Rapid Prototyping Interface for 3D Solid Parts

Principal Investigators: Carlo H. Séquin and Paul K. Wright
( Sponsored by NSF )

Currently we work on the following tasks:

• Developing the Solids Interchange Format: SIF
• Developing a robust slicer program for SIF
• Developing fabrication rule checkers for SIF
• Developing test structures for various SFF-processes

Test Structures

We try to stay practical by using the emerging formats and tools to design and fabricate some parts. This keeps us honest and on the earth !

Descriptions of parts that were recently built ...

Pictures of parts that we have built with CyberCut.

Pictures of parts that were built with SFF technology.

by Metalcast Engineering
by Plynetics
by Kenwei Chen at the University of Texas.
by Malmberg Engineering
by Stratasys and by Sanders
Modules for the "Solar Arch"
and from our own Fused Deposition Modeling machine (Stratasys 1650).

Projects of Spring and Summer 1999

Projects of Fall 1998

Parts that we might want to build at some other time ...

... and visions of other models that we have not designed yet.

Some of Our Contacts and Collaborators

Malmberg Engineering, Livermore, CA

Metalcast Engineering, Oakland, CA

Plynetics Express, San Leandro, CA

Stratasys,

Prof. Richard Crawford, Dept. Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas, TX
Kenwei Chen, Dept. Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas, TX
and indirectly DTM corporation

Prof. Fritz Prinz, Dept. Mech. Eng. and Mat. Sci., Stanford University, CA

Some Relevant Publications

Sara McMains:

1995 Abstract: Geometric Modeling Representations for Solid Freeform Fabrication.
McMains' MS thesis: Rapid Prototyping of Solid Three-Dimensional Parts

Report of the NSF Workshop on SFF Design Methodologies

Our contribution: What Can We Learn from the VLSI Revolution?

Sara's 3D mouse made with SLA.

Another pretty picture of an SLA model

NSF Conference paper

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