Strategic Manufacturing Initiative: Three Dimensional Printing; Rapid Tooling and Prototypes Directly from a Computer Aided Design Model

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This research addresses Three Dimensional Printing, a process for the manufacture of tooling and functional prototype parts directly from computer models. The process offers the critical advantages of rapid part turnaround and minimal investment in tooling. Three Dimensional Printing functions by the deposition of powdered material in layers and the selective binding of the powder by "ink-jet" printing of a binder material. Following the sequential application of layers, the unbound powder is removed, resulting in a complex three dimensional part. The process may be applied to the production of metal, ceramic, and metal/ceramic composite parts. Initially, the focus will be on the manufacture of ceramic parts and will be applied to the rapid fabrication of molds for metal casting and the rapid fabrication of preforms for metal matrix composites.