A Novel RAPID PROTOTYPING METHOD aimed at MANUFACTURING LARGE SCALE Components.

Abstract

This paper addresses the need for manufacturing large scale components using
rapid prototyping technologies. Some of the attempts made to manufacture large
components using rapid prototyping technology are also presented. The restrictions
in the material deposition rates, slow material curing times and the ratio of the size
of the machine to the size of manufactured parts are the limitations for
manufacturing large scale components. This paper addresses the milestones
achieved and the scope for research in large scale additive manufacturing
technologies.

Key Words

Large Scale Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, Mega Scale

Fabrication, Rapid Prototyping. Instant Manufacturing.

Introduction
Gone are the days when quality was inspected in a product, now quality has
to be an integral part of the product and quality has to built in to the product.
Quality of any product is determined by the timely availability of the products in
the market, meeting the requirements of the customers. The additive manufacturing
technology helps to accelerate the product development cycle so that the products
reach the market in time. The work volume of the commercial rapid prototyping
machines does not allow the manufacture of large components. There is a need for
manufacture of large scale components [1] The components produced through the
rapid prototyping process are inferior in many ways when compared to their
conventionally manufactured counterparts because of the anisotropy that is created
by the layer-by-layer method [2]. As the size of the component increases the layer
wise fabrication has a lower productivity. Additive manufacturing is very rarely
used in the field of construction due its size [3]. There is application of additive
manufacturing in many fields except construction of large structures. Due to the
size of the structure, manpower is still used in the construction of large scale
structures. Most latest layered manufacturing methods are restricted to large scale
components [3]. (Penga, 1977) assessed the potential of solid freeform fabrication
of large scale components[7]. Big-Canopy is the world’s Largest building printing
facility which prints large scale components [4]. Rapid Prototyping is to be used to
construct large structures in the lunar terestrain [5]. An attempt has been made to
study the feasibility of using this additive manufacturing in building large scale
components.

Role of Additive Manufacturing in Product development

. One of the most important concerns of any product manufacturing industry is to launch their
products in to the market before the present customer requirement changes. The lead time for any
product which undergoes the conventional route of product life cycle is fixed, cannot be
optimized beyond a particular limit. The use of rapid prototyping can reduce the lead time in low
and customized product development. The Rapid Prototyping machines have limitations in their
work volume. This paper presents the opportunities in the field of direct manufacture of products
using Rapid Prototyping. There is a competitive environment which prevails among the
manufacturing industries. The industry which brings the right product with right specification in
to the market at a faster rate is always successful. The rapid prototyping technique allows the 3d
models which are modeled using CAD modeling software to be rapidly manufactured or printed
without the tools which are required for manufacturing them in the conventional route like the
injection molding or pressure die-casting etc. where a die is required

Additive Manufacturing

Layered Manufacturing also referred to as additive manufacturing (AM), rapid

prototyping (RP), or solid-freeform technology (SFF), was developed by Charles
Hull. With a B.S. in engineering physics from the University of Colorado. Rapid
Prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model or an
assembly directly from the 3d data available from the modeling software. Most of the
rapid prototyping machines work on a layer by layer manufacturing method. Some of
the common rapid prototyping technologies used are Selective Laser Sintering (SLS),
Stereo Lithography Apparatus (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Laminated
Object Manufacturing (LOM) The rapid prototyping technologies

Large Scale Components

The additive manufacturing technology is a very promising technology and is
claimed to be the technology of the future, the. Still there is room for the following
parameters to be improved so that it can reach the common man in developing
countries like India.

1. Cost
2. Size
3. Time of build

This paper reviews the work carried out in these areas and presents the
opportunities for research in these areas. There is a need in the field of rapid
prototyping to manufacture large scale components. The ratio of the size of the
machine to the size of Manufacturable parts, slow material deposition rates, slow
material curing times are some of the factors which restrict the manufacture of
large scale components using additive manufacturing. This paper addresses the
milestones achieved and the future developments that are necessary in Additive
Manufacturing technologies.
 The conventional rapid prototyping technologies manufacture parts using
a layer by layer method. Thus printing such models quite expensive and results in
large manufacturing time. The work volume of the machines which are being used
for rapid prototyping is limited to less than 1000mmx1000mmx1000mm. This
paper proposes a new method of prototyping large components, can also be used to
manufacture small components. There is a change in trend in the field of product
design and development. Instead of inspecting products for its quality, quality is
built in to the products. This is the result of the customer’s requirements. The
customer’s requirements are not steady and it varies from time to time.

PROPOSED METHOD: SHAPE ARRENGMENT MODELING:

A new cost effective to method is proposed for manufacturing large scale prototypes. In this
method the CAD model of the component serves as input to the system. Instead of conventional the
CAD model into STL file like it is done in the conventional prototype method the CAD model is split into
possible fundamental shapes like cubes, prisms, cylinders, and cones of varied sizes. The locations of
these fundamental shapes are registered. An experimental setup is developed and the schematic
diagram a shown in the figure. These location details are fed to the machine and the machine arrange
the fundamental shapes and builds the final prototype.

EXPREMENTAL SETUP:

Inventory:

This in shape arrangement modeling fundamental shapes of varies size are being arranged to
model the final prototype as a initial step the process is simplified so that the total number of varities in
the inventory is reduced and the prose be made via able and ones the process as understood and made
in to a reality then all the other shapes can also be included. Hence the inventory contains cubs of varies
size only.

SHAPE ARRENGEMENT OF MECHANISM:

A gantery robot serves as a mechanism to pick the cubes of varied sizes from the inventory and
arrange them in their appropriate location as instructed by the cad software in order to get the final
component.
 The shape arrangement modeling is simulated using Delmiia, a manufacturing simulation
software.

Cost Reduction.

Guoxing Yu et. Alhave replaced a laser cutter with a cheap cutter in a laminated
object manufacturing in order to reduce the cost and have introduced a new cheap
experimental machine which cuts the papers in the same way a laser based machine.
This low cost paper lamination machine allows commercially available cutter set in
the place of a laser based cutter. [7]

Choi S H et al. Proposed a Virtual reality based prototyping system where three
lcd projectors were used to project a full- immersive virtual image which helped
designers to visualize their peoducts. This system was cost effective, portable and user
friendly. [8]

Size Bigger

Hope et al, identified the need to produce large objects through rapid prototyping. The proposed
system takes in to account the mathematical aspects of the surface and then generates a NC Code. That
will help the layers to be cut. The surface details were obtained through an IGES file. The work insisted
for new methods to be developed in order to cater the building of large scale prototypes. The present
layering rapid prototyping will result in inadequacies if used for building large components [1].

