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Integrated Process Manufacturing

Machine tools are dangerous and may cause great injury.  This information was collected from a variety of sources, is neither complete nor verified, and is of a general nature for theoretical study only.  Any attempt to duplicate the operations described should be done with the guidance and supervision of a qualified instructor who will teach the appropriate safety skills and fill in the missing details.  Follow this link for Statements of Warning, Limitation & Responsibility.

Rapid Prototype Printers
Spectrum Z510 Sand-Plaster Metal-Mold Printer
Stratasys Dimension ABS Plastic Printer

El Camino Advanced Manufacturing Processes MTT 107
Principles and operation of machine tools with an emphasis on advanced manufacturing processes and machines, such as EDM (Electrical Discharge Machines), Water Jet Machines, and Grinding Machines, Rapid Prototyping, and Injection Molding. Additional topics will include abrasives, coordinate measuring machines, advanced precision measurement, GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing), Optical Comparators, and practices and setups as applied in industry.

Spectrum Z510

ZCorp Spectrum Z510 Sand-Plaster 3D Prototype Printer		 Sand-Plaster Metal-Mold Printer

1. The Z510 uses a Sand & Plaster powder mix to produce prototypes and metal molds.The prototype starts with two chambers of sandy plaster

2. Prototype creation starts with two level chambers of powder.

3. As the printing progresses, the "feeder" chamber is raised and powder is pushed onto the "buildup" side, which lowers and allow an additional layer to be added.
  When the prototype printing is done, you dig out your part.4. With each layer of powder built up, an emulsion is laid down to harden the Plaster/Sand mix in the designated areas.

5. Solid prototypes may be printed in a range of colors, though El Camino's machine is set up solely for producing single-color metal molds.

6. When the final layer has been printed, the part is literally "dug" out of the development chamber.
The printed mold just pulled from the powder chamber.  Clean away the powder. It must all be cleaned in order to produce a good mold.

7. Once printed, all cavities of the mold are filled with powder.  This powder actually acted as a support structure during printing. 

8. All of this powder must be cleaned off of the mold so that the powder does not interfere when aluminum is poured into the mold.
Into the oven for a couple of hours to dry out.  Letting the mold cool after the oven.


9. A few hours in a drying oven at 400F will drive off any moisture in the mold. 

10. Two halves of the mold are shown here cooling off after the "Bakeout" process.
Rapid Prototype Sand-Plaster Mold next to AutoDesk Inventor .STL file. 11. At the Right a finished mold half next to the AutoDesk Inventor file where it was designed and saved as an .STL file.

A trip to the foundry... your cast alumnium part.12. The mold is taken to the foundry for aluminum pouring.  Once poured, the mold is broken away and you have a prototype... with gating system attached but soon to be machined off.

13. This process is capable of producing molded metal parts with a high degree of detail.


Stratasys dimensionStratasys Dimension Rapid ABS Plastic Prototype Printer. ABS Plastic Prototype Printer

1. The Stratasys Dimension Rapid Prototype Machine prints 3D prototypes from files created in CAD programs like Inventor or Solidworks. AutoDesk Inventor .STL file.

2.  The Dimension creates the models from ABS plastic cord remarkably similar to what you might find in a weed-wacker.

3. Shown here is an AutoDesk Inventor 3D model.  It is saved as an .STL file.

4. Turn on the Dimension Prototype Printer.  It takes about 20 minutes before the Dimension has warmed up enough to print melted/near-melted ABS.
5. Open the .STL file in the Stratasys Catalyst prototype printing program. The .STL file opened in the Catalyst software. Enter print options. The ABS material is expensive, so conserve where possible.
6. The prototype will print as two different zones.  A dense type of plastic will be the actual part.  A second fibrous but airy support zone will support overhanging and thin-walled sections.

7. In the print options, choose Part Interior Style "Sparse".  This will reduce the density of material used and reduce costs greatly.

8.  The default Resolution is 0.010.  Default Support style is "Break-away".
9. From the print page, the position where the part will be created is shown on a grid.  Since the print-head moves from back-right forward, drag your part to the upper right corner for faster printing.  From the final print page, drag your part to the back right to speed print time. You may print several parts at one time. From the print page, drag your part to the upper right corner.
10. Start the prototype printing from the control panel on the outside of the Stratasys Dimension.

11. Estimated time for this part was 2 hours and 37 minutes.  The part can be seen building up, layer-by-layer, through with window on the front of the machine.
Pull the part off of the foam printing base  Pry off the low-density support material.12. Without the 20 minute warm-up period, it takes about ten minutes from Inventor until the .STL file is sent to the printer.

13. When the part is complete the support structure is pried off.

14. This part was designed and printed by the Stratasys Dimension ABS Prototype Printer. 


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