Integrated reverse engineering and rapid prototyping

Reverse engineering is a methodology for constructing CAD models of physical parts by digitizing an existing part, creating a computer model and then using it to manufacture the component. When a digitized part is to be manufactured by means of rapid prototyping machines such as stereolithography apparatus (SLA) and selective laser sintering equipments (SLS), etc., it is not necessary to construct the CAD model of a digitized part. This will be described by the proposed novel method which can construct STL file (the de facto file format for rapid prototyping machines) directly from digitized part data. Further more, the STL file can even be constructed in a way that significant data reduction can be achieved at the users' discretion.     

Knowledge-based system for rapid prototyping

In recent years it has been noticed that rapid prototyping produces better software products. Research on combining Artificial Intelligence and software engineering has also been conducted for a number of years. A knowledge-based system for rapid prototyping is presented. In the system, the Frame-and-Rule Oriented Requirements Language and a methodology are developed to provide an integrated means of prototyping throughoyt the software life cycle. The particular application domain to be modelled is represented in terms of objects and activities. FRORL, which uses the concept of frames and production systems, describes the problem domain's objects and activities in a natural way. With the support of a knowledge base, a software prototype can be rapidly developed using FRORL. The system has been implemented using Prolog on a VAX-11/780 computer.     

Expert system-based selection of the preferred direction of build for rapid prototyping processes

Current commercial rapid prototyping technologies are based on a layered additive process to build parts. The layer-based process results in a stairstepping effect, which can be apparent on curved and sloped surfaces. The selection of the build orientation, whether based on experience, trial and error, or not even considered, is one critical factor that affects the quality of the surface finish. Furthermore, it influences other important aspects, such as the build time and the amount of support structure needed. The authors propose an expert system tool that considers the various parameters that affect the production of the prototype and interacts with the user to recommend the best direction to build. The recommendation is based both on the user's input and on a decision matrix based on the result of interviews with experts, which is implemented within the expert system. If an optimal orientation is not possible, the tool helps the user to select an acceptable build direction. The expert system can also draw attention to issues such as trapped volumes, which can be detrimental to the build process. It helps to reduce the design time, to automate the build process and to minimize the cost of the prototype. The results of this work form a base for ongoing research to complete a tool that considers all major issues for a preferred orientation.     

Interfacing geometric model data with rapid prototyping systems

The direct slicing of CAD models created in CADDS V to generate geometric data for rapid prototyping using fused feposition modeling technique (FDM) is presented in this paper. The report file from an explicit model is accessed for obtaining model data. Algorithms have been developed for determining the volumes of model material as well as support materials. New algorithms have been developed for filling the sheet solid. A simulation module has been developed to verify whether the filling is correctly done. Example of a model is manufactured using this approach is also presented in this paper.     

基于构件技术的快速样机原型的软件框架

以自主研发的HLRESP（honeycomb-like rapid embedded system platform）快速样机系统为基础,提出一种基于构件技术地快速样机原型的软件框架。该软件系统以Eclipse开放平台为基础,并采纳了角色的概念,使之能够支持一定程度上的多人协作开发任务。提出了板级IP（BLIP）的概念,使其在软件系统中的管理方式与FPGA内的IP管理方式一致,简化了软件设计工作。对于IP库的管理,使用了XML（extensible markup language）表示IP（intellectual property）,结合CVS版本控制系统,使得用户能够方便地从IP构件库中获得、配置并集成IP。     

Concurrent intelligent rapid prototyping environment

Rapid prototyping technology enables rapid production of complex objects directly from a computer-aided design model without involving any tooling or conventional part programming. This has created a new set of problems associated with part design, process planning, support design and value engineering analysis of rapid prototyping parts. In this paper, a methodology for resolving these problems is described, which uses concurrent engineering, distributed blackboard, value engineering, knowledge-based and feature-based technologies. The functionality, design methodology and knowledge representation techniques of a concurrent intelligent rapid prototyping system for stereolithography form the main focus of this paper.     