Behrokh Khoshnevis has synthesized a new method called contour crafting(CC), which is an additive
manufacturing technology useful in constructing Buildings. This technology uses a large gantry robot
which has a concrete nozzle with a side trovel to shape the surfaces. Multimple materials can be used
and a paint ready surface can be obtained. This also has a automatic reinforcement builder where the
reinforcement can be built inside [3].

Behrokh Khoshnevis proposed mega scale fabrication using his additive manufacturing technique,
contour crafting which builds large scale three-dimensional parts by depositing paste like materials. This
extraction process formed smooth surfaces. Claims that contour crafting is the only additive
manufacturing suitable for large scale fabrication but there is also a numerous amounts of work to be
undertaken in terms of research so that this large scale additive manufacturing can be brought into
commercial use. This highly cost effective additive manufacturing method can even for low income
housing.[4]

Behrokh Khoshnevis developed a concept of developing lunar and martian habitats. Large scale
buildings are constructed automatically without human intervention. This Large scale additive
manufacturing method is promising and has a lot of research to be carried out in order to make it
practically viable.[5]

Sungwoon Lim et al developed a novel concrete printing method inspired by the additive
manufacturing method. Using the capabilities of the additive manufacturing, Free form fabrication can
be carried out in the construction industry where large scale architectural models can be crafted which
are limited by the conventional construction methods, there is also design freedom. [6]

Size Smaller

Olga Ivanova et al, reviewed the available literature on implementation of nano print structures into
additive manufacturing so that the properties of the final print part can be enhanced. Metal cermic and
carbon nano particles have been synergized in to SLA, Laser sintering, Fused filament fabrication. The
opportunities in the area of uniting Additive manufacturing and Nano materials were identified. The paper
also pointed out that the forthcoming directions are not only in the field of materials, but also in the field
of developing a new methodology of Rapid Manufacturing. [2].
 According to renishaw (2013) they have the direct metal sintering machine where unlike
the other technologies in rapid prototyping, manufacturing small scale replicas which do not
have the physical properties of the model and only represents the physique of the component, can
manufacture functional metal parts with better physical properties. This direct functional parts
manufacturing is the UK’s one and only facility for manufacturing patient specific dental
implants. If products are manufactured in the rapid prototyping route then a lot of time and
money.
 R.A.Buswell et.al in their work named “Design, data and process issues for
mega scale rapid manufacturing machines used for construction” comment on the
surrounding design, data and process in terms of design, data and processes like
construction are to be emphasised.

Paul Bosscher et.al in their work on “Cable suspended robotic contour

crafting system” bring about a new concept for a contour crafting construction
system. A proposal of a mobile contour crafting platform driven by a translational
cable-suspended robot. The paper aims at automating construction of concrete
structures rapidly and economically. The novel characteristics featured by this
system include better portability, lower cost and possibility to build much larger
structures.

Gerald Mitteramikogler et.al through their work on “Light curing strategies

for lithography based additive manufacturing of customised ceramics” develop a
digital light processing system for fabrication of complex technical ceramics that
require high level of detail and accuracy. Their system creates ceramic green part
by stacking photo curable resin. Experimentation on light curing strategy for each
pixel of the exposed layers by modifying the light source is carried and the
behaviour is studied. Further the light curing strategies are evaluated by comparing
with each other. The study is concluded with the result soft start light curing
strategies and high depths of cure reduced cracks in final ceramics.

Donghong ding et.al in their work “A multi-bead overlapping model for

robotic wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)” concentrate on the nature
of surface finish in the additive manufacturing processes. Wire and arc additive
manufacturing builds a part by depositing weld beads on a layer-by-layer basis. In
order to achieve high surface quality and dimensional accuracy of the fabricated
part, it is necessary to model the geometry of a single weld bead and multi-bead
overlapping process using mathematical modelling. A tangent overlapping model
is proposed and the concept of critical centre distance for stable multi-bead
overlapping process is presented. The new model is compared with the traditional
flat-top overlapping model (FOM).

S.H.Choi et.al in their paper “A virtual prototyping system with

reconfigurable actuators for multi-material layered manufacturing addresses the
need to fabricate large, complex products with more materials and efficiency. By
analysing the possibility of integrating reconfigurable manufacturing with layered
manufacturing plans for a virtual prototyping system with reconfigurable actuators
to improve number of materials, speed and build volume in multi-material layered
manufacturing (MMLM) is proposed.

Stephen Mellor et.al in their paper on “additive manufacturing: A framework

for implementation”, analyse the economic strategies of European and American
companies that are forced to switch towards to highly innovative, customised and
sustainable product development strategies in comparison to developing countries
that stick to mass production. The need and the necessary tools to support such
increased flexibility would result in low volume production. The AM is an
emerging technique that needs more refinement and research in this direction. The
dominant regime of AM has been only under prototyping. Recent trends have been
specialising on direct manufacturing processes and development of new materials.
Thus this study was focused on the socio-technical implementation of the AM
technology. The need for future developments in AM is recognised and the efforts
are initiated towards raising new business opportunities. Thus through this paper a
qualitative case analysis is performed and a test normative structural model is
constructed for supply chain, organisation, operations and strategies related to AM
technology.

Ena Lloret et.al in their paper “Complex concrete structures, merging

existing casting techniques with digital fabrication”, present construction methods
that unfold their full potential by linking digital design, additive fabrication and
material properties and hence allow accommodating the construction of complex
concrete structures. An emphasis on smart dynamic casting is laid upon developing
a new construction technique.

Guido.A.O.Adam et.al in their work on “Design for Additive manufacturing

element transitions and aggregated structures”, lay design rules for direct
manufacturing. They summarise on the design rules for various techniques like
Laser sintering, Laser melting and fused deposition modelling.

Simon meteyer et.al in “Energy and material flow analysis of Binder-jetting

additive manufacturing processes”, brief upon energy and material consumption
model of binder-jetting (BJ) process. A unit-process level model is created and
compared to experimental data to provide life cycle analysis of binder-jetting (BJ)
process.

Yicha Zhang et.al in the work on “Evaluating the design for additive
manufacturing - A process planning perspective”, comment on a two-level
evaluation framework to assess the design from a process planning perspective.
They also lay down the various processing limits and convey information from
process planning improving the design.

