Rapid Prototyping of Solid Three-Dimensional Parts

Several new technologies collectively referred to as solid freeform fabrication have been developed in the last decade for use in the rapid prototyping of solid three dimensional parts. These include stereolithography, photosolidi cation, solid ground curing, 3D printing, fused deposition modeling, ballistic particle manufacturing, selective laser sintering, laminated object manufacturing, and shape deposition manufacturing. The prototypes they produce serve as physical models during design review, allow engineers to perform functional testing of parts, and are often used as mold patterns or positives for secondary tooling to manufacture small batch sizes. This paper describes the technologies used by each of these processes, and compares their strengths and limitations. Rapid Prototyping of Solid Three-Dimensional Parts Copyright c 1995 by Sara Anne McMains