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 Rapid manufacturing is what rapid prototyping will be when it grows up.
Much like the motion of the hands of a clock, the maturing process can’t easily be discerned when observed at close range and over short periods. But it is occurring, and it affects a wide range of RP technologies, materials and applications. Indeed, as many as half of all the patents issued in the field during the last year touch on some aspect of RP’s use in manufacturing. Almost from the inception of the field, RP has had a strong influence on certain manufacturing applications which could take immediate advantage of the benefits it provides. One example is implantable prosthetic devices. Every individual requiring an implant is distinct in size and shape. That takes advantage of RP’s ability to economically customize products in low volumes. The parts are geometrically complex and often difficult to fabricate using CNC or other conventional methods. Additive fabrication makes producing such complex parts straightforward - even simple. The cost of parts for implantation is of secondary importance, and they’re generally smallish in size. Consequently, these limitations of existing rapid prototyping equipment aren’t deal breakers. There are important limitations to what can be accomplished with today’s equipment: Speed, part size, accuracy and finish are not as good or as flexible as with conventional methods. Materials are also very limited at present, and for the most part aren’t characterized for end-use applications. However, the advantage of not having to amortize an expensive tool over a small number of parts, and to get those parts quickly, may well make an additive fabrication process the correct choice.
As a general rule, today’s successful RM applications will involve small, complex parts that can be accommodated within the available material spectrum. It turns out there are numerous high-value-added applications such as this in medicine, aerospace, biology and other fields. Last year the Boeing Company spun off a subsidiary to seek out these applications. The group forming the nucleus of the business has been producing parts for Boeing’s internal needs for several years. As Boeing On-Demand Manufacturing (Boeing ODM), it is continuing as a sub-contractor to its parent and pursuing a wide range of outside applications, as well. Boeing ODM uses selective laser sintering equipment from 3D Systems and has also developed ancillary proprietary technology. The photos above show complex impellers for aircraft ventilation systems fabricated using selective laser sintering. The internal complexity can be seen in the split view CAD renderings. While many companies are using RP for some aspect of manufacturing, Boeing ODM is certainly among the very first independent companies founded specifically to pursue this RP application area.Rapid manufacturing is slowly seeping into the consciousness of manufacturing specialists. They are beginning to learn about its ability to create complex parts, or to combine several parts into a single component. As processes such as LENS and related methods develop further and become more widely known, they’re also becoming aware of RP’s ability to make parts from multiple or gradient materials. Important strides are being made by researchers studying the problem of understanding when it’s beneficial to use RP for manufacturing. Substantial progress is also being made in developing and simplifying the CAD environment in which such complex parts are designed. Methods of specifying not only the 3D geometry of parts, but also the composition of each voxel will soon become more widely available and integrated into commercial CAD software. As the limitations of rapid manufacturing are pushed back one by one, designers move toward a day when they will create customized products of extraordinary functionality. They’ll design them with unexpected freedom, manufacture them without tools or inventory, and customers will receive them - rapidly!
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