Jiwon Mun et.al through “Indirect additive manufacturing based casting of a

periodic 3d cellular metal flow simulation of molten aluminium alloy”, make an
analytical study of additive manufacturing process using the software package
ANSYS FLUENT. Direct additive manufacturing has disadvantages like limited
selection of materials, high thermal stress traced to high local energy source and
poor surface finish. In order to manufacture three dimensional network cellular
metals, indirect additive manufacturing can be implemented by combining an
inkjet three-dimensional printing of wax and metal casting. Zircon mould chosen
in their study for analysing the nature of solidification to justify the indirect AM
technique.

S.S.Bobby et.al in the work named “Influence of moisture in the Gypsum

moulds made by 3D printing”, observe the rehydration of calcium sulphate
hemihydrate to measure the amount of water added back in the crystallization
process. Since plaster moulds have been used to produce ferrous as well as non-
ferrous casting through investment casting and slip casting techniques
conventionally, the percentage of water influences the properties of moulds and
castings. Using rapid casting process an experimental study to measure the
moisture effect for various levels in the moulds was produced using three
dimensional printing was made. It was found that the percentage of moisture in the
moulds is directly proportional to the compressive strength. The effect of the
percentage moisture in the mould was studied by L9 orthogonal array and the Box-
Behnken design of experiments procedure.

Boolean operation has been used to edit and modify the complex STL models. As
it is difficult to deal with general ideal of dimensional reduction used in RP
Boolean operation on STL models give valid solutions to problems by using tool
object to operate target object. K.B.Guo et.al in their work devise an algorithm to
implement the Boolean operation of two STL solids. By getting a neighbourhood
relationship among the triangular facets by rebuilding the topological structure of
STL solid and comparing the intersection segments loops are traced from the
intersection of corresponding triangle strips. According to the neighbouring
relationship of non-intersected triangles with respect to the intersected triangular
strips, each surface is divided into several surface patches along the loops and a
test algorithm is given to determine whether the surface patch is inside or outside
the solid. Finally the Boolean operators for the specific operation is set and applied
in an experimental setup that results in improved reliability of the process.

Remi Ponche et.al through the work on additive laser manufacturing using
DFAM methodology optimise part geometry since ALM can be used to
manufacture very complex metal parts. An attempt has been made to minimise the
gap between a CAD model and the corresponding manufactured part. However the
work has been limited to extruded parts and 2, 5 axis manufacturing paths.

Hope, R.L et.al makes an effort towards producing large rapid prototypes.
The layer building techniques using square edges are discussed as the reason for
part inaccuracy and an improved procedure for calculating sloped surface path is
proposed. Inadequacies in rapid prototyping techniques have been remedied using
improvised build rate and accurate edges for thick layers to flow. The work
emphasises on the need to develop systems that manufacture products of one cubic
metre in a very fast rate.

Olga Ivan ova et.al describe on improving the properties of AM products and
the surface finish with the help of nano coating. The addition of nanostructured
materials into the printing medium of AM products have significant property
changes in the parts. Different AM method of SL, LS, 3DP and Fused FFF
(robocasting direct writing or omnidirectional printing) have been taken into
account. Metal, carbonaceous and semiconductor ceramic nanoparticles have been
tried and their effects through some mechanical testing have been observed. The
paper also presents various challenges in application of nano materials in AM
manufacturing processes. The work shows that various mechanical properties,
thermal and electrical conductivity, and also affect the dimensional accuracy.
However various limitations like nozzle clogging, aggregation within printing
media, rough surface finish of printed parts have been sensed as the scope for
future work.

Steven Keating et.al approaches AM through compound fabrication technique

to optimise the utilisation of industrial robot to integrate 3D printing. The paper
discusses how the potential of the industrial robots have been left untapped by
assigning only repetitive tasks to them. The work on multi-axis 3D plastic printing
and milling of fabrication composites by incorporating the additive and subtractive
possibilities to the single arm robot have been studied using KUKA KR5 Sixx
R850 robotic arm. The tool paths of XYZ robot and a KUKA robotic arm have
been compared.

Z.M. Bi, et.al with the work on automated modelling of modular robotic
configurations state the modularity of choosing the robotic configurations for
specific applications. Modularity here is the degree to which the system’s
components may be separated and recombined. This work has been studied to help
decide on the choice of single arm robotic configuration as a solution to part size
limitation found with the Cartesian configuration in current day 3D printing
systems.

Behrokh Khoshnevis through the work on automated construction by contour

crafting demonstrates how potentially capable are the additive manufacturing
systems in building large structures. The work also demonstrates the various
solutions to the problems related to labour efficiency and work quality and
enhanced safety that can result with contour crafting. The new technology has also
been proven suitable for extra-terrestrial missions.

Sungwoo Lim et.al state the development of a novel concrete printing process
by printing of full-scale construction components. This new technology is leading
to a more innovative way of architecture. The manufacturing tolerances have been
evaluated using a laser scanning technique against the original CAD model.

Guoxing Yu et.al through the paper explain how to cut costs further of a
advantageous RP system that has low overall cost due to the cost of building
materials. The work proposes the self-employed cheap cutter with directional
dynamics can put costs even down. The paper works on the cutter design for a
lamination system and then evaluation of roughness value of the specimen with
laser cut costly apparatus. Conclusions follow the elimination of trace errors
mathematically by modifying the cutter path.

S.H.Choi et.al presents a virtual prototyping (VP) system which includes a list
of software packages for multi-material layered manufacturing (MMLM) including
multi-toolpath planning, build time estimation and accuracy analysis with help of
virtual reality. This work helps understand the factors that are to be optimised to
cut the costs and in prototyping of a product.

Basic principles of RP process belong to the generative (or additive) production

processes unlike subtractive or forming processes such as lathing, milling, grinding
or coining etc. in which form is shaped by material removal or plastic deformation.
In all commercial RP processes, the part is fabricated by deposition of layers
contoured in a (x-y) plane two dimensionally. The third dimension (z) results from
single layers being stacked up on top of each other, but not as a continuous z-
coordinate. Therefore, the prototypes are very exact on the x-y plane but have
stair-stepping effect in z-direction. If model is deposited with very fine layers, i.e.,
smaller z-stepping, model looks like original. RP can be classified into two
fundamental process steps namely generation of mathematical layer information
andgeneration of physical layer model. Pulak.M.Pandey through his work details
the typical process chain of a RP system.

Giovanni Cesaretti et.al through their work on building components for an

outpost on the lunar soil by means of a novel 3D printing technology elaborate the
potential use of 3D printing in space science and architecture and the potential
interest of space enthusiasts in this specific technology. By developing a novel
lunar regolith simulant and testing the builds in air and vacuum have been studied.
Test pieces have been manufactured by the authors and their mechanical properties
have been assessed. A D-shape technology has been of special interest for the
author and supporting experimental demonstrations bring out the viability of such
technology.

