Rapid Prototyping: Computer-Aided Manufacturing of Laminated Engineering Materials (CAM-LEM)

9420373纽曼 这个多学科项目涉及软件，设备和材料工艺，用于实现具有复杂内部和外部几何形状的高质量结构陶瓷部件，直接从计算机辅助设计描述中生产。 该技术涉及切割和堆叠薄片以形成结构部件。 通过将材料加工步骤与形状制造操作分离，该方法有望实现高尺寸精度，同时实现整体结构完整性。 通过激光切割预处理的薄片并将它们自动堆叠成层压组件，似乎可以实现比直接沉积技术更快的制造。 此外，通过利用表面法线信息以计算出的切线切割薄片，可以提高表面质量。 通过切割-然后-堆叠，有机会从预期空隙中完全去除材料，以及组装短效支撑结构。 硬件部分主要介绍了五轴联动激光切割系统的设计、搭建和测试. 该系统将创建具有所需轮廓和边缘切线的薄片。 它将与一个机器人集成，用于进料板材，进料填充材料，清除废料，以及处理和组装切割薄板。 机器性能问题包括实用的切割速度和可实现的切割，以及装配精度。 软件开发将在两个领域结合现有知识并扩展能力。 标准文件中包含的表面法线信息将用于定义锥形边缘切割的激光切割机轨迹，从而提高表面光洁度。 其次，将对由于后处理烧制而导致的部件收缩进行建模，并且“绿色”部件将通过计算进行预变形以预测正确的最终尺寸。 快速成型为近净形零件提供了许多优势，制造业在减少周期时间，减少浪费，从而降低制造成本。 该项目协同结合了成熟的技术，以解决当前对表面光洁度和零件精度的限制。 虽然该项目的重点是铸造氧化铝，但它有可能实现更广泛的商业化，而不是目前快速成型工艺的利基成功。

9420373 Newman This multidisciplinary project addresses software, equipment and materials processes for achieving high-quality, structural ceramic parts with complex interior and exterior geometries, produced directly from a computer aided design description. The technique involves cutting and stacking laminae to form a structural component. By separating the materials processing steps from the shape fabrication operations, the method promises to achieve high dimensional accuracy while achieving monolithic structural integrity. By laser slicing pre-processed laminae and robotically stacking them into laminated assemblies, it appears possible to achieve significantly faster fabrication over direct depositiol techniques. Further, by utilizing surface normal information to cut laminae at computed tangents, surface quality can be improved. By cutting-then-stacking, there is the opportunity for complete material removal from intended voids, as well as assembly of fugitive support structures. Hardware issues focus on the design, construction and testing of five axis laser- cutting system. This system will create laminae with the desired outlines and edge tangents. It will be integrated with a robot for feeding stock sheet, feeding filler material, removing waste material, and handling and assembling cut laminae. Machine performance issues include pragmatic cutting speed and achievable cutting, and assembly accuracies. Software developments will incorporate existing knowledge and extend capabilities in two areas. Surface normal information contained within standard files will be used to define laser-cutter trajectories for tapered edge cuts, thus improving surface finish. Second, part shrinkage due to post-process firing will be modelled, and "green" parts will be pre-distorted computationally to anticipate correct final dimensions. Rapid prototyping to near net shape parts offers numerous advantages to the manufacturing sector in terms of redu cing cycle time, reducing waste thus lowering manufacturing cost. This project synergetically combines well established technologies to come up with solutions to current limitations on surface finish and part accuracy. While the project focusses on cast alumina, it has the potential for much broader commercialization as opposed to the current niche successes of rapid prototyping process.