The Ceramics Department has developed technology which can change the ceramics department outlook, with this technology we can create a digital file and convert it to an actual, three-dimensional finished product. The original technology was a rapid prototyping printer, which has been adjusted to print ceramic objects.

There are numerous future applications, including filtration systems, biomedical, bone graphing, stone and brick and the tile industry.

The technology is still experimental, but the University is in negotiations with the Z Corporation to get the product licensed and become the sole distributor of the ceramic printing product.

Rapid Prototyping is defined as the automatic construction of physical objects using additive production tooling technology. It is the process which is viewed by the vendor. On the other hand, the buyer usually just wants their product more quickly, not too much care how it's made.

With that in mind, it's important to recognize when to rely on technology to save time and money. And it's just as important to recognize when that technology will actually take more time, and cost more money.

For example, we were approached by a customer that needed a special cover. He told us what it would be covering, and gave us a sketch of what he needed. The sketch had 4 dimensions on it. These were the critical dimensions, so the others were left undetermined. The cover would need to be vacuum formed.

We had two options with the mold. We could create a digital 3d model from the sketch, program it into a CNC machine and have it cut, or create the mold by hand.

Within 1 day, we went from a sketch, to a finished part.

What we found interesting about this job is that we relied on skilled labor rather than technology. We not only created the finished part cheaper than using technology (CAD modeling & CNC), but we did it faster as well. Our biggest asset is that we did everything in-house.

Products need to be designed and manufactured much faster then twenty years ago and everyone is on a rush to put their products on market. That's when a rapid prototype machine comes handy. Rapid prototyping technology is gradually improved. All prototypes were either machined or modeled by hand before the rapid prototype machines and it would take one or two weeks to get a prototype part for evaluation .

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Different processes have being used to get parts done but still it's all about the same principle, get a 3d cad computer model and slice it into thin layers then build a part from those layers. I think that the first one to use this process was Stereolithography it uses a resin that hardens with a laser beam to build the parts layer by layer and it's called "Sl process" still the best process to make accurate parts.Another old processes is called "LOM" laminated object manufacture , it cuts the slice contour layers from paper or wood laminate then glue it together to form the parts.The new ones are "FDM" Fused deposition modeling, "3d printing"the name says it all, "SLS" selective laser sintering, and the list goes on.

FDM melts a thin abs rod and build the parts layer by layer . It's the machine to get if you want a fully functional part but resolution is not the best one, layer thickness is about 0.25mm.

3Dp gets you one of the best looking parts and it print in colors but parts are not strong as the the ones made by FDM. One could infiltrade the 3dp parts with epoxy but I've no idea how strong it gets.

SLS selective sinteres a nylon like powder to bond the particles together and parts are strong.

This are the processes I'm familiar with , there is a lot more processes out there like 3d printing using UV resins, a 3d printer that uses metal powder, 3d printing using wax and many others.The build material to use on this machines is not cheap it goes from 100 to 300 dollars per kilo and some of this machines uses a support material to build the parts taking the cost of build material even higher. It's like when you buy a new cheap desktop printer you pay something like 100 dollars for it and pay 80 dollars for a new cartridge when it runs out of the ink .Rapid prototyping machines are very expensive anything from 10.000 usd to half million add to that the build material cost and replacment parts and it turns into a very expensive printer to buy.

One thing that prevents it from getting out of the industry and into the every day home use is the 3d modeling cad software not easy to learn to use.

What's my intention then? since I've made the printer the next step is to try new affordable build materials.some that I still need to try is microcellulose, PVP, PVA, carbon fiber, ceramics and steel powder. maltodextrin and gypsum is cheap enough to keep using it and I'll add some PVA to it as it might increase green parts strength and controll how the ink absorbs into the powder layer.

Almost forgot to mention that I need to add a cover to my 3d printer as dust gets every where and into my nose and lungs, another thing is that some play on the printer's shaft is showing up I'll need to replace the cartridge bearings with a bearing that can run on a dust enviroment such as the ones IGUS have, anyway I think I has gone thru 5 thousand layers and 5 cartridges since I've started to work on this project and some of the cartridge was damage by trying some water based glue on it , besides that it's working very well.

The technology used in rapid prototyping printers for producing 3D models is computer assisted design (CAD) software which directs hardware to precise specifications to produce 3Dl models. The efficiency of rapid prototyping to produce models for all kinds of companies and allow design changes to be made quickly and easily has found this technology an excellent solution for fulfilling their rapid prototyping needs. As the implications for rapid prototyping printers continue to develop the applications for the production tooling of products is expanding. If a product is desired by the business they can simply purchase a CAD file upload it and use rapid prototyping printers to reproduce it. With fabrication materials for use in rapid prototyping printers continuing to advance the use of metals, plastics and polymers contributes to the many applications of rapid prototyping printers.

Convenience of Using Rapid Prototyping Printers

Rapid prototyping printers not only make product availability more convenient for companies but for consumers also. The technology once used only by manufacturers is now available for consumer use in their business or at home. Rapid prototyping printers provide an enhanced ability for the production of models and products. If a new brush or comb is desired, rapid prototyping printers can produce one very conveniently. Rapid prototyping printers can be used for a variety of products constructed of numerous kinds of materials. The technology used in rapid prototyping printers is computer assisted design software utilized to build a 3D model. The model is produced layer by layer until an exact reproduction is produced according to the specifications dictated by the program.

