A benchmark study on rapid prototyping processes and machines: Quantitative comparisons of mechanical properties, accuracy, roughness, speed, and material cost

• Published in: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part B, Journal of engineering manufacture Vol. 222; no. 2; pp. 201 - 215
• Main Authors: Kim, G D, Oh, Y T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2008; Mechanical Engineering Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Accuracy; Applied sciences; Benchmarks; Buildings; Compressive strength; Costs; Deposition; Exact sciences and technology; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Fused deposition modeling; Hardness; Impact resistance; Impact strength; Laminated object manufacturing; Laser sintering; Lithography; Manufacturing; Mechanical engineering. Machine design; Mechanical properties; Metals. Metallurgy; Physics; Powder metallurgy. Composite materials; Printing; Production techniques; Rapid prototyping; Scanning; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Surface roughness; Technology; Tensile strength; Thermal resistance; Three dimensional models; accuracy; building direction; benchmark test; mechanical properties; surface roughness; layer manufacturing process; Heat resistance; Roughness; Compressive strength; laver manufacturing process; Impact strength; Manufacturing cost; Resistor; Production process; Selective laser sintering; Mechanical properties; Tensile property; Stereolithography; Rough surface; Hardness; Tension test; Tensile strength; Mechanical test; Fused deposition modeling; Rapid prototyping; Impact test; Room temperature
• ISSN: 0954-4054; 2041-2975
• DOI: 10.1243/09544054JEM724

Various kinds of layer manufacturing process are available, such as stereo lithography (SL), fused deposition modelling (FDM), Poly-jet, selective laser sintering (SLS), three-dimensional printing (3DP), laminated object manufacturing (LOM), etc. The object of the current study is the quantifications and comparisons of the processes' characteristics using representative apparatus and various materials. Through the tests, mechanical properties, such as tensile and compressive strengths, hardness, impact strength, and heat resistance, and surface roughness, geometric and dimensional accuracy, manufacturing speed, and material costs were compared for each process and machine. It was verified that the SL process is advantageous in hardness, accuracy, and surface roughness and the Poly-jet process in tensile strength at room temperature. The SLS process was advantageous in compressive strength and manufacturing speed, the 3DP process in speed and material costs, and the LOM process in heat resistance. The FDM and LOM processes were superior in impact strength in the scanning direction, but the change of building direction significantly reduced the tensile and impact strengths.