A similar paper by Dr.Behrokh Khoshnevis et.al on lunar contour crafting

elaborates on the concrete development with lunar soil using AM techniques. With
Microgravity manufacturing developments and viability of in-situ materials the
paper concludes this specific technology as a hope for habitat on Lunar and
Martian habitats.
REFERENCES

1. K.B.Guo, L.C.Zhang, C.J.Wang, S.H.Huang “Boolean operations of STL

models based on loop detection” Springer-Verlag London Limited 2006
2. Remi Ponche, Olivier Kerbrat, Pascal Mognol, “A novel methodology of
design for Additive Manufacturing applied to Additive Laser Manufacturing
process” – Institut de Rechnerche en Communications et Cybernetique de
Nantes.
3. Hope R.L, Riek A.T., Roth.R.N, “Layer building with sloping edges for
Rapid Prototyping of Large building with sloping edges for Rapid
prototyping of large objects” CSIRO Manufacturing technology division.
4. Olga Ivanova, Christopher Williams, Thomas Campbell, “Additive
Manufacturing and nanotechnology: promises and challenges.
5. Steven Keating, Neri Oxman, “Compound fabrication: A multi-functional
robotic platform for digital design and fabrication.
6. Z.M.Bi, W.A.Gruver “Automated modelling of modular robotic
configurations”.
7. Behrokh Khoshnevis “automated Construction by Contour Crafting –
Related robotics and information technologies”, university of Southern
California.
8. Sungwoo Lim, Richard Buswell, Thanh Le, Renme Wackim, Simon Austin
“Development of a viable concrete printing process” Department of Civil
and Building Engineering, Loughborough university, UK.
9. Guoking Yu, Yuchung Ding, Dichen Li, Yiping Tang “A low cost cutter-
based paper lamination rapid prototyping system” Xi’an Jiaotong university,
Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (IAMT).
10. S.H.Choi, “A versatile prototyping system for rapid product development”.
11. Pulak.M.Pandey, “Rapid prototyping technologies, application and part
deposition planning”, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Technology – Delhi.
12. Giovanni Cesaretti, Enrico Dini, Xavier De Kestelier, Valentina colla,
Laurent Pambaguian “Building components for an outpost on the lunar soil
by means of a novel 3D printing technology”.
13. Dr.Bekrokh Khoshnevis, “Lunar Contour Crafting”.
14. R.A.Buswell, A.Thorpe, R.C.Soar, A.G.P.Gibb, “Design, data and process
issues for megascale rapid manufacturing machines used for construction”.
15. Paul Bosscher, Robert L.Williams, L.Sebastian Bryson, Daniel Castro,
Laucouture, “Cable suspended robotic contour crafting system”, Department
of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Ohio University.
16.Gerald Mitteramskogler, Robert Gemeine, Ruth Felzmana, Simon Gruber,
“Light curing strategies for lithography based additive manufacturing of
customised ceramics”.
17. Donghong ding, Zengxi Pan, Domnic Cuiuri, Huijun Li, “A multi-bead
overlapping model for robotic wire and arc additive manufacturing”.
18. S.H.Choi, Y.Cai, “A virtual prototyping system with reconfigurable
actuators for multi-material layered manufacturing”.
19. Stephen Mellor, Liang Hao, David Zhang, “Additive manufacturing: A
framework for implementation.
20. Ema Lloret, Amir R.Shahat, Mettler Linus, Robert J.F;latt, Fabio Gramazio,
Mattias Kohler, Silke Langenberg “Complex concrete structures, Merging
existing casting techniques with digital fabrication”.
21. Guido A.O.Adam, Detmar Zimmer, “Design for additive manufacturing
element transitions and aggregated structures”, CIRP journal of
manufacturing science and technology.
22. Simon eteyer, Xin Xu, Nicolas Perry, Yaoyao Fiona Zhao, “Energy and
material flow analysis of binder jetting additive manufacturing processes.
23. Yicha Zhang, Alain Bernard, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Ramy Harik, “Evaluating
the design for additive manufacturing”.
24. Jiwon Mun, Byoung-Gwan Yun, Jaehrjung Ju, Byung-Moon Chang,
“Indirect additive manufacturing based casting of a periodic 3d cellular
metal flow simulation of molten aluminium alloy.
25. S.S.Bobby and Sarat Singamneni, “Influence of moisture in the gypsum
moulds made by 3d printing”, School of Engineering, AUT University,
Auckland.
26. Jing zhang, Behkrokh Khosnevis, “Optimal machine operation planning for
construction by contour crafting”.
1.1 Problem Statement

Physical product development involves a methodology starting with concept design

followed by analysis and prototyping and testing, design validation. Rapid Prototyping finds
application in the product development cycle, where there is a need to visualize the products
physically even before the tools and dies required for manufacturing the product i.e at earlier
stages of product development. The Rapid Prototyping methodology if used for directly
manufacturing products, it can save a lot of time and money. Some of the challenges in using
Rapid Prototyping technology in manufacturing functional parts and real-time products. The unit
cost of the component will increase. The manufacturing time per component will increase and
the size of the component is also a limitation because most of the rapid prototyping machines
have their work volume restricted to 1000mm x 1000mm X 1000mm. manufacturing the
components with exact material is also a challenge.

Objective of the field work

This research involves a new method for manufacturing large scale prototypes using Rapid
Prototyping Technology. Where all the grey areas listed above is addressed.

The objective of this research is to find solution to the problems involved in

manufacturing in large scale components using rapid prototyping technology.

A method is proposed to manufacture the large scale products by a discrete manufacturing

method. In conventional rapid prototyping technology the Computer Aided Design (CAD) model
is sliced in to layers where in resulting in the contours which is manufactured by the machine
layer wise (Figure 1). In the proposed methodology. The CAD model instead of slicing in to
layers it is sliced in to fundamental shapes like cubes and then the raw material which is the
fundamental shapes are arranged (Figure 2) in to the respective place so that the final product can

be manufactured
Figure.1 Layer Slicing in Conventional Rapid Prototyping
 Figure 2 Robot arranging fundamental shapes
I. There are many fundamental shapes like the cubes, prisms, spheres and in each
variety there could be various sizes. It is not feasible to stock all the shapes and sizes,
a methodology is devised to optimize the shapes and sizes which are required for
building the required large scale products.
II. The methodology which is used to slice the CAD model in to the fundamental shapes
and then the technology which could be used to arrange these Fundamental shapes
which is there in to the final product.
1.3 Field work approach/methodology
According to Ranjith Kumar (2011), statement research or field work approach is precise
way to methodically solve the research problem by thinking and examining critically. It is
knowledge of learning how research is done scientifically. The various steps that are
generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic
behind them are to be taken. Yogesh (2009) stated that the research approach clearly creates
the nature of the problem and the logic underlying the investigation.
 Figure 3 Fieldwork Approach