An adaptive process planning approach of rapid prototyping and manufacturing

This paper presents an adaptive approach to improve the process planning of Rapid Prototyping/Manufacturing (RP/M) for complex product models such as biomedical models. Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS)-based curves were introduced to represent the boundary contours of the sliced layers in RP/M to maintain the geometrical accuracy of the original models. A mixed tool-path generation algorithm was then developed to generate contour tool-paths along the boundary and offset curves of each sliced layer to preserve geometrical accuracy, and zigzag tool-paths for the internal area of the layer to simplify computing processes and speed up fabrication. In addition, based on the developed build time and geometrical accuracy analysis models, adaptive algorithms were designed to generate an adaptive speed of the RP/M nozzle/print head for the contour tool-paths to address the geometrical characteristics of each layer, and to identify the best slope degree of the zigzag tool-paths towards achieving the minimum build time. Five case studies of complex biomedical models were used to verify and demonstrate the improved performance of the approach in terms of processing effectiveness and geometrical accuracy.     

A virtual prototyping system for rapid product development

This paper describes a virtual prototyping (VP) system that integrates virtual reality with rapid prototyping (RP) to create virtual or digital prototypes to facilitate product development. The proposed VP system incorporates two new simulation methodologies, namely the dexel-based and the layer-based fabrication approaches, to simulate the powder-based and the laminated sheet-based RP processes, respectively. The dexel-based approach deposits arrays of solid strips to form a layer, while the layer-based approach directly forms a complete layer by extruding the slice contours. The layer is subsequently stacked up to fabricate a virtual prototype. The simulation approaches resemble the physical fabrication processes of most RP systems, and are therefore capable of accurately representing the geometrical characteristics of prototypes. In addition to numerical quantification of the simulation results, the system also provides stereoscopic visualisation of the product design and its prototype for detailed analyses. Indeed, the original product design may be superimposed on its virtual prototype, so that areas with dimensional errors beyond design limits may be clearly highlighted to facilitate point-to-point analysis of the surface texture and the dimensional accuracy of the prototype. Hence, the key control parameters of an RP process, such as part orientation, layer thickness and hatch space, may be effectively tuned up for optimal fabrication of physical prototypes in subsequent product development. Furthermore, the virtual prototypes can be transmitted via the Internet to customers to facilitate global manufacturing. As a result, both the lead-time and the product development costs can be significantly reduced.     

面向快速制造扫描分区的凹多边形凸分解算法

提出了一个面向快速成型扫描路径规划的凹多边形凸分解算法。首先应用所提出的基于正负法搜索凹点对应的可见点的新算法来找出凹点的可见点串,然后结合所提出的适用于快速制造中扫描分区的剖分准则,利用权函数选择最佳剖分点,并合理使用辅助点,保证了剖分所得凸多边形的形态质量。该算法作为快速成形选区环形扫描路径规划软件的底层算法,在对待扫描的层面轮廓进行分区时得到了应用。     

PProto: An environment for prototyping parallel programs

This paper describes Parallel Proto (PProto), an integrated environment for constructing prototypes of parallel programs. Using functional and performance modeling of dataflow specifications, PProto assists in analysis of high-level software and hardware architectural tradeoffs. Facilities provided by PProto include a visual language and an editor for describing hierarchical dataflow graphs, a resource modeling tool for creating parallel architectures, mechanisms for mapping software components to hardware components, an interactive simulator for prototype interpretation, and a reuse capability. The simulator contains components for instrumenting, animating, debugging, and displaying results of functional and performance models. The Pproto environment is built on top of a substrate for managing user interfaces and database objects to provide consistent views of design objects across system tools.     

