A main feature of sheet metal is its ability to be formed and shaped by a variety of processes including Stretching, Drawing, Cutting, Bending and Flanging, Punching and Shearing, Spinning, Press Brake Forming, Roll Forming.Machine virtually any material that is commercially available in stock sizes.  A wide variety of plastic and metal material options.  Tolerance accuracy is +/- 0.005"

Laser cutting capabilities to .625 in. on mild steel. Water jet cutting, Plasma cutting area of 120 in. x 684 in. & speeds capable of 280 i.p.m.

Oxy-gas flame tables  MIG/TIG/spot welding

Material thickness: 0.001" - 0.250"

Bent up part sizes up to 36"x36"x6"

Materials include: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, Brass, Bronze, Copper, & Nickel Alloys

Tolerance: +/-0.005” across each bend or for cut/punched feat

Metal Laser Sintering MLS, is the SLS process available in aluminum, magnesium, zinc, brass and bronze alloys. This rapid prototyping process offers toughness, corrosion and temperature resistance, ductility and sterilisability.  Typical applications: including functional prototypes and biomedical applications.

Rapid Metal Casting but is generally used to make rapid molds can be produced in aluminum, magnesium, zinc, brass and bronze alloys.  An SLA master pattern is produced to create a two piece clam shell, epoxy, hard cast tool, which is used to cast a silicone rubber positive mold pattern.  The rubber mold pattern is then used to create plaster, disposable (breakaway) negative impression molds.  From 1-100 parts are possible from the plaster mold, with achievable 0.030” inch wall thickness. The build material uses a binder around steel particles, combined with heat sintered to generate the part. A post-build process burns out the binder and infiltrates the part with bronze.  This process can be used to make metal parts, replacing die casting and related steel tooling costs

Plaster Mold A stereolithography model can also be used to make a re-usable plaster mold. This plaster mould is used to cast parts in aluminum or zinc to replicate die-cast parts.

Investment Casting Parts can be investment cast in metal (the lost wax process) by using a master model made using the stereolithography "quick cast" build style. You need one SLA model for each cast metal part but this can produce very intricate parts. Parts can also be made in the investment casting method by using a SLA master model and making a RTV rubber, plaster or sand mold from it.  The mold is then injected with investment casting wax to make master patterns and the molten metal parts cast from these tools plaster tools and wax patterns. One wax copy is needed for each cast metal part. Polystyrene is also used for investment cast in metal. There are also sand form patterns for parts that are to be sand cast in metal. 

 

RP Fundamentals

• Introduction Modelmaking & Rapid Prototyping (RP)
• Key Vocabulary
• CAD - CAE - CAM/CNC
• RP CAPABILITIES Modelmaking - Rapid Prototyping

• PROCESS  Modelmaking - Prototype Development (See SDP)