Rapid manufacturing
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Rapid manufacturing is a technique for manufacturing solid objects by the sequential delivery of energy and/or material to specified points in space to produce that solid. Current practice is to control the manufacturing process by computer using a mathematical model created with the aid of a computer. Rapid manufacturing provides a large advantage in speed and cost overhead compared to alternative polymer or metal manufacturing techniques such as powder metallurgy manufacturing or die casting. The true definition of rapid manufacturing involves the use of the created part in production (see Hopkins, Hague and Dickens, 2005). Where the part is used in the development process then the appropriate term is rapid prototyping.
Rapid manufacturing is the application of solid freeform fabrication for direct manufacturing of goods. Unlike methods such as CNC milling, these techniques allow the fabricated parts to be of high geometric complexity.
References
- Hopkinson, N. , Hague, R. , Dickens, P. (2005). [Rapid Manufacturing (Abstract)]. Germany: Wiley-VCH.
- Wright, Paul K. (2001). 21st Century manufacturing. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
External links
- [Rapid Manufacturing Research Group] at the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University
- Rapid manufacturing supplier [ProtoCAM] provides info on resins, characteristics, benefits, examples, and materials
- RedEyeRPM - Rapid manufacturing service bureau [link] provides detailed FAQ's about RM and options for bridge manufacturing.
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