快速成型系统中自适应的直接切片算法的研究

为了解决CAD模型转换成STL模型时出现误差、均匀切片时加工时间和表面质量难以协调的问题,提出了自适应的直接切片算法.该算法调用商用软件中切片函数对模型直接切片,切片厚度选择采用自适应切片方法.首先求出能够表示模型垂直方向轮廓变化情况的参考曲线,然后在切片时根据参考曲线上各点处切线确定在该处的切片厚度.使用该算法避免了用三角面片逼近CAD模型时的误差,而且根据参考曲线上点的切线决定切片的厚度,不需要试切,在保证模型表面精度的同时提高了成型效率.     

A software framework for data analysis

The open-source Java software framework JStatCom is presented which supports the development of rich desktop clients for data analysis in a rather general way. The concept is to solve all recurring tasks with the help of reusable components and to enable rapid application development by adopting a standards based approach which is readily supported by existing programming tools. Furthermore, JStatCom allows to call external procedures from within Java that are written in other languages, for example Gauss, Ox or Matlab. This way it is possible to reuse an already existing code base for numerical routines written in domain-specific programming languages and to link them with the Java world. A reference application for JStatCom is the econometric software package JMulTi, which will shortly be introduced.     

A hardware-in-the-loop dynamics simulator for motorcycle rapid controller prototyping

The purpose of this research is to develop an innovative hardware-in-the-loop simulator for the purpose of motorcycle power train rapid controller prototyping. Proposed control algorithms can be validated using the developed setup. Such an in-lab validation saves time and development cost and thus is preferable during power train controller development process. The developed simulator includes an engine, a transmission, and a rear wheel from a real motorcycle. A powder brake is rigidly coupled to the rear wheel for road loading generation. A central computer is used to control the operation of the system and the measurement of system dynamics variables. An xPC system is also integrated in the system to provide the feasibility of power train control algorithm rapid prototyping. Comparison between field tests and simulation results show that the simulator can be used to evaluate the performance of different control algorithms for controller rapid prototyping in the laboratory. An example of power train control algorithm development featuring engine fuel injection control using the above rapid prototyping setup is also described.     

Reported effects of rapid prototyping on industrial software quality

Empirical data are required to determine the effect of rapid prototyping on software quality. We examine 34 published and unpublished case studies of the use of rapid prototyping in real-world software development. We identify common observations, unique events, and opinions. We develop guidelines to help software developers use rapid prototyping to maximize product quality and avoid common pitfalls.A protion of the results in this paper were reported in a previous paper entitled Rapid Prototyping and Software Quality: Lessons From Industry, that was presented at the 1991Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, Portland, Oregon, 1991.     

A versatile virtual prototyping system for rapid product development

This paper presents a versatile virtual prototyping (VP) system for digital fabrication of multi-material prototypes to facilitate rapid product development. The VP system comprises a suite of software packages for multi-material layered manufacturing (MMLM) processes, including multi-toolpath planning, build-time estimation and accuracy analysis, integrated with semi-immersive desktop-based and full-immersive CAVE-based virtual reality (VR) technology. Such versatility makes the VP system adaptable to suit specific cost and functionality requirements of various applications.

The desktop-based VR system creates a semi-immersive environment for stereoscopic visualisation and quality analysis of a product design. It is relatively cost-effective and easy to operate, but its users may be distracted by environmental disturbances that could possibly diminish their efficiency of product design evaluation and improvement. To alleviate disturbance problems, the CAVE-based VR system provides an enclosed room-like environment that blocks out most disturbances, making it possible for a design team to fully concentrate and collaborate on their product design work.

The VP system enhances collaboration and communication of a design team working on product development. It provides simulation techniques to analyse and improve the design of a product and its fabrication processes. Through simulations, assessment and modification of a product design can be iterated without much worry about the manufacturing and material costs of prototypes. Hence, key factors such as product shape, manufacturability, and durability that affect the profitability of manufactured products are optimised quickly. Moreover, the resulting product design can be sent via the Internet to customers for comments or marketing purposes. The VP system therefore facilitates advanced product design and helps reduce development time and cost considerably.     