1.4 Sequence of the field work

The previous sections provide a foundation about the research approach; this section
defines in detail about the sequence of this field work. According to Jan Blommaert( )
segerates field work in to three categories i.e., prior to the field work there are several activities
required they are preparation and documentation. before the field work, during the field work,
after the field work. P Lucienne and Amaresh (2009) talks about the steps of research work
which includes the activities to be followed with an purpose to improve particular stages of the
research design process and specific tasks within these stages of research. The sequence of this
field work is carried out in the following manner:

I. Survey the various litereatures available in the field of Rapid Prototyping and its
technologies, Research methodology, Exprementation design and optimization
techniques.

II. Study the literature with a focus on building Large Scale Prototypes.
III. Find the various fundamental shapes and sizes used for the product building.
IV. Select the various shapes and sizes of the raw material which can be contained in the
machine inventory.

1.5 Sequence of the chapters

Chapter – 1: In this chapter various Rapid Prototyping technologies are discussed. An overview
of building Large Scale Prototypes is also discussed.

Chapter - 2 presents the relevant literature available on Rapid Prototyping and the relevant white
papers in the field of Rapid Prototyping, Research Methodology, slicing CAD models and
Optimization techniques. Influence of Rapid Prototyping in the field of Product Design.

Chapter – 3: The background of the research focus on the very important foundation and
definitions of all concepts which are used in this field work are listed in this chapter. The scope
of further research and limitations are also listed

Chapter – 4: A methodology is proposed for identifying an optimized collection of raw material

i.e., fundamental shapes which are required to build the large scale prototype using Rapid
Prototyping technology

Chapter – 5: The outcome of the field work and the various advantages are presented
 Chapter 2

Literature Survey

2.1 Introduction

Undertaking the review of a body of a literature is often seen as something obvious and as a task
easily done. (Chris Hart, 2005). A research review can be categorized in to the following
selecting research questions, selecting bibliographic or article databases, websites and other
sources, choosing search terms, Applying practical screening criteria, Reliable and valid reviews
involve a standardized form for abstracting data from other articles, Synthesizing the results.
(Arlene Fink, 2010) According to Kothari (2004) statement, the researcher should carry out
extensive literature survey connected with the identified problem. The literature review assesses
the past and current status of research work in the area of Rapid Prototyping and the relevant
white papers in the field of Rapid Prototyping, Research Methodology, slicing CAD models and
Optimization techniques. Influence of Rapid Prototyping in the field of Product Design.

The work done by the earlier researchers in this area are presented in the following
topics:
2.2 Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping process belongs to the generative (or additive) production processes
not like subtractive or forming processes such as lathing, milling, grinding or coining etc. in
which form is shaped by material removal or plastic deformation. In all commercial RP
processes, the part is processed by depositing layers contoured in a (x-y) plane two
dimensionally. The third dimension (z) results from single layers being stacked up on top of each
other, but not as a continuous z-coordinate. Therefore, the prototypes are very exact on the x-y
plane but have stair-stepping effect in z-direction. If model is deposited with very fine layers,
i.e., smaller z-stepping, model looks like original. RP can be classified into two

fundamental process steps namely generation of mathematical layer information and

generation of physical layer model. Typical process chain of various RP systems is shown in
figure 3. (Pulak M. Pandey, 2006)

Figure 3 Rapid Prototyping Process

 Rapid prototyping (RP) is a procedure of producing models. There are various methods
of rapid prototyping. The main advantage lies in the speed of producing physical prototypes as
well as almost unlimited complexity of geometry. RP procedures do not require planning during
the process, specific equipment for work with materials, transport between workplaces, etc.
However, compared with CNC processing, the main drawback of these processes is that they are
currently limited to fewer materials

The general purpose of rapid prototyping is to reduce the time taken to market for new
products by shortening the lead period between design and evaluation. The prototypes or parts
are designed using computer-aided design (CAD) software and fabricated in a rapid prototyping
unit without the requirements for the dedicated tooling like the injection molding dies. When
rapid prototyping appeared such as stereolithography (SL) (Jacobs, 1992), selective laser
sintering (Nelson et al., 1993), fused deposition modelling (Yardimci and Guceri, 1996), the
primary aim of these processes was to produce prototypes using polymers as the raw material. In
the later years, metallic materials were also used in the rapid prototyping processes to produce
some functional parts in batches by direct laser sintering of metallic powder (Das et al., 1998),
direct metal deposition (Mazumder et al., 1997) .

2.3 Slicing Computer Aided Design (CAD) Models

A CAD file has to be sliced in to the desired slice thickness before it is manufactured in a
rapid prototyping machine. A direct and adaptive slicing method based on a commercial CAD
software has been reported by (Ron Jamieson et al., 1995).
 Figure 4 CAD Model of a shaft

Figure 5 Uniform Direct slicing of a CAD Model

Figure 6 Adaptive Slicing of the CAD model.

(Zhiwen Zhao et al., 2000) used a CAD model of a shaft shown in figure 4 to slice in
various methods and Reduced the number of layers from 5715 for direct slicing shown in Figure
5 to 349 in Figure 6 in the adaptive directing slicing hence reducing the time to build, which is
one of the most desired factors in the large scale prototyping.
 (William E et al, 1987) Reported a new algorithm called marching cubes which used the
divide and rule approach where a cube inspect a surface and see how it intersects with the cube.
This method is very useful for building rapid prototypes form the medical data. This awesome
method utilizes a 256 ways in which the cube can intersect with the surface. A look up table
which suggests the surface edge interactions.

(R.L. Hope et al., 1995) devised a new platform for slicing CAD models without using
the commercial CAD software The developed this independent module using C++ this is called
Trusurf. It can handle many surfaces from the one IGES file to define a part. The models
produced with this module were better than the conventional stepped models.

(Xiao Di Pan et al., 2013) proposed a new method for slicing CAD models. This was
based on the STL file itself. This method improved the forming precession of the product in
Rapid Prototyping. The topological information of the STL file was created,

(D.G. Ahn et al., 2003) devised a layer manufacturing technique where a hot
wire cut an EPS foam where the wire had a four degree freedom and the layers were
cut with the appropriate slope, where the stepping was avoided.

