually ABS or PLA wire
• Strength: PLA is brittle,its surface hardness is higher, and it is easier to break when bending. ABS parts are more resilient than PLA parts, and are easy to bend rather than break under pressure. Moreover, ABS has higher strength, better plasticity, and easier post-processing.
• Features of finished product: the printing layer is thick, the precision is poor, and the stratification of the surface is very obvious. Under high temperature conditions, the printed parts are easy to bend and deform, and the bearing capacity is insufficient.

 

CNC

• Description: CNC machining is a subtractive manufacturing process in which the software control system issues instructions to make the tool perform various required movements. In this process, various precision tools are used to remove the raw materials and make parts or products.
• Materials: CNC processing materials are quite extensive, including plastics and metals. Plastic hand model materials are: ABS, acrylic, PP, PC, POM, nylon, bakelite, etc.; Metal hand model materials are: aluminum, aluminum Magnesium alloy, aluminum zinc alloy, copper, steel, iron, etc.
• Strength: different materials have different strengths and are difficult to list
• Features of finished product: CNC machined parts have a smooth surface, high dimensional accuracy, and the best compactness, and there are a variety of post-processing options.

 

Vacuum Casting

• Description: vacuum casting technology is to use the prototype (rapid prototyping parts, CNC hand parts) to make a silicone rapid prototyping mold under vacuum condition. It also uses PU, ABS and other materials to pour, so as to clone the same copy with the product prototype.
• Material: ABS, PU, PVC, silicone, transparent ABS
• Strength: the strength and hardness are lower than the CNC hand parts. Common PU material is relatively brittle, toughness and high temperature resistance are poor. ABS has higher strength, better plasticity, and easier post-processing.
• Features of finished product: easy to shrink and deform; the accuracy is generally only 0.2mm. In addition, the vacuum casting hand parts can only resist high temperature of about 60 degrees, and is lower than CNC hand parts in strength and hardness.

 

Advantages of Rapid Prototyping

• High degree of automation in forming process
• Precise entity replication
• High dimensional accuracy. Dimensional accuracy can be up to±0.1mm
• Excellent surface quality
• Unlimited design space
• No assembly required
• Fast forming speed and shorter delivery time
• Saving raw materials
• Improving product design

 

Duch Group Provides:

Complete process equipment: we are the only independent manufacturer with large scale in China and can provide both small batch and large batch production services for subtractive manufacturing and additive manufacturing. We have self-developed high-speed intelligent 3D printing equipment, large CNC machining center, vacuum casting machine, low-pressure perfusion and other advanced equipment as well as post-processing production lines such as polishing, painting and so on.
Leading technology: with the latest technology in the world, four world-first 3D printing technology can be diversified, rapid, low-cost, accelerate the research and development speed of enterprise products, and achieve world-class production capacity.
One-stop 3d printing service: 3D printing integrated solution provider, with product development and service output capabilities from equipment, software, materials to cloud printing, can provide global users one-stop service from product design and development to final mass production.

 

Application of Rapid Prototyping

Shoemaking

3D printing is advancing the revolution of shoemaking industry with the aim of reducing costs, reducing outsourcing, greatly increasing flexibility and preparing for the era of personalized customization and tailoring. Whether through our on-demand production services or our advanced 3D printers, Vistar is happy to participate in this new industrial revolution with our customers.

Medical

It has a high requirement on accuracy and reliability related to the R&D and production of the medical industry. Vistar 3D printing has earned the support and trust from many hospitals and other medical clients through the advantages of on-demand manufacturing service.

Fashion and Cultural Creative
The additive manufacturing provides an entirely new medium for artists that can almost realize any idea. For the fashion designer, Vistar’ production solutions creat an exciting new age which has enabled designers to gain significant on product launches and personalization.

Automobile

The developed at top speed and innovation of the automotive industry is highly compatible with Vistar's manufacturing innovation. 3D printing and related technologies can significantly reduce time to market, as well as make the personalized customization possible.

Dentistry
3D printing technology is becoming more and more mature and popular in the dental market. The total value of dental components manufactured by 3D printing solution exceeded 4 billion US dollars in 2016. The era of digital dentistry is just beginning and Vistar can help you transition easily.

Electronic Product
Diversified electronic industry technology update with a high speed, but Vistar has always been able to adapt to this rhythm and provide customers with required services. Whether it's making new models quickly or making advanced stereo curable 3D printers, you'll be able to make your bold and subtle design more powerful.

Future of Rapid Prototyping

• The development of equipment to large-scale
• Diversification of Materials development
• From the ground to space
• Deep space exploration
• Benefit thousands of households

What is a mold?
In industrial production, various types of presses and special tools mounted on the press are used to produce metal or non-metal materials into parts or articles of the desired shape by pressure. This special tool is collectively referred to as a mold, and the material of the mold is generally divided into Plastic injection molding also has the formation of sheet metal steel molds.