Hybrid rapid prototyping system using machining and deposition

Many rapid prototyping (RP) systems are commercially available, and others are introduced daily. RP has proven to be an effective tool for dramatically reducing the time and expense involved in the realization of a new products and for overcoming the bottlenecks of existing manufacturing processes. However, its fields of application are currently saturated, and the emphasis has moved towards using RP for short-run manufacture. The current need is for a technique that will produce finished parts of the required quality in the shortest possible time, and which meet this need, the focus now falls on improvements in production speed, accuracy, variety of materials, and cost. For these practical reasons, we concentrated on a new form of hybrid-RP system, which performs both deposition and machining in a single station. Our proposed system meets the requirements of material deposition (RP) and material removal (CNC) at the process planning and manufacturing level. We believe that this new production system, which incorporates a combined RP concept, offers an optimum manufacturing solution by adopting the advantages of the RP and CNC systems. In this paper, we describe the system architecture and the fabrication process in detail and present the framework of the process planning system and the concepts of the geometric algorithms involved in developing such an environment.     

Progress towards an international standard for data transfer in rapid prototyping and layered manufacturing

This paper discusses the informational requirements of rapid prototyping and layered manufacturing (RPLM). The study is motivated by the recent decision to embark on the development of a new Application Protocol for the international standard ISO 10303, specifically to handle layered manufacturing information.

The most common industrial use of RPLM today is for rapid prototyping, but a wider view of it as a flexible fabrication technology is taken here, to allow for future developments. Its use in building functional metallic parts under computer control has already been demonstrated, and commercial RPLM machines for building production parts are already being marketed.

The paper includes a survey of current and proposed data formats for communication between the various stages of the RPLM process. In comparing them, particular attention is given to the issue of extensibility to meet future needs. In this last respect, special emphasis is given to materials-related and other non-geometric information needed for fabricating multi-material objects and objects with graded material properties.     

A virtual prototyping system with reconfigurable actuators for multi-material layered manufacturing

Proliferation of layered manufacturing (LM) in various sectors has been calling for fabrication of large, complex products with more materials and efficiency. We address this issue by integrating reconfigurable manufacturing (RM) with LM. This paper first analyses the benefits of such integration, and then presents a virtual prototyping system with reconfigurable actuators (VPRA) that can increase the number of materials, speed, and build volume to improve the efficiency and flexibility of multi-material layered manufacturing (MMLM). The VPRA system offers a test bed for design, visualization, and validation of MMLM facilities and processes. It takes advantage of the convenient graphics platform of SolidWorks™ for constructing a virtual MMLM facility by selecting reconfigurable actuators from predefined templates. The characteristics, including the dimensions and relative spatial constraints, of the actuators can be conveniently configured to suit design requirements. The mechanism and the operation process of the resulting MMLM facility can then be simulated and validated through digital fabrication of complex objects. Case studies are presented to demonstrate some possible applications of the VPRA system. Overall, the VPRA system gives insights into the characteristics of a reconfigurable MMLM system, which can be subsequently materialized for physical fabrication of multi-material objects. This approach highlights a possible direction for development of MMLM technology.     

NURBS-based adaptive slicing for efficient rapid prototyping

This paper presents slicing algorithms for efficient model prototyping. The algorithms directly operate upon a non-uniform rational B-spline surface model. An adaptive slicing algorithm is developed to obtain an accurate and smooth part surface. A selective hatching strategy is employed to further reduce the build time by solidifying the kernel regions of a part with the maximum allowable thick layers while solidifying the skin areas with adaptive thin layers to obtain the required surface accuracy. In addition, it provides a generalization to the containment problem with mixed tolerances for slicing a part. The article also developed a direct method for computing skin contours for all tolerance requirements. Some case studies are presented to illustrate the developed algorithms and the selective hatching and adaptive slicing strategy. The developed algorithms have been implemented and tested on a fused deposition modeling rapid prototyping machine. Both the implementation and test results are discussed in the paper.