| Abstract: | Rapid prototyping (RP) and tooling (RT) are the technologies for quickly fabricating functional components and tooling inserts directly from CAD data by selectively adding material layer by layer. In this paper, multiphase polymeric materials for RP and RT technologies and their applications, which are developed by the Rapid Manufacturing (RM) Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in China, were introduced. Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a powder-based RP process. Multi-types of multiphase polymer materials for SLS process were successfully developed in the RM center, and the SLS components were formed from these materials by using the commercial SLS machines HRPS series for various applications. High impact polystyrene (HIPS)/wax blend SLS parts were used as lost patterns for the investment casting process to make complex metal parts rapidly; nylon-12/organically modified rectorite and nylon-12/nanosilica composite powders were used to fabricate functional parts, which showed higher thermal and mechanical properties than neat nylon-12 SLS parts. As a RT application, Fe/epoxy composite tooling inserts were rapidly fabricated by SLS and post-processing. Stereolithography (SLA) uses photocurable resins to rapidly manufacture components with high accuracy and mechanical properties. A freeradical and cationic mixed-type radiation curable composite resin was also successfully developed, and SLA parts without obvious distortion were built on the SLA machines HRPL series from this hybrid resin, successfully and efficiently. |