Growing Applications for Rapid Prototyping Printers

The computer assisted design applications of rapid prototyping printers are numerous compared to traditional prototyping methods. Traditional methods required the use of large, bulky and sophisticated equipment which also required a major investment for businesses to own. Rapid prototyping printers however are reasonably sized, compact and much less expensive. The set up time and simple operation has made rapid prototyping printers popular for creating models, machine parts and toys. The almost unlimited flexibility and potential applications of rapid prototyping printers to create replicas is a distinct applications advantage of this technology over traditional methods. If a CAD program can be created and suitable materials developed the application of rapid prototyping printers is immense.

Also, unlike some prototyping technologies, the rapid prototyping printers produces no toxic chemicals from nor uses any toxic substances during the production tooling process. Due to their safe operation the potential locations for where rapid prototyping printers can be set up and operated increases their application potential. Additional advantages gained from the application of rapid prototyping printers is that post production work is minimized, only the removal of excess materials produced during the production process is necessary. The applications of rapid prototyping printers are many including reduced costs, efficiency and safety. As new innovations for rapid prototyping printers are developed so will additional applications and markets open up as well.

Rapid prototyping and fabrication are one of those technologies which you don¡¯t appreciate until you walk into someplace like the Boston Fab Lab at MIT and run into themt. Things we buy in the store just sort of pop into being without the consumer knowing anything about how they were made, be it by injecting liquid plastic into custom molds or using a robot to mill a block of metal into an intricate shape.

Anyway, a student named Mark used a ShopBot CNC machine (the best way to describe one is a robotic router/lathe/cutter) to build himself an electric five-string violin. The neck, chinrest, and sundry metal bits were purchased off the Net but the rest he engineered himself. Future additions to his violin include winding his own electromagnetic pickups for the strings. The body pieces were designed using the drawing package that is a part of OpenOffice and run through VCarve Pro to convert them into a format the ShopBot can carve out of blocks of plastic.

Since sophisticated urethane dispensing machines and CNC machine centers have found their way into polyurethane facilities, additive fabrication and rapid prototyping are gaining popularity in polyurethane processing, especially with these techniques¡¯ ability to reduce the development time and costs.

Here¡¯s a quick overview of some of the most promising rapid prototyping technology.

Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Both SLA and SLA start with precise 3D CAD data. The SLA machine builds the part layer by layer with a special laser to cure the liquid photopolymer to create a master. With the SLS, there is no liquid photopolymer. The materials range from wax to certain nylons and metals creating a more durable master. Watch for SLA¡¯s latest nickel plating technology, which produces a strong, mirror finish that¡¯s even waterproof.

Polyjet (Object) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

The key to Polyjet technology is a special inkjet with a built-in UV laser spraying to build each layer. Similarly, FDM feeds a plastic, wire-like filament unwrapped from a supply coil to a heated extrusion nozzle with an on-off valve spraying liquid polymer layer by layer. Polyjet is new and more costly than other processes featured here, but it has a niche for building small parts that require fine details. FDM offers more flexibility in polymers, with tradeoffs between strength and service temperature.

Rapid prototyping is one of the latest technologies which are used to make physical project directly from CAD data sources. Rapid Prototyping models can be used for testing, like when an airfoil shape is put into a wind tunnel, but normally the Rapid Prototyping material is not physically powerful. Rapid prototyping can be used in many ways. The main reasons of Rapid Prototyping are to enlarge successful communication and to reduce the cost of the growth project.

It also decrease expensive fault, to minimize behind engineering modification. And it also used to expand product lifetime by adding essential features and remove unneeded features in the early hours. The tendency in built-up industries keeps on stressing like increase number of alternative of products And Increase product difficulty. And it also decrease product lifetime earlier than obsolescence and Decrease liberation time. The great advantage of rapid prototyping is that it finds use and request in almost all the industries.

One big problem for US healthcare is technology moves much faster than the system of change and adoption in the current system. For obvious reasons, there are a lot of regulations, studies, and tests to help ensure effectiveness of processes and products that are introduced into healthcare services. Unfortunately, this system means the technology and ideas which could benefit patients and healthcare workers are years behind.

On Monday, at the Institute for the Future HealthCare 2020 open space meeting on Science and Technology in Health, which took place at the Kaiser Permanente Garfield Center, participants expressed frustration that rapid prototyping and iterative learning were not syncing up with the demands of scientific rigor. It seemed the rigors of science were being perceived as putting a bind on using new technologies and modes of interaction to quickly improve information and conditions for patients.

An idea that came up several times was to use crowdsourcing to get a greater amount of information and data more quickly and easily than clinic trials. While potentially very effective rife with opportunity, participants said such services are not seen as scientifically valid.

Like most complex challenges, this presents several opportunities for designers. One role designers can play is to ignore the current system, focus on the people and enablers, and design services that through their success and uptake transform the current system. For example, we could use crowdsourcing to enable people to share their information and stories to better understand their condition and help others. That is, I believe, what PatientsLikeMe aims to do.

But another role designers could play is facilitator between the needs of science and scientific rigor and the real, messy world of people and the technology enablers that provide new opportunities for healthcare services. In this role, we could find ways to engage all stakeholders, learn through doing, and through engaging and doing create advocates that will help propel transformation to a system that takes advantage of emerging technology, embraces rapid prototyping where appropriate, and improves the situation for everyone.

Recently I have finalized and begun prototyping, a long considered design for a device which allows me to do experiments in several areas.

The first being:

Organic imaging using DIY Bio technologies

DIY rapid prototyping, experimenting with application approaches, binders and curing techniques

Sculpture/image experiments using a router cutting and ink-jet head to both form and image onto 3D surfaces.

In addition one can imagine acquiring a high powered IR laser and beginning to cut plastic and wood for 2.5D rapid prototyping, or attaching a plasma cutter and cutting through sheets of metal with speed and high precision to make architectural elements etc.