Development of a Stereolithography Laboratory for Undergraduate Instruction

无论一个人在阅读复杂物体的蓝图和计算机辅助设计（CAD）图像方面多么有经验，要准确地想象出实际部件的样子仍然是非常困难的。传统的模型制作方法可能需要几周到几个月的时间。然而，使用快速成型（RP）或立体光刻技术，模型制作步骤的周转时间可以缩短到几天，模型本身通常可以在几个小时内完成，这是一个引人注目的优势，因为工业市场的全球化性质使得最小化上市周期时间和最大化生产力成为公司生死攸关的问题。近年来，对训练有素的工程师和技术人员将快速成型技术应用于制造业的需求激增。RP技术的一些实际应用是可视化、验证、迭代、优化，甚至是“真实零件”制造。RP几乎影响到每一个与制造业相关的企业和无穷无尽的产品清单，从汽车，飞机电子零件到玩具，珠宝，医疗植入物，建筑和科学模型等。单从原型机市场的规模来看，美国大型公司每年在原型密集型产业的研发上花费400亿美元，仅通用汽车公司的Fisher Guide部门每年就生产超过25万辆原型机/模型。就像用于构建三维（3D）原型的CAD系统外围设备一样，美国对RP系统的需求在20万美元左右，按照目前12万至50万美元的RP价格计算，这相当于200亿至1000亿美元。目前全球仅安装了1000套RP系统。生产市场要大很多倍。美国企业发现，这项技术对制造业在全球市场上的竞争力至关重要。虽然美国公司目前在快速成型技术的发展中处于领先地位，但日本和欧洲公司正在迅速赶上，因此，熟练的工程师和技术人员对于保持这种领先地位至关重要。由于缺乏一个完全发展的实验室，本科课程目前没有提供RP技术的培训。学生不熟悉快速成型工艺，光聚合物制造，软件架构，CAD建模，零件构建和测试。这些技能对于未来十年内即将毕业的学士学位学生来说是必不可少的，因为这项技术的使用在今天的工业中变得非常流行。这个建议是发展一个最先进的立体光刻实验室。我们为这个实验室申请资金的原因是提供能力、功能和RP技术与制造系统集成方面的培训。相信该实验室可以为改进的制造系统本科教育创造更好的平衡。

No matter how experienced one may be at reading blueprints and computer-aided-design CAD) images of a complex object, it is still very difficult to visualize exactly what the actual part will look like. Conventional model-making methods can require weeks to months. With Rapid Prototyping (RP) or Stereolithography technology, however, turnaround for the model-making step can be cut to days, and the model itself can often made within several hours, a compelling advantages at a time when the global nature of the industrial marketplace makes minimizing time to-market cycle times and maximizing productivity a matter of corporate life and death. The demand for trained engineers and technologists to apply Rapid Prototyping technology to manufacturing has exploded in recent years. Some of the practical applications of RP technology are visualization, verification, iteration, optimization, and even "real parts" fabrication. RP effects almost every manufacturing-related enterprise and an endless list of products from automotive, aircraft electronics parts to toys, jewelry, medical implants, to architectural and scientific models, and etc. As an indication of the size of the prototype market alone, $40 billion is spent in U.S. annually on R&D by large companies in prototype-intensive industries, and Fisher Guide Division of General Motors alone makes over 250,000 prototypes/models a year. Just as a CAD system peripheral for building three-dimensional (3D) prototypes, the need for RP systems in U.S. is in the range of 200,000 what at current RP prices of $120,000 to $500,000 translates into $20 to $100 billion. Only 1000 RP systems are installed now worldwide. The market for production is many times larger. American businesses have found that this technology is critical to competitiveness in manufacturing in the global marketplace. Although American companies currently lead in development of the Rapid Prototyping technology, Japanese and European companies are catching up quickly, therefore, skilled engineers and technologists are critical to maintain this lead. Due to the lack of a fully developed laboratory, undergraduate courses currently do not provide training on RP technology. Students are not familiar with Rapid Prototyping processes, photopolymer fabrication, software architecture, CAD Modeling, part building, and testing. These skills will be essential to the graduating students at the baccalaureate level within the next ten years since the usage of this technology is getting very popular in industry today. This proposal is to develop a state-of-the art Stereolithography Laboratory. The reason we are requesting funds for this laboratory is to provide training in capabilities, function and integration of RP technologies into manufacturing systems. It is believed that this laboratory can be used to create a better balance for an improved undergraduate education in manufacturing systems.