Cases
3-matic Brings RP Tempering Technologies Up to Full Strength
Total Customer Support Team and Materialise are partnering to offer custom 3-matic software, specifically designed to support the RP Tempering™ process
In March 2006, Materialise and Total Customer Support Team(TCST), with consent from Par3 Technology - owner of RP Tempering™ Technology - teamed up to champion this innovative process. RP Tempering™ technology is designed to improve significantly the material & mechanical properties of parts built with rapid prototyping technologies.
The process adds durability, impact strength and other characteristics to the part, without changing any of its external dimensions or its aesthetic design. Using RP Tempering™ Technologies, you can enhance the strength of Selective Laser Sintering and Stereolithography rapid prototyping parts by incorporating tunnels and/or grooves in the part design, and later injecting these with Par3 Technology's patented RP Tempering™ compound after the build.
Some typical applications are strengthening screw bosses on a prototype part for a life cycle of 100 repetitions; strengthening ribs and rib intersections; and strengthening snap and latch features for a life cycle of 25 repetitions. Actual living hinges can be achieved with a simple CAD conversion that would take approximately 15 minutes when using 3-matic software. The living hinges will last 200 life cycles in most cases, and the tempering technique takes only a few minutes.
The RP Tempering™ process requires some geometry changes in the 3D model of the prototype before it's produced. At this stage, many of the parts are in the STL file format, the industry standard for RP. Materialise' digital CAD software, 3-matic, is the only available method for accurately and easily producing tunnels and grooves directly in STL files for the RP Tempering™ process.
"There is no need to switch back and forth between CAD files now that 3-matic is available, making it possible to perform CAD functions directly on the STL file", comments Andrew Graves, TCST's VP of Technology. "It's the perfect product to make the necessary modifications to the RP Tempering™ process. Our team will continue to automate and simplify the product, and to develop higher level commands that will allow the users greater capability with much less effort."
Users of traditional solid-modeling CAD systems will be immediately at home with functions like 2D-sketching, extrude, sweep, etc. For anyone who has never used CAD, the learning curve is not too steep; within a few days of training, they can be up and running, tunneling STL files. Tunneling can be achieved in many ways, but is most easily accomplished through the built-in "Cooling Channel for Tooling" function. By defining a curve within the model, 3-matic can automatically create a cooling channel or tunnel of any diameter, which follows the curve. V-grooves are created in a similar fashion by defining a curve on the surface of the part and sweeping a 2D sketch of the V profile along the curve. Currently the base version of 3-matic (plus the Tooling Module) is used for the RP Tempering™ work. However, the 3-matic team is working on a custom version that includes only the functions required to support the RP Tempering™ process.
One of the major limitations at the start of this product introduction was getting the right tools in place so that users could make changes in the geometry of their part files quickly and easily. I'm very pleased with the TCST/Materialise Team's support. I feel that 3-matic provides an excellent solution to this issue now and will only get better in upcoming releases. TCST and Materialise have many years' experience working with multiple products and technologies in the rapid prototyping/solid freeform fabrication market, and it's a pleasure to work with them.
Special thanks to Andrew Graves from TCST and Earl Dunlap from Par3 Technology.
1) Total C S Team, Inc is a leader in providing support to rapid prototyping users. TCST has the unique capability to integrate many years of practical application of RP systems with advanced analytical approaches to provide support that gives users a competitive advantage, now and in the future. www.totalcsteam.com
2) Par3 Technology's sole focus is enhancements to the rapid product development service industry. They specialize in intellectual properties and technologies. These range from the "Rapid Ideation"™ cost reduction system to RP Tempering™ solid freeform fabrication prototyping technology, and consulting firms in nano technologies. Visit the company's website: www.RPTempering.com
