NSF/DARPA DDFRP: A Rapid Tooling Testbed for Injection Molding

考虑到设计和制造活动可能由分散的参与者执行，本研究要解决的问题是如何快速生产聚合物、陶瓷或金属材料的注塑原型零件。将开发一种快速模具试验台，以利用固体自由形状制造技术(例如，立体光刻和选择性激光烧结)将零件的设计表示转换为模制零件。为了支持这一想法，需要研究的关键问题是：在产品实现过程的多早，以及在什么条件下，设计和制造可以安全地分离？这个问题将从制造的角度进行研究，开发一个用于快速模具(注塑模具)的分布式试验台，并对注塑模具和注塑部件进行不同的产品实现过程的试验。四个主要研究项目确定了项目的活动：开发制造工艺编译器，将产品设计描述转换为制造工艺计划；SFF表征，编码工艺特性，用于编译器；注塑成型，提供聚合物和粉末(陶瓷和金属)成型规则和设施；以及分布式计算，为分布式设计和制造提供计算环境。如果成功，试验台将在提交产品模型的三天内制造出各种聚合物、陶瓷和金属材料的几乎具有生产代表性的部件。这意味着与典型的行业实践相比，时间减少了50%以上，同时零部件的机械和材料性能也有了显著提高。这一目标将通过利用分散的参与者对典型的设计-制造过程进行重新概念化来实现。将开发的分布式计算技术将通过实施经测试的产品实现实践来实现设计和制造活动的分离，以确保这些活动之间的平稳过渡。此外，由于与行业合作伙伴的密切合作和积极参与教育项目，将实现顺利的技术转让和传播。

The problem to be addressed in this research is how to quickly produce injection molded prototype parts in polymer, ceramic, or metal materials, given that design and fabrication activities may be performed by distributed participants. A Rapid Tooling TestBed will be developed to utilize solid freeform fabrication technologies (e.g., Stereolithography and Selective Laser Sintering) in converting a part's design representation into molded parts. In support of this idea, the key question to be investigated is: How early in the product realization process, and under what conditions, can design be separated safely from manufacture? This question will be investigated from the manufacturing viewpoint by developing a distributed testbed for rapid tooling (injection molds) and experimenting with different product realization processes for injection molds and molded components. Four main research thrusts define the project's activities: Development of a Fabrication Process Compiler to translate product design descriptions into fabrication process plans; SFF Characterization to encode process characteristics for use in the Compiler; Injection Molding to provide polymer and powder (ceramics and metals) molding rules and facilities; and Distributed Computing to provide the computational environment for distributed design and fabrication. If successful, the testbed will enable the fabrication of nearly production-representative components in a variety of polymer, ceramic, and metal materials within three days of submitting a product model. This represents over a fifty percent time reduction from typical industry practice, along with a significant increase in the parts' mechanical and material properties. This goal will be achieved through a reconceptualization of typical design-manufacturing processes that makes use of distributed participants. The distributed computing technologies to be developed will enable separation of design and fabrication activities by embodying tested product realization practices that ensure smooth transitions between these activities. Additionally, smooth technology transfer and dissemination will be achieved due to close collaborations with industry partners and active participation in education programs.