Stereolitography, the front edge of rapid prototyping

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

F. Jorge Lino (Author) FEUP; Pedro V. Vasconcelos (Author) Other; Rui J. L. Neto (Author) FEUP; Ricardo Paiva (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Materials Science Forum

Vol. 587-588

ISSN: 0255-5476

Publisher: Trans Tech Publications Ltd

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

INSPEC

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Materials engineering

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering > Materials engineering

Other information

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.587-588.998

Abstract (EN): Based on the annual sales volume, stereolitography (SLA) can be considered a Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology with a promising future. Besides being the pioneering equipment; when RP took the first steps in 1988, this technology has been developed with interesting and fast innovations, and a great activity in patents registration. One can assist to a strong research seeking the enlargement of the system capacity to produce large and micro-size parts, and simultaneously impose the technology as a mass production process that is evolving towards a true Rapid Manufacturing (RM) technology. SLA is an excellent tool to materialize concepts and ideas due to the high-resolution capacity, transparency and fine details of the models and prototypes that can be produced. In this study, the state of art oh SLA is analyzed and the recent innovations are presented, and considering that the authors have a considerable experience in supervising design students, froth different universities, some of the more emblematic projects that were developed at INEGI - Institute oh Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management, arc presented. SLA and direct conversion processes were combined to produce new products in materials such as glass. ceramics and metals, for different industrial sectors.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

Notes: paper presented at Materiais 2007, FEUP, Porto, Portugal, 1-4 April 2007