2.4 Influence of Rapid Prototyping in Product Design.

At present, the various processes associated with RP techniques make it easier

to obtain a workable plastic injection moulding die set in a day’s time. This results in
a great reduction of implementation time for production, as well as a limitation of the
associated costs. Now such techniques are about to be optimized for a real production
application techniques, which in fact are named rapid tooling techniques (RT).
(D.King et all., 2002)

Rapid Prototyping plays a vital role in reducing the time required for a new
product development and reducing the development costs. The RP process can
manufacture parts that are too complex and cannot be manufactured by material
removal processes such as machining. The RP parts can be used to physically feel or
evaluate and validate designs. To inspect form, fit, and function, or to produce a
tooling (or master) pattern for die casting or injection molding. (Williams R.E et all
1996)

Massive competition faced by the industry is demands high quality, lesser price
and quickness to market. The agility of the product is the means to succeed in the
global market. Therefore, there is an immediate demand from industry for a very fast
method to produce physical prototypes with the preferable material properties and
manufacturing processes. The most advantageous rapid prototyping is the integration
of production planning and testing within the product development period as stated by
Jager, Levy, and Schinel (2001).

(A. Hasnaoui et al., 2011) have demonstrated that large size 3-D laser
prototyping can be envisaged while avoiding a large increase in the design time. The
main advantage of this method is the capacity to fabricating 3-dimentional prototypes
without the requirements of expensive tooling and machining. One of the laser based
RP techniques is the Laser-Lithography (LL) process, which creates three dimensional
parts by selectively solidifying polymeric materials layer by layer when exposed to a
laser beam.
 Advanced Rapid Prototyping methods technologies enable the manufacture
complex body organs such as leavers. The research in this field has shown much
progress in the process of manufacturing body organs. Rapid Prototyping processes
make it possible to synthesis, modeling of highly hierarchical bioartificial livers,
(Xiaohong Wang et al., 2007)

The parts and products which is manufactured suing Rapid Prototyping has
shown to posess only the physical shape and not the material properties like strength
and toughness. And can only be used for demonstration purposes. Presently however,
additive techniques are being considered for the production of actual end-use parts,
gave birth to a concept that has recently been called as Additive Manufacturing (AM)
(R.D. Goodridge et al., 2011)

(Rahul. V. Mahajan et al, 2013) overcame the shortcomings of conventional

palletizing system and eliminated with the development of a palletizing cell which is
robot centric. Instead of including a general purpose robot in system and selecting
particular integration hierarchy.

(ZHANG Ming et al., 2013) In the palletizing job of liquor production line, a
special palletizing robot was implemented by using parallelogram mechanism. The
positive and negative solution of motion model pose and speed was solved using the
Denvart- Hartnberg method according to the structural characteristics of palletizing
robot. The robot motion process was simulated using ADAMS software.

2.5 Experiment design and optimization using response surface methodology

(Jack G. Zhou et al., 1999) conducted a detailed study out of the most
important build parameters that affect the quality and accuracy of the
stereolithography parts. They are 1. the layer thickness, 2. resultant overcure, 3. hatch
space, 4.blade gap, and the 5. part location. Using the Response Surface Methodology
and ANOVA, together with the help of MINITAB software, they were able to find the
factors that are most significant in affecting the quality and accuracy of parts.

(Joel E et al, 1998) Conducted experiments in the streolithography apparatus

with all the variables which are normally controlled by the experienced operators.
They used response surface methodology for conducting these experiments. The build
quality was the dependent variable and the other factors like part orientation, cross
sectional layer thickness, laser hatch density, and multi objective decision support
system was also used to optimize the factors.

A new methodology for workstation design was introduced by (Irad Ben- Gal
et al., 2002). This methodology was based on the fractional factorial experiments
design and response surface methodology. And utilized tools like virtual
manufacturing and graphical simulation. Fractional experiments and response surface
methodology were used in this work to bride these gaps by generating alternative
design configuration.

(SG Bojan et al., 2011) optimized the experiment reaction parameters for
biodiesel production from high free fatty acid Jatropha curcas oil by using alkali
catalyst-based transesterification process, response surface methodology involving
central composite design was applied. The effect of five-level three factors and their
reciprocal interactions were studied. A total of 20 experiments were conducted and
designed to study the effect of reaction temperature, catalyst quantity, and methanol to
oil molar ratio on the biodiesel yield.

(Jixiang Lai et al., 2013) used response surface methodology (RSM) with a
central composite design (CCD) was employed to optimize the environment for
production of antioxidants from black soybean sprouts. The independent factors were:
liquid-solid ratio, period of ultrasonic assisted extraction and extraction temperature
were investigated in the ultrasonic aqueous extraction. Then Response Surface
Methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the extraction process focused on DPPH
radical-scavenging capacity of the antioxidants with respect to the above influencing
factors.

2.6. Summary
Based on the detailed literature review which was carried out to identify the need for
rapid prototyping large scale prototypes. After through study it is decided to carry out the field
work to design and optimize the various sizes and shapes of building blocks which are required
for building large scale prototypes.

Chapter 3
Background of the field work
3.1 Introduction
 The important concepts which are essential for the field work has been covered so forth.
The concepts which govern the field work have been covered. Peter (1999) expressed that the
background concepts provide the research and researcher to make sense of the ‘data’ and the
study to proceed in a systematic way.

As described by Brian (2003), the different backgrounds for the selective area are
reducing the gap between the theoretical studies and practical analysis. According to Judith
(2005), revising the ideas about the nature and scope of background concepts really could help
the researcher to do his research successfully. The backgrounds explained in this chapter are
about Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping in different sectors, and Rapid Prototyping in direct
end use product manufacturing, optimization in rapid prototyping

3.2 Background of Rapid Prototyping in manufacturing

(Wohlers report 2001) Figure 7 shows how companies are using Rapid Prototype models. Nearly
41% of all RP models are being used for fit and function applications, an estimate derived by
adding together the “fit/assembly” and “functional models” segments. About 27% use RP as
visual aids for engineering, toolmaking, quote requests, and proposals, an estimate derived from
adding together these segments. More than 23% of RP models are being used as patterns for
prototype tooling and metal casting, as well as for tooling inserts.
 Figure 7: Use of Rapid Prototypes

According to the (Wohlers report 2012), the compounded annual growth rate of additive
manufacturing was 29.4% in 2011. The market for all the products and services in 2011 was $1.7
billion. It is expected that the market to grow to $21 billion by 2012. The rapid Prototyping
technology is viewed very seriously as a method for direct manufacturing products and goods.
The second trend reported here is the much needed standards developed by ASTM International
Committee F42 on Additive Manufacturing Technology. The third is the dramatic advancement
in the metals. In the last 10 years metal prototyping has developed form nothing to producing a
good number of functional parts every year. Presentation Summary The growth and
development of metal additive manufacturing have been impressive. Infact, some argue that it
has developed more impressively in 10 years than AM for plastics developed in more than two
decades. Organizations in aerospace, medical, dental, motor sports, and some consumer products
are aggressively investigating ways in which they can benefit from the range of processes and
materials. Government agencies, the investment community, and other groups are also interested
in understanding what opportunities the technology may bring.

