• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.759-762
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• 2000

Rapid Prototyping (RP) techniques have their unique characteristics according to the working principles: stair-stepped surface of parts due to layer-by-layer stacking, low build speed caused by line-by-line solidification to build one layer, and additional post processing to improve surface roughness, so it is required very high cost to introduce and to maintain RP apparatus. The objective of this study is to develop and design a new RP process, Variable Lamination Manufacturing using expandable polystyrene foam sheet as part material (VLM-S), which can make up for the disadvantage of existing techniques, and to develop an apparatus to implement the process. In order to examine the possibility of practical utilization of the proposed VLM-S process for prototyping of a general three-dimensional shape, an auto-shift lever knob and a pyramid shape were fabricated.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.120-128
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• 2007

In order to reduce the lead-time and cost, the technology of rapid prototyping(RP) has been widely used. This paper describes the methodology to fabricate a large object by using the principle of rapid prototyping. By laminating thick and sloping polystyrene foam plates, we can make the large model which has three dimensional, continuous surfaces faster and easier than conventional processes. Estimated error was much smaller than other RP products which have stepped effect. For accuracy improvement and post processing, machined metal plates are added between the thick plates. To keep the continuity of surface and strengthen the model, pilot holes and guide rods are applied. By the methodology described in this paper, a missile body with flush air intake was fabricated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.763-766
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• 2000

Rapid Prototyping(RP) techniques have their unique characteristics according to the working principles: stair-stepped surface of parts due to layer-by-layer stackin, low build speed caused by line-by-line solidification to build one layer, and additional post processing to improve surface roughness, so it is required very high cost to introduce and to maintain RP apparatus. The objective of this study is to develop software for automatic generation of unit shape part (USP) for a new RP process, Variable Lamination Manufacturing using linear hotwire cutting technique and expandable polystyrene foam sheet as part material (VLM-S). In order to examine the applicability of the developed software to VLM-S, USP's of general three-dimensional shapes, such as an auto-shift lever knob and a pyramid shape were generated.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.97-105
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• 2002

The use of rapid prototyping (RP) has reduced time to market, cut total costs and improved product quality by giving design and manufacturing teams the opportunity to verify and fine tune designs before committing them to expensive tooling and fabrication. In order to improve their unique characteristics according to the working principles, Variable Lamination Manufacturing process (VLM-ST) and corresponding CAD/CAM software (VLM-Slicer) is developed. The objective of this study is to improve the accuracy of VLM-ST process, and it can be done by offset fur cutting error correction, cutting path overrun fur sharp edge and reference shape generation for off-line stacking. It has been shown that, through the verification experiments for given practical shapes, the proposed algorithms are effective for diverse categories of three-dimensional shapes.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.64-70
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• 2001

In all the Rapid Prototyping (RP) techniques, the computer-aided design (CAD) model of a three-dimensional part is sliced into horizontal layers of uniform, but not necessarily constant, thickness in the building direction. Each cross- sectional layer is successively deposited and, at the same time, bonded onto the previous layer. The stacked layers form a physical part of the model. The objective of this study is to develop a software for automatic generation of unit shape part(USP) for a new RP process, Variable Lamination Manufacturing using the linear hotwire cutting technique and expandable polystyrene foam sheet as part material(VLM-S). In order to examine the applicability of the developed software to VLM-S, USPs of general three-dimensional shapes, such as an auto-shift lever knob and a pyramid shape were generated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.1047-1050
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• 1997

Rapid Prototyping(RP) is an efficient method for rapid design verification and trial manufacturing. In order to improve their unique characteristics according to the working principles. Variable Lamination Manufacturing process and corresponding CAD/CAM system is developed. The objective of this study is to improve dimensional accuracy of VLM-ST process, and it can be done by offset for cutting error correction, cutting path correction for sharp edge and reference shape generation. To verify the proposed algorithms, they applied to three-dimensional shapes, such as spanner and mechanical part.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.760-765
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• 2001

A new rapid prototyping process, as a transfer type of Variable Lamination Manufacturing by using expandable polystyrene foam (VLM-ST), has been developed to reduce building time, apparatus cost including the introduction and the maintenance and additional post-processing. The objective of this study is to propose a VLM-ST process and to develop an apparatus for implementation of the process. Design criteria of the apparatus were defined and the techniques were proposed to satisfy the design criterion. In order to examine the efficiency and applicability of the developed process, various three-dimensional shapes, such as a world-cup logo, a knob shape and a character, Son-o-kong, were fabricated on the apparatus in which unit shape layer (USL) was generated to build up each layer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.771-774
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• 2000

RP techniques have inherent disadvantages caused by their working principles: stair-stepped surface of parts due to layer-by-layer stacking of layers, low build speed caused by line-by-line solidification to finish one layer, and post processing to improve surface finish, etc. The objective of this study is to propose a new RP technique, variable deposition manufacturing (VDM), which can make up for the disadvantages of the existing RP techniques, and to develop an apparatus to implement the technique. The proposed process can greatly reduce the building time and improve the surface finish of parts generated. The experiments are carried out to obtain the range of temperature of molten material to maintain its fluidity and to investigate the effect of gas cooling on the preservation of the slopes. Based on the results, some simple shapes such as a line-shape. an S-shape, and a circle-shape were fabricated from Ethylene Vinyl Acetatecopolymer (EVA). In order to examine the applicability of VDM to more general shapes, a tensile specimen and a yo-yo shape were manufactured by the proposed RP method using EVA material as the first trial approach. The present basic study has shown the possibility of a practicable utilization of the proposed VDM process to prototyping of a general three-dimensional shape.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.50-53
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• 2003

Most companies use technologies such as stereolithography, selective laser sintering, and fused deposition modeling to make parts for such small consumer products as telephones, heads, and shoes. The largest part that the existing RP systems can make is only 600 mm in length. Because most RP systems build parts by depositing, solidifying, or sintering material point-by-point, making larger objects takes a long time. and in many cases, large objects won't fit the build size. A new effective thick-layered RP process. Transfer type Variable Lamination Manufacturing using expandable polystyrene foam (VLM-ST) has been developed with thick layers and sloped surfaces. In this paper, a scaledown model of F16 Fighter with the length of 800 mm is rapidly fabricated using the VLM-ST process. In order to build a CAD model of F16 larger than 600 mm in length, the approach in VLM-ST is to build larger parts in multiple sub-parts and then glue them together. The fabricated result shows that the VLM-ST process employing thick layers and sloped surfaces is adequate for creating the real-sized large objects in the diverse fields such as automobiles, electric home appliances, electronics. and etc.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.599-602
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• 2002

A novel rapid prototyping (RP) process, an automated transfer type variable lamination manufacturing process (Automated VLM-ST) has been developed. In Automated VLM-ST, a vacuum chuck and linear moving system transfer the plate type material with two pilot holes to the rotation stage. A four-axis synchronized hotwire cutter cuts the material twice to generate Automated Unit Shape Layer (AUSL) with the desired width, side slopes, length, and two reference shapes in accordance with CAD data. Each AUSL is stacked on the stacking plate with two pilot pins using the pilot holes in AUSL and the pilot pins. Subsequently, adhesive is supplied to the top surface of the stacked AUSL by a bonding roller and pressure is simultaneously applied to the bottom surface of the stacked AUSL. Finally, three-dimensional shapes are rapidly fabricated. This paper describes the procedure for generating the cutting path data (AUSL data) f3r automated VLM-ST. The method for the generation of the Automated Unit Shape Layer (AUSL) in Automated VLM-ST was practically applied and fabricated for a various shapes.