Direct rapid tooling for polymer processing using sheet metal tools

On the development of direct metal laser sintering for rapid tooling

An iron based powder blend has been developed for rapid tooling using a direct laser sintering process. The powder consists of a mixture of different elements including Fe, C, Cu, Mo and Ni. High sintering activities were obtained by tailoring the powder characteristics and optimizing the chemical constituents. The manufacturing of complex-shaped parts is possible at rates of 6.75 cm3/h accordi...

WirePATH: A New Method for Direct Rapid Tooling

Shortening the lead-time for introducing a new product to the market has always been important to maximize profits and competitiveness. Recent developments in Computer Aided Design (CAD) technologies have significantly reduced the overall design cycle. However, the manufacturing process of the production mold still relies on slow and expensive machining processes. In this paper wirePATH, a new ...

Rapid tooling route selection for metal casting using QFD-ANP methodology

An integrated methodology using quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic network process (ANP) is proposed to determine and prioritize the engineering requirements of a cast part, based on the customer needs, for selecting and evaluating an appropriate rapid prototyping (RP) based route for tooling fabrication. The QFD incorporates a planning matrix to translate the customer needs into me...

Rapid Prototyping - Rapid Tooling - Rapid Manufacturing

Rapid Fabrication of Functional Mouthguard Using Rapid Tooling Approach

This paper presents the fabrication process of custom-made mouthguard with added features of air flow channel by using rapid tooling approach. Impression process was conducted in order to produce dental stone that will be used in thermoforming process to fabricate the custom-made mouthguard. Computer-aided design (CAD) were utilized to prepare the air flow channel’s design before attaching it a...