(Hopkinson et al., 2001) reported that developments in rapid prototyping and machining have created
reduced lead times for injection moulding tooling. Aluminium and stereolithography (SL) tools are made
with regard to the ejection forces required to push mouldings from the tools, heat transfer through the
tools and the surface roughness of the tools. The results show that ejection forces for both types of
tools are increased when a longer cooling time prior to ejection is used. The ejection forces required
from a rough aluminium tool are considerably higher than those from a smooth aluminium tool. SL tools
do not appear to be subjected to any smoothing as a result of moulding polypropylene parts, this is
explained by the fact that the tool’s surface acts in a rubber like manner during part ejection. The rubber
like nature of the tool’s surface is as a direct consequence of the low glass transition temperature and
low thermal conductivity of the tool material. There is a greater scope of the components to be
manufactured directly.

3.4 Summary
 The above study gives an overview of various important concepts like the Additive
Manufacturing market in various sectors, the various scope and product use of additive
manufacturing.

Chapter 4

Design of fundamental shapes and optimization for building Large Scale Prototypes

4.1 Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to design and develop a set of fundamental shapes that
can be used to construct the final large scale prototype.

4.2 Methods for manufacturing Large Scale Prototypes

(Sam et al,. 2011) proposed a methodology to manufacture large scale prototypes The rapid
prototyping technologies find vast application in various fields like manufacturing, Deposition
(PED), and Precise Extrusion Manufacturing (PEM). These are derived from Fused Deposition
Modeling (FDM). The RP technologies, which are reported has a fixed volume of operation and
constrained in terms of building large scale prototypes which cannot be fitted in to the work
volume of the machine. In this work an attempt has been made to study the challenges in
building large scale prototypes and a conceptual method is also suggested for building large
scale prototypes. Medical, tool development, product presentation, etc. There is always a
limitation. The size of the components produced is always limited to the size of the machine. An
attempt is being made to study the various challenges that are involved in manufacturing
components that are massive, which are way beyond to be fitted in to the work volume of the
present rapid – prototyping machines. There are components which are large, like the wing of
the Airbus A380, which is being prototyped and tested. There are several requirements in the
field of large scale rapid prototypes which includes landscaping, terrain modeling, parts which
can be only tested to scale, which are big, complex artifacts, etc. Some of the common RP
technologies are laser based which includes Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography
Apparatus (SLA), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), Solid Ground Curing (SGC) Direct
Metal Laser Sintering(DMLS).Researchers have reported on customized RP techniques, which
include Melt Dissolution deposition Technique (MDDT), Precision Extrusion A conceptual
technique is proposed here for fabricating large scale components using rapid prototyping
technique. This system utilizes the capability of present RP machine and there is no need for
dedicated machine. The large components can be fabricated by disseminating their CAD model
in to small pieces which can fit in to the work volume of the machine and then assembling
them. A research was carried out to study the feasibility, assembling procedures and reference
marking technique for proper there is no offset errors when assembled. The component
selected is a large prism with a centered hole. This component cannot be directly manufactured
using the RP machine. The component is disseminated into individual pieces. Individual pieces
are saved as separate CAD files. Individual pieces are numbered and with the number as their
file name they are saved. The component is oriented and the bottom, left front component gets
the name (1,1,1), the other pieces gets their names according to a three dimensional matrix.
The individual pieces are divided into four categories. Pieces with one face connection, two face
connection, three face connection and four face connection. The face is marked with the name
of the adjoining piece. The pieces are provided with connecting pins, which are added
automatically to all The pin system is stored in knowledge based system in CATIA software and
pasted to all the components. The components are manufactured with the pin system. The
manufactured pieces are assembled from the left bottom front component (1, 1, 1) as
reference. With the help of the pin joining system the pieces are joined together and glued
together.

4.3 Building blocks for manufacturing Large Scale Prototypes

Cubes are the best option for building any component. Initially a bigger cube was built using
smaller cubes as shown in figure 8. Any prismatic component can be built with the help of this
technique. The inventory can hold infinite source of the smaller cubes here the cubes
dimensions were 5 mm x 5mm x 5mm. The larger cube was completely constructed there was
no difference between the design component and the manufactured component there was no
stair stepping. The accuracy of the produced parts was very good.

Figure 8: Cubes of Various sizes arranged in to a bigger cube

This method is very suitable for prismatic components but built time is much higher. If the size
of the cubes were increased and once different size of cubes were used as shown in figure 9,
there was a considerable improvement in the build time.

Figure 9: Cubes of Various sizes

When the non prismatic components were attempted with only cubes, though there was an
improvement in the build time but the accuracy of the parts decreased this paved way for using
the next fundamental shape, the triangular prism. With the introduction of the triangular prism
as shown in figure 10 the built time improved and there was an improvement in the part
accuracy also.

Figure 10: Cubes of Various sizes and a triangular prism

The experiment showed that the built time and the accuracy of the build showed a
considerable amount of improvement when the total number of fundamental shapes and total
number of sizes of these shapes were increased.
 CHAPTER – 5

CONCLUSION

5.1 Introduction

In this field work, the fundamental concepts and definitions of rapid prototyping were
studied. A new concept method for manufacturing large scale components using the Rapid
Prototyping is presented. The various building blocks which are required for manufacturing these
components were also designed

5.2 Discussion of the field work outcome

In this field work a detailed study is done in the area of Rapid Prototyping and its various
technologies. The need for manufacturing large scale components using the Rapid Prototyping
technology. Various shapes and sizes were identified and the factors that affect quality of the
components which are built using this technology.

5.3 Suggestion for the future research

The suggestions for future research can be valuable for future endeavors and alternative goals
even when they are unexpected happenings. As described by Lucienne and Amaresh (2009), the
description of future work will discuss those questions and hypotheses that came up but that are
not addressed, because they fall outside the scope of the field work or because the present
findings look sufficient to continue to the next stage. The suggestions for future works are given
below:

1. The experiments can be designed for the indentified factors

2. The results of the experiments can be used optimizing the various shapes that are
required.

It is believed that this field work will be helpful for the Product design industry to rethink
their direct end use product manufacturing initiatives.

