Re: Large prototypes

From: Professor P M Dickens (pdickens@dmu.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Feb 13 1998 - 11:23:49 EET


Bram,
You may want to consider the technique we are using for pressure die
casting tooling - laminated metal sheets. We have only really considered
it for tools but it would be fairly easy to use the same technique for
large parts. The largest tool we made was about 1 x 1 x 0.5 metres. In
fact the larger the better as it is then easier to fix the sheets
together and the stair stepping is less pronounced. We have found 1mm to
be a good thickness to use.

Phill Dickens
Professor of Manufacturing Technology
De Montfort University
Leicester
England

smit, a. de wrote:
>
> Hi there rp-ers
>
> Since some months now I have read al kinds of discussions on this
> list. Very interesting!
> It seems to me however that most of the discussions were about systems
> that are designed to create relatively small but very complex shapes.
>
> I wonder how many of you are dealing with really LARGE prototypes,
> say 1 x 1 x 2 meters. Some of the discussions went about milling,
> which has of course the possibility of handling large volumes. We here
> at the Delft University of Technology for example have been working on
> a system using a 6-axis industrial robot as a milling machine
> (the sculpturing robot) with a planned working envelope of about 1 x 1
> x 1 meters. (We didn't really produce models that big until now but we
> keep trying)
>
> I would like to ask you all if you know about systems that are fitted
> to create really large shapes.
>
> -what is the working principle
> -what kind of rough material do they use
> -where can I find more information.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> Very curious,
>
> Bram
>
>
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
> Bram de Smit
> Delft University of Technology
> Sub faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
> Jaffalaan 9, NL-2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands
> Phone +31 15 2783788 Fax +31 15 2787316
> E-mail A.deSmit@IO.TUDelft.NL
> www.io.tudelft.nl/research/ica/
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

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