Brent Stucker wrote:
> P.S. I've heard from a number of sources that having the ability to use CNC
> machining to touch-up RP parts (particularly those that will be used for
> tooling) would be very beneficial. I'm hoping to undertake a research
> program in the future to study techniques for easily and accurately touching
> up RP parts using CNC machining and was wondering if there is broad-based
> interest in this type of capability. If so, what do you see as the benefit to
> your process in having this capability, and how might you use it?
>
This sounds useful, but only under certain circumstances. First, the features on
the RP pat to be touched-up have to accessable by the CNC. But in most cases,
additive fabrication is chosen because the part can't be easily made on CNC.
Otherwise, why not use CNC from the start? Also, the CNC is useless for areas
that turn out light (minus material). In this case, you would need a hybrid
additive/subtractive machine that could add material in some areas and remove it
in others (like a human hand, putty and sand paper)
We often combine additive and subtractive techniques when building tooling and
prototypes. The trick is to find out the true disposition of the part before you
start modifying it.
Steve
-- Steve Farentinos PML, Inc. 201 W. Beach Ave. Inglewood, CA 90302 310 671-4345 310 671-0858 Fax 310 671-1862 BBS
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