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

在这项研究中要解决的问题是如何快速生产注塑成型的原型部件的聚合物，陶瓷或金属材料，考虑到设计和制造活动可能会由分布式参与者进行。 将开发一个快速模具试验台，以利用固体自由成形制造技术（例如，光固化成型和选择性激光烧结）将零件的设计表示转换为成型零件。 为了支持这一想法，要研究的关键问题是：在产品实现过程中，在什么条件下，设计可以安全地与制造分离？ 这个问题将从制造的角度进行调查，通过开发一个分布式的快速模具（注塑模具）的测试平台，并与不同的产品实现过程中的注塑模具和成型部件进行试验。 四个主要的研究方向定义了该项目的活动：开发制造工艺流程，将产品设计描述转化为制造工艺计划; SFF表征，编码工艺特征，用于制造;注塑成型，提供聚合物和粉末（陶瓷和金属）成型规则和设施;分布式计算，为分布式设计和制造提供计算环境。 如果成功，该测试平台将能够在提交产品模型后的三天内，用各种聚合物、陶瓷和金属材料制造出几乎具有生产代表性的组件。 这意味着从典型的行业实践中减少了超过50%的时间，沿着显著提高了零件的机械和材料性能。 这一目标将通过重新概念化的典型设计制造过程，使分布式参与者的使用。 要开发的分布式计算技术将通过体现经过测试的产品实现实践，确保这些活动之间的平稳过渡，从而实现设计和制造活动的分离。 此外，由于与行业合作伙伴的密切合作和积极参与教育计划，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.