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Mechanical Engineering Rapid Prototyping Machine |
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The Department of
Mechanical Engineering at the "Dimension SST is
an innovative combination of proprietary hardware, software, and material
technology. Dimension SST is designed with ultimate simplicity in mind. The
system enables you to build parts quickly, even if you¡¯ve never used a
modeler before. Its display prompts you to press a few keys to get you
modeling quickly. The system models with ABS plastic, so modeled parts are
strong and durable. ABS also ensures you will be able to drill, tap, sand,
and paint your creations. With the speed and convenience of Soluble Support
Technology (SST), your completed parts are quickly available for review and
test." "Dimension SST's
build envelop measures 203 X 203 X 305 mm (8 X 8 X 12 in). Each material
cartridge contains 922 cc (56.3 cu. In.) of usable material, enough to build
continuously for about four days without reloading." User Guides: "Dimension SST
builds parts, including internal features, directly form CAD .stl files (Pro/ENGINEER or any other CAD system
which can export files in .stl format). The system builds three-dimensional
parts by extruding a bead of ABS plastic through a computer-controlled
extrusion head, producing high quality parts that are ready to use
immediately after completion. With two layer resolution settings, you can
choose to build a part quickly for design verification, or you can choose a
finer setting for higher quality surface detail." Note that
"rapid" is relative. Small parts with few features take several
hours to build while complex parts must be built over one or more days.
Because the machine builds a part in horizontal slices from the bottom up,
any overhanging features must have support material built up to them from the
bottom. (This support material is broken away after the part is finished.)
Thus, the number of overhanging features in a part often contributes more to
the total build time than does the part's overall size. This, among other
things, is something to be considered when determining whether rapid
prototyping is an appropriate technology for prototyping your part. Prototyping Costs: The RP machine is a free resource for all students currently registered in any Mechanical Engineering class. All other university affiliated individuals (students in other departments, researchers, etc.) will be charged the cost of the modeling material for their part, which is currently about $5.00 per cubic inch. Please note that Rapid Prototyping is not an instantaneous process, and that you should contact us well in advance of running your part in order to ensure that your pieces are ready when you need them. In the event that there are several requests for modeling within the same time period the modeling order is determined by the RP machine manager. At most other times, pieces are run on a first come first serve basis. Contact Professor Durfee or the RP machine manager if you would like to discuss the possibility of running a part on the RP machine. Resource
Links: Stratasys rapid manufacturing
and prototyping systems Dimension SST
dimension printing technology For
trained RP users, please check Dimension
SST Instructions for references. Contacts: RP Manager: also the ME4054 TA for the academic year. For year 2007-2008, Emily Robin-Abbott robi0175@umn.edu RP
Laboratory Head: Prof. Will Durfee, wkdurfee@umn.edu If you have questions
about the RP machine, see Prof. Will Durfee (tel: 625-0099, e-mail: wkdurfee@umn.edu ). |
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Page Maintained by
Emily Robin-Abbott, robi0175@umn.edu Last modified: |