Re: Back to basics

From: Delft Spline Systems (info@spline.nl)
Date: Thu Feb 26 1998 - 10:38:04 EET


A. D. Bhatt wrote:

>
>I was looking for the definition of RP, I tried myself, but
>not satisfied:
>
> The term ``rapid prototyping" or RP refers to a group of new
> technologies which build models or prototypes layer by layer
> from 3-D CAD model files or from reverse engineering data
> without using conventional tools or fixtures.
>
>Trust the subscribers will deliver a better prototype-definition.

Our definition is the following.

A Prototype creation process may be called Rapid Prototyping in case:

1. The process is based on 3D CAD data
2. The process is (almost) Automatic
3. The process is Rapid.

Some comments:
The 3D CAD data is important, it does not matter whether the geometry
has been direcly modelled in CAD or 'reverse-engineered'.
The (almost) is added al all current RP processes require some pre-
and/or postprocessing.
The word Rapid leads to discussion as well (what is rapid?), which I
will skip here.

The term Rapid Prototyping is thus NOT only suited for the
Layered Manufacturing Technique (LMT) machines.
Incremental (LMT) as wel as decremental (CNC milling) processes
are suited, just as hybrid forms.

Best Regards,

Lex Lennings.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delft Spline Systems, The Netherlands.
We offer DeskProto: affordable Rapid Prototyping using CNC milling
mailto:info@spline.nl
website:http://www.spline.nl

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Tue Jun 05 2001 - 22:45:00 EEST