Sparsh Deep 6118240

Rapid Prototyping
Report
Swinburne University of Technology

Student No. 6118240

 Investment Casting
Is also known as the lost wax process. This process is one of the oldest manufacturing processes. The
Egyptians used it in the time of the Pharaohs to make gold jewellery (hence the name Investment)
some 5,000 years ago. Complicated shapes can be made with high accuracy. In addition, metals that
are hard to machine or manufacture are good candidates for this process. It can be used to make
parts that cannot be produced by standard manufacturing techniques, such as turbine blades that
have intricate shapes, or airplane parts that have to endure high temperatures.

The mould is made by making a pattern using wax or some other material that can be melted away.
This wax pattern is dipped in refractory slurry, which coats the wax pattern and forms a skin. This is
dried out and the process of dipping in the slurry and drying is repeated until a robust thickness is
achieved. After this, the entire pattern is placed in an oven and the wax is melted away. This leads to
a mould that can be filled with the molten metal. Because the mould is formed around a one-piece
pattern, (which does not have to be pulled out from the mould as in a traditional sand casting
process), very complex parts and undercuts can be made. The wax pattern itself is made by
duplicating using a stereo lithography or similar model-which has been fabricated using a computer

The materials used for the slurry are a mixture of plaster of Paris, a binder and powdered silica, a
refractory, for low temperature melts. For higher temperature melts, sillimanite an alumina-silicate
is used as a refractory, and silica is used as a binder. Depending on the fineness of the finish desired
extra coatings of sillimanite and ethyl silicate may be applied. The mould thus produced can be used
directly for light castings, or be reinforced by placing it in a better container and reinforcing it more
slurry.

Just before the pour, the mould is pre-heated to about 1000 ºC to remove any residues of wax,
harden the binder. The pour in the pre-heated mould also ensures that the mould will fill completely.
Pouring can be done using gravity, pressure or vacuum conditions. Attention must be paid to mould
permeability when using pressure, to allow the air to escape as the pour is done.

Tolerances of 0.5 % of length are routinely possible, and as low as 0.15 % is possible for small
dimensions. Castings can weigh from a few grams to 35 kg, although the normal size ranges from 200
g to about 8 kg. Normal minimum wall thicknesses are about 1 mm to about 0.5 mm for alloys that
can be cast easily.

The types of materials that can be cast are Aluminium alloys, Bronzes, tool steels, stainless steels,
Stellite, Hastelloys, and precious metals. Parts made with investment castings often do not require
any further machining, because of the close tolerances that can be achieved.
 Fused Deposition Modelling
FDM is layered manufacturing process. FDM offers functional prototypes with ABS, and other materials. A thin
bead of molten plastic is extruded through the computer controlled nozzle, which is deposited on a layer-by-
layer basis to build a prototype directly from 3D CAD data. The technology is commonly applied to form, fit and
function analysis and concept visualisation. In addition, FDM can be used for pattern production and rapid
manufacturing.

Advantages
-FDM parts are strong and rigid makes them appropriate for practical testing
-Cost effective solution for small to medium size parts in shortest lead time
-Dimensional stability is a key advantage of FDM prototypes, as opposed to SLA.
-Environmental exposure does not alter the size of the part or its features.
-ABS prototypes demonstrate 80% of the strength of injection moulded ABS which make them very suitable for
-functional testing and can be directly used as finished production parts for certain applications.
-Ideal for strong parts exposed to temperature, water and many chemicals.
-High level of finish can be achieved by sanding and other post processing techniques.
-ABS parts can be further machined, polished or electroplated.

Disadvantages
-FDM parts have a ribbed appearance because of plastic is extruded in horizontal layers, which can be easily
sanded and polished to smooth finish.
-Extensive snap and living hinge features could fail due to process and material limitations.
-FDM could be a slower process for very large build volume parts subject to part complexity and shape. Thin
wall and shell parts are faster to make than solid builds.

