I Wish...

From: Rob Connelly (Becton Dickinson & Company)
Date: Thursday, January 19, 1995

From: Rob Connelly (Becton Dickinson  & Company)
To: RP-ML
Date: Thursday, January 19, 1995
Subject: I Wish...
     ...first star I see tonight...
     For the record, RP-ers (heh, heh), here's my wish list for '95 and beyond:
     (1) I would hope that ALL of the RP vendors and users out there would start looking 
at ways to fix that gnarly z-axis.  Sanders is the only one with much current 
success in this arena, but they all need to focus on it.  We've gotten the X and Y 
in most of these systems to a point where a gnat would be proud.  3D could make a 
BIG start here by implementing a software fix to compensate for downward overcure.  
Go measure one of your SLA parts - unless you sanded it like mad it has .010-.015" 
"bonus" material on the bottom of everything (except for Clemson; they already have 
a black box to fix THAT problem.)
     (2) I wish 3D's field service would update their calibration techniques to keep 
pace with the new XY accuracies obtainable on these machines.  The shrink factors 
that I have been calculating since 5170 came out have had more to do with machine 
miscalibration than material shrink.  I typically have a completely different 
factor for X and Y, and it is quite often negative.  These materials don't grow 
when they cure - the machine's calibration is out of whack.  Every time 3D throws 
that cal plate into the machine I have to crank out new shrinks and they typically 
are considerably different than the last set.
     (3) I wish someone would establish the internal capacity to RAPIDLY (and I mean 
within 2-3 days EVERYTIME) turn my accurate RP tooling component masters (of 
whatever RP tech.) into accurate metal.  OK, so that one's kind of broad.  Any 
takers?  This one's going to require "new math" for the tool shop bean counters, 
but many companies are quite willing to pay big buck$ for fast.
     Now Elaine wanted us to elaborate on what WE were going to do to make our wishes 
come true.  I am actively working on 1 and 3.  Number 2 is mostly in 3D's court, 
but I will gladly help out where I can.
- Rob


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