INTRODUCTION:

Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a

physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD)
data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing or "additive layer
manufacturing" technology. Rapid-prototyping processes can be classified into three major
groups: subtractive, additive, and virtual. As the names imply, subtractive processes involve
material removal from a workpiece that is larger than the final part. Additive processes build
up a part by adding material incrementally to produce the part. Virtual processes use advanced
computer-based visualization technologies.

SUBTRACTIVE PROCESSES

Making a prototype traditionally has involved a series of processes using a variety of tooling

and machines, and it usually takes anywhere from weeks to months, depending on part

Complexity and size. This approach requires skilled operators using material removal by

machining and finishing operations one by one-until the prototype is completed. To speed the

process, subtractive processes increasingly use computer-based technologies such as the

following:

 Computer-based drafting packages, which can produce three-dimensional

representation of parts.

 Interpretation software, which can translate the CAD file into a format usable by

manufacturing software.

 Manufacturing software, which is capable of planning the operations required to

produce the desired shape.

 Computer-numerical-control (CNC) machinery with the capabilities necessary to

produce the parts.

ADDITIVE PROCESSES
The basic principle of Additive Manufacturing technology is that it uses CAD generated 3D
model directly to fabricate a three-dimensional object by adding layer-upon-layer of material
and fusing them.

1. Fused-deposition Modeling (FDM): Fused deposition modeling is an additive

manufacturing technology that creates 3D components using a continuous
thermoplastic or composite material thread in filament form. An extruder feeds the
plastic filament through an extruding nozzle, which is melted and then selectively
deposited layer by layer onto the build platform in a predetermined automated path.
Following are the steps involved during FDM process:
a) Part preparation step:
 The first few steps are similar to any other additive manufacturing
technology, starting with build preparation software.
 The initial stage is to import the design file and choose options for the
build, such as layer height, orientation and infill percentage.
 The software then computes sections and slices the part into several
layers. The program then creates extruder paths and building
instructions based on the sectioning data to drive the extrusion heads.
 Depending on the printer and the manufacturer, the above process will
be different, but the core step of 3D file conversion into layer-based
information is the same.
b) FDM machine set-up step:
 The printer is loaded with a thermoplastic filament spool for both model
and support extruders.
 Generally, the build platform is heated and maintained at a higher
temperature to control the cooling of the extruded material.
 Extruders are heated, and when the nozzle reaches the required
temperature, the head will start pushing and melting the filament into a
small ribbon roughly the size of a human hair.

c) FDM printing step:

 The extrusion head gantry and the build platform are on a three-axis
system, which allows the nozzle tip to move in three directions in space.
 The extruder will start depositing the material layer by layer in
predefined areas to cool and solidify.
 Sometimes the material cooling is assisted using cooling fans mounted
to the extrusion head.
 Multiple passes are necessary to fill a region within a layer.
 When the gantry completes a layer, the build platform or the heads will
move the Z-axis by the layer height.
  Then the above process starts again to deposit a new later. This
procedure continues until all the layers are built.

d) FDM part removal:

 Like any other 3D printing process, the next stage involves removing
parts from the build platform and cleaning them by removing all
supports.
 e) Post-processing:
 Part can then be further processed, remove any remaining supports
and finish to suit the end application.

2. STEREOLITHOGRAPHY
 SLA is one of the most widely used vat photopolymerization technologies. It
creates objects by selectively curing a polymer resin, layer by layer, using an
ultraviolet (UV) laser beam. The materials used in SLA are photosensitive
thermoset polymers that come in a liquid form.
 The photopolymerization process is irreversible and there is no way to convert
the SLA parts back to their liquid form. Heating these SLA parts will cause
them to burn instead of melt. This is because the materials that are produced
with SLA are made of thermoset polymers, as opposed to the thermoplastics
that fused deposition modeling (FDM) uses.
 How does SLA 3D printing work?
o SLA 3D printing works by first positioning the build platform in the tank
of liquid photopolymer, at a distance of one layer height for the surface
of the liquid.
o A UV laser creates the next layer by selectively curing and solidifying
the photopolymer resin.
o During the solidification part of the photopolymerization process, the
monomer carbon chains that compose the liquid resin are activated by
 the light of the UV laser and become solid, creating strong unbreakable
bonds between each other.
o The laser beam is focused in a predetermined path using a set of mirrors,
called galvos. The whole cross-sectional area of the model is scanned,
so the produced part is fully solid.
o After printing, the part is in a not-fully-cured state. It requires further
post-processing under UV light if very high mechanical and thermal
properties are required.

