Look ahead: silicone mold production will accelerate the model to create a new pattern!(2)

According to the mold material, the production cost, the RP prototype material, the production batch, the mold precision request has developed many kinds of technical method. At present, the method of rapid tooling is generally based on the indirect method and direct method, and the method of rapid tooling based on RP is more indirect. According to the different material, indirect of die mold production out of the soft mode, bridge mode and hard mode, generally is refers to the silicone mold, resin mold and mold steel.

Rapid prototyping technology (RP)

Rapid prototype technology (Prototyping Rapid, referred to as RP) was born in 1988 in the United States, quickly expanded to Europe and Japan, and the introduction of China in the early 90s. Rapid prototyping (RP) is the material tired to Garth, rapid manufacturing of prototypes of the new integrated technology, has been widely used in almost all industries of machinery, automobiles, electrical appliances, aerospace, military and other, pioneered the mould fast manufacture of new era, before the development of the broad prospect.

The traditional machining is constantly remove blank of surplus materials and parts, and RP technology is using material accumulated manufacturing thought based on the three-dimensional as numerous parallel with the superposition of different shape of level, can rapid manufacturing crystal prototype production.

Rapid prototyping manufacturing (RP) computer aided design (CAD), aided manufacturing (CAM), computer aided control (CHC), precision servo drive and new materials and advanced technology in one, according to the computer on a 3D product design model, the of slice, get the contour of each layer of the section, selective laser cutting layers of paper (or curing a layer of liquid resin, sintering layers of powder material or heat nozzle selection quickly cladding layers of plastic or selectively to the powder material spray a layer of bonding agent), forming contour of each section and gradually superimposed into 3D products. At present, it has become a pillar of the modern manufacturing technology, is to achieve concurrent engineering, integrated manufacturing technology and technology development, one of the essential means.

Materials used for rapid prototyping are liquid photosensitive resin, powder material, thermoplastic material and sheet material. Rapid prototyping manufacturing according to the different forming materials and technology, the development of the stereolithography (SL), powder sintering method (SIS), melting condensation method (FDM), thin layer materials manufacturing (LOM) method, 3D printing (3DP), layer by layer curing method (SGC). Compared with traditional machining methods, rapid prototyping has the following advantages:

(1) parts that can quickly create free surface and more complex shape, such as groove, convex shoulder and hollow part, which greatly reduce the development cost and development cycle of new products;

(2) is a non contact processing, no need for machine tool cutting tools and fixtures, no tool wear and cutting force effect;

(3) no vibration, noise and cutting waste;

(4) can realize the full automation production at night;

(5) the processing efficiency is high, can quickly make the product entity model and the mold.

An example of rapid die manufacturing based on RP Technology