• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.274-278
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• 2002

Surface finishing is still indispensable for most rapid prototyping (RP) processes because of the inherent stair-stepped surface and shrinkage of the parts. These problems can be minimized in the $VLM-_ST$ Process, because it uses expandable polystyrene foam sheets, each of which has a thickness of3.9 mm and a linear-interpolated side slope. The use of thick layers, however, limits the process capability of constructing fine details. This study focuses on the design of post-processing tool for fine details of $VLM-_ST$ parts and investigation of thermal characteristics during EPS foam cutting using the post-processing tool. To calculate the heat flux from the tool into the foam sheet, the tool was modeled as a heat source of radiation for finite element analysis. Results of the analysis agreed well with those of the experiment.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.323-331
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• 2002

The combination of rapid prototyping(RP) and rapid tooling(RT) has a potential for rapid manufacturing of three-dimensional parts. In the present study, a new RP system transfer type Variable Lamination Manufacturing using Expandable Polystyrene Foam (VLM-ST), is proposed to fabricate net shapes of three-dimensional prototypes. Various three-dimensional parts, such as a knob shape and a human head shape, are manufactured by the VLM-ST apparatus. In addition, a new rapid tooling technology, which utilizes a room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) molding technique and a triple reverse process technique, is proposed to manufacture net shapes of three-dimensional plastic parts using the prototypes of VLM-ST. A plastic part of the knob shape is produced by the proposed RT technology. The combination of the proposed RP and RT enables the manufacture of a plastic knob within two days.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.11-14
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• 2001

In all Rapid Prototyping(RP) processes, computer-aided design(CAD) solid model is sliced into thin 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 method for obtaining necessary coordinates$(x,\;y,\;\theta_x,\;\theta_y)$ to position linear hotwire of the cutting system in three-dimensional space for the Variable Lamination Manufacturing process (VLM-S), which utilizes expandable polystyrene foam sheet as part material. In order to examine the applicability of the developed method to VLM-S, various three-dimensional shapes, such as a spanner, a patterned columm, and a pyramid were made using data obtained from the method.

• 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 Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.883-886
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• 1997

In all Rapid Prototyping (RP) processes, a CAD solid model is sliced ito thin layers of uniform, but not necessarily constant, thickness in the building direction. Each cross-sectional layer is successively deposited and, at the same tim, bonded onto the previous layer; the stacked layers form a physical part of the model. The objective of this study is to develop a methode for calculating the rotational angle(θ/sub x/, θ/sub y/) of the linear hotwire cutting system in the three-dimensional space for the Variable Lamination Manufacturing process using expandable polystyrene foam sheet (VLM-S). In order to examine the applicability of the developed method to VLM-S, various three-dimensional shapes, such s a screw, an extruded cross, and a figure of Sonokong, were made using the data obtaiend from the method.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.202-209
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• 2005

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. VLM-ST has the innate advantages by virtue of its working principle: high building speed, low cost for introduction and maintenance of VLM-ST apparatus, little staircase surface irregularities of parts. Despite these advantages in VLM-ST, the surface roughness of VLM-ST parts is still inadequate to be used as RP master patterns for rapid tooling (RT). This paper describes the systematic and effective methodology to remove the laminated pattern and improve the surface roughness for VLM-ST parts. From the results of surface finishing of VLM-ST parts, it can be seen that the laminated pattern is completely removed and the surface characteristics such as surface roughness, surface hardness, and paintability are improved.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.149-158
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• 2004

In most RP processes, the inherent stair-stepped surfaces and shrinkage-induced warping of the parts require post processing such as surface finishing. To minimize such defects, VLH-ST, a newly developed RP process, employs a 3.9-mm thick expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam sheet and a hot wire to contour it to have slant linear-interpolated sides. The use of relatively thick sheets for layers, however, limits the process capability of constructing fine details, especially smaller than the layer thickness. This study is focused on the development of a post processing method fo fine details of VLM-ST parts. The post-processing tool was designed to meet all the requirements for the desirable post processing. It adopted a hot wire as a means of melting the EPS foam sheet. Various basic experiments on the post processing were carried out to obtain the optimal process conditions. The dominant process parameters such as the radiated heat input, the tool speed, and the gap between the tool tip and the foam sheet (tool height) were considered in the experiments. The effectiveness of the developed post-processing method fo forming or engraving fine details on the VLM-ST parts has been thus demonstrated. The experiments on engraving several sets of letters, such as CANESM, 인간, and 한국과학기술원, on the EPS foam sheet were carried out. In addition, a flowery shape was engraved on a three-dimensionally curved surface of a pottery-shape VLM-ST part.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.536-539
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• 2002

The reverse engineering (RE) technology can quickly generate 3D point cloud data of an object by capturing the surface of a model using a 3D scanner. In the rapid prototyping (RP) technology, prototypes are rapidly produced from 3D CAD models in a layer-by-layer additive basis. In this paper, a physical human head shape is duplicated using a new RP process, the Transfer-type Variable Lamination Manufacturing process using expandable polystyrene foam sheet (VLM-ST), after the point cloud data of a human head shape measured from 3D SNX scanner are converted to STL file. From the duplicated human head shape, it has been shown that the VLM-ST process in connection with the 3D scanner is a fast and efficient process in that shapes with free surface, such as the human head shape, can be duplicated with ease. Considering the measurement time and the shape duplication time, the use of 3D SNX scanner and the VLM-ST process is expected to reduce the lead-time fur the development of new products in comparison with the other existing RE-RP connected manufacturing systems.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2002

Most of Rapid Prototyping (RP) process adopt a solid Computer Aided Design (CAD) model, slicing into thin layers of uniform, but not necessarily constant, thickness in the building direction. Each cross-sectional layer is successive1y deposited and at the same time, bonded onto the previous layers; the stacked layers form a physical part of the model. The objective of this study is to develop a method for calculating the rotation angle ($$\theta$_x, $\theta$_y$) of hotwire of the cutting system in the three-dimensional space for the Variable Lamination Manufacturing process using expandable polystyrene foam sheet (VLM-S). In order to examine the applicability of the developed method to VLM-S, various three-dimensional shapes. such as a screw, an extruded cross, and free surface bodies such as miniatures of the monkey(a figure of Sonokong), were made using the data obtained form the method.

• 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.