Abstract
A novel rapid prototyping (RP) process, a full-automated transfer type variable lamination manufacturing process (Full-automated VLM-ST) has been developed. In the full-automated VLM-ST process, a vacuum chuck and a rectilinear motion system transfer the EPS foam material in the form of the plate with two pilot holes to the rotary supporting stage. The supplied material is then cut into an automated unit shape layer (AUSL) with a desired width, a desired length, a desired slope on the side surface, and a pair of reference shapes, which is called the guide shape (GS)’, including two pilot holes in accordance with CAD data through cutting in two steps using a four-axis synchronized hotwire cutter. Then, each AUSL is stacked by setting each AUSL with two pilot holes in the building plate with two pilot pins, and subsequently, adhesive is applied onto the top surface of the stacked AUSL by a bonding roller and pressure is simultaneously given to the bottom surface of the stacked AUSL. Finally, three-dimensional shapes are rapidly and automatically fabricated. This paper describes the method to generate guide shapes in AUSL data for the full-automated VLM-ST process. In order to examine the applicability of the method to generate guide shapes, three-dimensional shapes, such as a piston shape and a human head shape, are fabricated from the full-automated VLM-ST apparatus.