Dimension size
203 x 203 x 305mm
large parts can be easily made in sections and joined together

Minimum wall section or feature is recommended not to be smaller than 0.8mm. If you have any Ribs, Bosses,
Lettering or wall sections less than recommend size, may not form at all.

Generally FDM parts are made with 0.25 mm layer thickness.

Cost effective for shell structured parts rather having thick and solid build volume. Very attractive pricing for
hand held to medium size parts.
 Selective Laser Sintering
SLS principally used to quickly produce three dimensional parts, layer by layer, from powdered
materials. The CO2 Laser provides a strenuous heating which welds (sinters) the powder within a
precisely controlled chamber. SLS has individual advantage of having wide variety of materials that
can be suitable for purposeful analysis.

Advantages

-The SLS polyamide (Nylon) material allows the production of fully practical prototypes with high
mechanical and thermal resistance and suitable for snap fits, living hinges features.
-Glass filled Nylon is suitable for functional applications that require strength & rigidity under the
extreme conditions of high temperature or chemical agents.
-Rubber like flexible parts can be directly made using elastomer polymer Somos 201, shore A
hardness 75, suitable for seals, gaskets & high temperature applications.
-Durable metal parts and mould inserts direct from CAD model using ST200 similar to P20 steel.
-Low density complex investment casting patterns - directly from CAD files using Cast form PS

Disadvantages

-Typical SLS parts have little rough grainy & porous surface finish which is not as smooth as SLA
but acceptable for most of applications but parts can be easily primed and finished to smooth level.

-The larger shrink rates of SLS increase the affinity for the prototype to warp, bow or curl subject
to the part geometry.
-SLS features detail is not as crispy and sharp as produced by SLA.

Dimension Size

340 x 340 x 560mm

large parts can be easily made in sections and joined together

Minimum wall section or feature is recommended not to be smaller than 1mm. If you have any
Ribs, Bosses, Lettering or wall sections less than recommend size, may not form at all.

Generally SLS parts are made with 0.15 to 0.2 mm layer thickness depends upon the material
used.

Multi pieces of same part are much cheaper than ordering single piece. Even various SLS models
ordered at the same time as single batches are much cheaper to make than ordering separately.
 Stereo Lithography
SLA provides the maximum accuracy with an outstanding surface finish. Process works
by curing liquid photopolymers when exposed to ultraviolet light. SLA is limited in its
range of applicable materials but still widely used for conceptual designs, Product
confirmation, Pattern creation, Form/Fit analysis and light functional testing.

Advantages

-Very Accurate process, suitable for close tolerance and form fit parts
-Excellent surface finish, suitable for conceptual and presentation designs
-Excellent feature detail, suitable for making master models for vacuum casting process
-Translucent or Transparent parts can be made by using special resins and finishing
techniques.
-SLA parts can be bead blasted, painted, textured finished, electroplated.
-SLA Quick cast parts can be directly used for Investment casting patterns.

Disadvantages

-Parts are fragile need to be careful before using for thin wall sections and only
recommended for light functional testing. Generally not recommended for snap fitting or
living hinge features.
-Most of SLA parts are sensitive to heat, moisture and chemicals. Not recommended for
high humidity or excessive temperature applications.
-SLA may not be the cheapest option for prototyping needs, some of the factors
determining the price are: Volume, overall size especially height, intricacy, surface finish
and post-processing needed.

Dimension Size

508 x 508 x 600mm

large parts can be easily made in sections and joined together

Minimum wall section or feature is recommended not to be smaller than 0.8mm. If you
have any Ribs, Bosses, Lettering or wall sections less than recommend size, may not
form at all.

Generally SLA parts are made with 0.127mm layer thickness

Multi pieces of same part are always economical than single piece. Even various SLA
models ordered at the same time as a single batch are much cheaper to make than
ordering separately
 References
http://www.efunda.com/processes/metal_processing/invest_casting.cfm

http://www.arptech.com.au

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