Development of a new sheet deposition type rapid prototyping system

Abstract

Sheet deposition type rapid prototyping systems have many advantages: high build speed, low operating cost, large part size, no phase change, no need for support generation, etc. However, those sheet deposition type rapid prototyping systems generally require an additional post-processing step to remove excessive material. This post-processing step is generally time-consuming and labor-intensive as well. Especially, in case of parts with hollow cores and internal cavities, the removal of excessive materials can be an extremely demanding task. A new sheet deposition type rapid prototyping system that can minimize the post-processing is proposed. In the proposed system, the sheet is cut in two steps: the first before the shielding paper is peeled off and the second after peeling-off. The excessive area is removed during the peeling-off process after the first cutting. In this way, this system can reduce the post-processing time and cost as well as the limitation on the feasible geometric shapes compared to the conventional sheet deposition type systems. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.