Rapid prototyping handles demanding shapes

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 19, 2007

Undercuts, cavities, gossamer thin surfaces and curvilinear edges are all achievable with Next Factory DigitalWax, without secondary operations

Unimatic has launched a new prototyping and production machine, which can take ideas from conception to production quickly.

The product is suitable for any organisation that wishes to use rapid prototyping for the creation of silicon/rubber moulds or wishes to cast the output from its CAD designs.

This technology is ideal for the production of any small and accurate parts, particularly if a high-quality surface finish is required.

Next Factory DigitalWax uses a small tray filled with a photosetting polymer resin.

An ultraviolet laser selectively hardens areas of it to create a pattern of the item.

The model will have previously been designed in a CAD package (this system is compatible with any industry standard CAD package), and the model produced will be an exact replica of the design.

The models have an excellent surface finish and no residual ash is left after burnout, and so can be used directly for moulds or casting.

Thanks to the layer by layer model building technique there are no limits to the geometric complexity of the pattern being produced: undercuts, cavities, gossamer thin surfaces and curvilinear edges are all achievable without secondary operations.

The machine iscompact and very quiet in operation.

It is designed as a desk top unit and can be operated in an office or workshop environment.

Their operation is so simple that little training is required, and the processes involved are clean and fast.

Furthermore, the material costs are so low that there is no barrier to the production as many models as are needed.

"One of the critical aspects of the DigitalWax design is that it does not use jets to lay down the model-making material, so there is nothing to get blocked, nothing to go wrong" says Martin Stevens of Unimatic.

"Because the resin comes in liquid form, there is no long delay while it melts either".

"And because it sets hard immediately, there isn't a dwell time while the model hardens".

In fact the overall speed of production is such that new designs can be realised within a day.

This means that considerable cost can be pulled from production processes, improving cash flow and reducing capital employed.

There are three versions of DigitalWax, the 010, 010 plus and 015.

Where the 010 is dedicated to producing rubber and silicon moulds, the others are ideal for making models suitable for lost wax/invest casting.

The 015 is specified to provide high-speed processing with a laser traverse of up to 80mm/s, so is ideal for busy workshops and for prolific designers.

All have a working area of 200 x 200 x 60mm, large enough to accommodate multiple items at one go.

Externally, the largest unit is only 600 x 430 x 400mm, comparable with a desktop printer/scanner/fax.

Stevens again: "I have seen the development of rapid prototyping machines over the years".

"DigitalWax represents a significant step in the maturation of the technology".

"Its models are superb, it requires little training, there is little to go wrong - ensuring high up time - and it will make a measurable contribution to its owner's bottom line in very short order".