Rapid prototype is a high-tech manufacturing technique based on the stacking of materials. It is deemed as an important achievement of manufacturing in past 20 years. Combined with mechanical engineering, CAD, reverse engineering, 3D printing, numerical controlling, materials science and laser forming, prototype or small-batch parts with certain functions can be produced automatically, quickly and precisely according to the design drawing. It provides a high-efficient but low-cost solutionto prototype manufacturing and new product’s verification.
Rapid prototype is the process of making the prototype by stacking of materials with 3D data and 3D printer. It can also be made by CNC numerical center, sending order to machine in the form of numbers or characters. Then CNC machine will process various metal materials according to the order. The cutter will move automatically along the route and finish the processing of the prototype.
The biggest advantage of rapid prototype isthe high speed of processing. The prototypes can be made within several hours when the quantity is small, the structure of the prototype is simple and there is no need of surface treatment. After forming of prototype, to ensure the hardness, strength, and performance can meet the demand of design, a series of surface treatments may be required.
Bordersun focus on rapid prototype for 18 years, helping customers to present their product out of CAD drawing. We have over 20 sets of high precision CNC machines, and the maximum capability is 1.8*0.8*0.6m. With such capability, we can finish CNC metal prototype of any quantity within 7 working days, helping customers verify the accuracy of product’s material, dimension and color quickly.
PMMA is the best choice for transparent prototype. PC is incomparable to PMMA. There are transparent materials among PC too, but they have to be fumigated to be transparent, and the effect is not as good as the PMMA. CNC machining PMMA prototype can be totally transparent after burnishing, and the transparency can be 95%.
Low hardness plastic is called soft plastic. The hardness ranges from 30-90. It is relatively soft at room temperature. Soft plastic has excellent elasticity, slip resistance, and vibration damping performance. It is necessary during the development of most products. The common soft plastic includes TPE、SBS、TPU、TPV、rubber（SBR）and silica gel, and they are widely used during the process of soft plastic rapid prototype. TPR is softer than rubber, but in terms of tensile strength, fatigue resistance and mechanical performance, it is inferior to perduren.
The principle of 3D printing SLS prototype is stacking. With computer-assisted design and fabrication, the solid powder will be made into 3D parts, and without the limitation of the size and structure. The whole process needs no tools or jigs. As long as the tray is big enough, one person can operate multiple printers, and print multiple parts each time, reducing the cycle time of prototype manufacturing.
3D printing SLA prototype uses liquid photosensitive resin, then undergoes laser curing by layering, and finally stacks up and forms the prototype. By burnishing, electroplating and spraying, the prototype will be done. The advantage is the smooth surface, and high precision, with tolerance between ±0.1mm.
During the process of 3D printing SLM prototype, the metal powder is melted by the heat of laser, and the prototype will be done after cooling and congealing. Equipped with 500 watts fiber optic, collimating system and high precision scanner, the precise facula and optical quality can be got. Therefore, 3D printing SLM prototype is preciser than SLS. The only difference is that the materials are titanium alloy, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, cobalt-chromium alloy or steel, so the price is higher.
The purpose and function of Rapid Prototyping provides various metal prototypes, including prototype of aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, copper, stainless steel or aluminum magnesium alloy and so on. Due to the hardness of metal materials, CNC machining cannot be as fast as plastic prototypes. And the machining time varies according to different CNC metal prototype. Therefore, we will choose different cutter for different metal materials. With the suitable cutter, the precision of the prototype can be guaranteed.
