Appliance Design - October 2008 - (Page 23)

Fig. 3. A model of an electric guitar made from black and white rigid model materials and Digital Material with different gray scales. PROTOTYPING Fig. 2 dem . A prot o onst mold rates type of a e over d part b the abili handhe ld ty a rig y id m printing to emu G PS de l ater ial in a rubbe ate an o vice r-like verthe s ame m run. aterial Fig. 4. All eight razors were printed simultaneously on a single run, but each with slightly different materials offering different mechanical properties, allowing the product designer to choose the level of flexibility that best serves the objective. in combination with Connex500 PolyJet Matrix system, including:  Two different rigid materials.  Two different flexible materials.  A rigid material and a flexible material. A transparent material and an opaque material. A white material and a dark material. So, in the case of using a rigid and a flexible material, one could, in a single build process, create a prototype that emulates a rigid plastic part overmolded with a soft elastomer, without any secondary operations required to produce the look and feel of such a part. (See Fig. 2.) More importantly, through controlled variable deposition of the two materials, the system can lay down a blend of both, creating a composite material with properties different from either of the two base materials. By applying the materials in different proportions, a whole range of composites are possible. Objet refers to this concept as Digital Materials and has thus far identified a variety of such combinations, each with a designated number and each providing a specific set of mechanical and visual properties. The selection of a specific Digital Material is made by the user through dedicated software that determines the appropriate parameters for jetting the materials. The software implements the creation of the Digital Material www.applianceDESIGN.com automatically during the build process. So in the case of using a rigid material and a rubber-like material, one could specify different levels of Shore A hardness values for different sections of the same part. The same concept applies to the visual aspects of a part. One could, for example, use a black material and a white material in different combinations to create different shades of gray in the same part. (See Fig. 3.) In this two-color scenario, one could also simulate the printing of logos, nameplates, and legends on a part. The Connex500 machine has a build volume of 500 mm x 400 mm x 200 mm (19.7 in. x 15.7 in. x 7.9 in.), permitting the printing of large models or multiple smaller models on the same tray. Using Digital Materials for smaller parts, one can actually build different versions of the same part simultaneously. For example, Fig. 4. shows eight prototype razors that were printed simultaneously in a single run, but each with different degree of flexibility. This would allow the product designers to test and bend each one to see which version best meets the desired objective. For designers of complex, multi-material plastic parts, the new system enables the printing of prototypes that come very close to the production part in terms of mechanical and visual properties, providing a much enhanced ability to evaluate form, fit and function. < For more information, email: info@2objet.com applianceDESIGN October 2008 23 http://www.applianceDESIGN.com

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Appliance Design - October 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch Prototyping - Materials Play the Part Prototyping - Mix & Match Motors Electronics Coatings Design Marts Association Report: AHRI Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - October 2008

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