5.4 Limitations of field work

Controlled aspects which are not critical may be stated as limitations to the research. As
per the report given by Murray (2008), the limitations of the present researches are very good
opportunities for future research. Lucienne and Amaresh (2009) reported that the limitations
should cover the specific methods that were applied, as well as the overall methodology. The
limitations of the research are shown below:

 This field work had been carried out only to few shapes, though there are many more
fundamental shapes
 This field work has been carried out only to the parameters which are essential in
controlling the part build time and part build accuracy.

5.5 Summary

This field work presents the challenges that the additive manufacturing and the product
manufacturing industry faces. This field work also addresses the demand of manufacturing large
scale components and parts using the rapid prototyping technology. The various shapes and sizes
of the fundamental shapes which are used to build these products were also identified and
optimized.

Reference

 RANJIT KUMAR, 2011. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

 JAN BLOMMAERT, DONG JIE, 2010. Ethnographic fieldwork: a beginner's guide

 CHRIS HART, 2005. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research
Imagination

 ARLENE FINK, 2010. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to
Paper

 JACOBS, F.P.,1992, “Rapid prototyping & manufacturing-fundamentals of

stereolithography”, SME, Dearborn.

 NELSON, J. C., XUE, S., BARLOW, J. W., BEAMAN, J.J., MARCUS, H.L. AND
BOURELL, D.L., 1993, “Model of the selective laser sintering of Bisphenol-A
polycarbonate”, Ind. and Eng. Chem. Res., Vol. 32, pp. 2305-17

 YARDIMCI, M.A. AND GUCERI, S., 1996 “Conceptual framework for the thermal
process modelling of fused deposition”, Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 2, pp. 26-30.

 DAS, S., WOHLERT, M., BEAM, J.J. AND BOURELL, D.L., 1998 “Producing metal
parts with selective laser sintering / hot isostatic pressing”, JOM, Vol. 50, pp. 17-20.
 MAZUMDER, J., CHOI, J., NAGARTHNAM, K., KOCH, J. AND HETZNER, D.,
1997, “The direct metal deposition of H13 tool steel for 3-D components”, JOM, Vol. 49,
pp. 55-60.

 RON JAMIESON, HERBERT HACKER, 1995 “Direct slicing of CAD models for rapid
prototyping”, Rapid Prototyping Journal.

 XIAO DI PAN, KUN CHEN, ZHENG YAN ZHANG, DING FANG CHEN, TAO TAO
LI, 2013 “Adaptive Slicing Algorithm Based on STL Model” Applied Mechanics and
Materials (Volume 288)

 WILLIAMS RE, KORMARAGIRI VL, BISHU RR., 1996 “Investigation of the effect of
various build methods on the performance of rapid prototyping (Stereolithography)”. J
Mater Process Technol.

 JAGER, H., LEVY, G., SCHINEL, R. (2001). “New technologies to shorten time to
market: The impact of actual and future rapid prototyping technologies”. In Proceedings
of IE&EM ‘2001, Tianjin-China’.

 HOPKINSON, NEIL, DICKENS, PHILL M., 2001 “Rapid prototyping for direct
manufacture” Rapid prototyping journal.
 PULAK M. PANDEY, 2003 “Rapid Prototyping technologies, applications and part
deposition planning” white paper

 ANA PILIPOVIĆ & PERO RAOS & MLADEN ŠERCER, 2009 “Experimental analysis
of properties of materials for rapid

 Prototyping” ,International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Technology

 D.G. AHN , S.H. LEE , D.Y. YANG, 2003“A study on the influence of the sloped
cutting angle on kerfwidth and part quality in the hotwire cutting of EPS foam for the
VLM-s rapid prototyping process “International Journal of Machine Tools &
Manufacture

 ZHIWEN ZHAO , LUC LAPERRIÈRE , 1994 “Adaptive Direct Slicing of the Solid
Model for Rapid Prototyping”

 JOEL E. MCCLURKIN, DAVID W. ROSEN, 1995 “Computer-aided build style

decision support for stereolithography, Rapid Prototyping Journal.

 R.L. HOPE, P.A. JACOBS, R.N. ROTH, 1997 “Rapid Prototyping with sloping
surfaces”, Rapid Prototyping Journal

 WILLIAM E. LORENSEN, HARVEY E. CLINE, 1987 Marching cubes: A high

resolution 3D surface construction algorithm, Proceeding SIGGRAPH '87 Proceedings of
the 14th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques.
 RAHUL. V. MAHAJAN, S.T. BAGDE , 2013 “Palletizing Systems for Integrated
Manufacturing Plants” International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology

 JACK G. ZHOU, DANIEL HERSCOVICI, CALVIN C. CHEN , 1999 “Parametric

Process Optimization to improve the accuracy of Rapid Prototyped Stereolithography
Parts”, International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture.

 HASNAOUI, A.BENCHEIKH, K.AI¨T-AMEUR, 2011 “Tailored TEMp0 beams

forlargesize3-Dlaserprototyping” Journal of Optics and Lasers in Engineering.

 IRAD BEN-GAL, JOSEPH BUCKCHIN, 2002 “Erogonomic Design of Workstations

using Virtual Manufacturing and response surface methodology. IIE Transactions.

 JIXIANG LAI, CAN XIN, YA ZHAO, BING FENG, CONGFEN HE, YINMAO
DONG, YUN FANG AND SHAOMIN WEI, 2013 “Optimization of Ultrasonic Assisted
Extraction of Antioxidants from Black Soybean (Glycine max var) Sprouts Using
Response Surface Methodology” Molecules.

 TERRY WOHLERS, 2001 “ Rapid Prototyping and Tooling State of the Industry Annual
World Wide Progress Report. White paper

 TERRY WOHLERS, 2012 “ Rapid Prototyping and Tooling State of the Industry Annual
World Wide Progress Report. White paper
  O. TOPÇU, Y. TAŞCIOĞLU AND H. Ö. ÜNVER , 2011 “A Method for Slicing CAD
Models inBinary STL Format”,6th International Advanced Technologies Symposium
(IATS’11)

7. Joseph Pegna,”Exploratory investigation of solid freeform construction”, Automation in

Construction,Volume 5, Issue 5, February 1997, Pages 427–437

http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v10/n6/abs/nprot.2015.051.html

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-46089-4_2#page-1

http://www.rapidtoday.com/future.html