3. MULTIJET/POLYJET MODELING
 The Multijet Modeling (MJM) or Polyjet process is similar to inkjet printing,
where print heads deposit the photopolymer on the build tray.
 Ultraviolet bulbs, alongside the jets, immediately cure and harden each layer,
thus eliminating the need for any postmodeling curing that is needed in
stereolithography. The result is a smooth surface of thin layers as small as 16
µm that can be handled immediately after the process is completed.
 Two different materials are used: One material is used for the actual model,
while a second, gel-like resin is used for support.
 Each material is simultaneously jetted and cured, layer by layer. When the
model is completed, the support material is removed with an aqueous solution.
Build sizes are fairly large, with an envelope of up to 500 × 400 × 200 mm.
These processes have capabilities similar to those of stereolithography and use
similar resins.
 The main advantages are the capabilities of avoiding part cleanup and lengthy
postprocess curing operations, and the much thinner layers produced, thus
allowing for better resolution.

4. SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING

 Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process that
belongs to the powder bed fusion family.
 In SLS 3D printing , a laser selectively sinters the particles of a polymer
powder, fusing them together and building a part, layer by layer.
  The materials used in SLS are thermoplastic polymers that come in a granular
form.
 How does SLS 3D printing work?
o The powder bin and the build area are first heated to just below the
melting temperature of the polymer.
o A re-coating blade spreads a thin layer of powder over the build
platform.
o A CO2 laser then scans the contour of the next layer and selectively
sinters—fuses together—the particles of the polymer powder.
o When a layer is complete, the build platform moves downwards and the
blade re-coats the surface. The process then repeats until the whole part
is complete.
o After printing, the parts are fully encapsulated in unsintered powder. The
powder bin must cool before the parts can be unpacked, which can take
a considerable amount of time—sometimes up to 12 hours.
o The parts are then cleaned with compressed air or another blasting
media, then they are ready to use or further post-process.

5. ELECTRON-BEAM MELTING
 Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is a 3D manufacturing process in which a
powdered metal is melted by a high-energy beam of electrons.
 An electron beam produces a stream of electrons that is guided by a magnetic
field, melting layer upon layer of powdered metal to create an object matching
the precise specifications defined by a CAD model.
 Production takes place in a vacuum chamber to guard against oxidation that can
compromise highly reactive materials.
 Electron Beam Melting is similar to Selective Laser Melting (SLM), as they
both print from a powder from the 3D printer’s powder bed, but EBM uses an
electron beam instead of a laser.
 EBM builds high-strength parts that make the most of the native properties of
the metals used in the process, eliminating impurities that may accumulate when
using casting metals or using other methods of fabrication. It is used to print
 components for aerospace, automotive, defense, petrochemical, and medical
applications.

6. THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING
 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-
dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.
 It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or
solidified under computer control, with material being added together (such as
plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer..

7. LAMINATED OBJECT MANUFACTURING

 LOM technology uses adhesive-coated paper, plastic, or metal laminates as
a 3D printing medium. These sheets of material are glued together layer-by-
layer and cut into shape using a knife or with laser cutting. Objects created
using LOM can then be further modified post process by machining or drilling.
 Laminated object manufacturing is a versatile process, which is most usually
performed using paper as the material. While plastic and metallic sheets can
also be used, these are both more complex to cut.

VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING
Virtual prototyping, often known as VP, is a software-based engineering discipline which
involves modelling a system, simulating and visualising its behaviour under real-world
operating conditions, and refining its design through an iterative process. VP is increasingly
used as a substitute for rapid prototyping.