2.2 CIM (copy)

3D Printing

Rapid prototyping process that builds a part by ejecting adhesive bonding material onto successive layers of powders. Note that this term is often used to describe all rapid prototyping processes.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

A thermoplastic with rubber added for high toughness.

Additive Process

Fabrication of a part by adding material.

Assembling

The process of putting a product together out of separate parts.

Build Time

Length of time for the physical construction of a rapid prototype, excluding preparation and post-processing time. Also known as run time.

Casting

The process in which a solid material is made into a liquid, poured into a mold, and allowed to harden in the shape of the mold. 

Ceramics

Any of various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing a nonmetallic mineral, such as clay, at a high temperature.

Concept Model

Physical model intended primarily for design review and not meant to be sufficiently accurate or durable for full functional or physical testing.

Conditioning Process

Process in which the properties of a material are changed using mechanical, thermal, or chemical means.

Die Casting

Similar to permanent mold casting except that the metal is injected into the mold under high pressure

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)

A process by which an electrode spark is used to erode small amounts of material from a work piece. 

Electrochemical Machining (ECM)

A process in which a stream of electrolyte (typically salt water) is pumped at high pressure through a gap between the positively charged work and the negatively charged tool (electrode).

Exhaustible Resources

Resources of which there are a limited supply.

Finishing Process

Machining a surface to size with a fine feed produced in a lathe, milling machine, or grinder.

Forging

A process by which metal is heated and shaped by plastic deformation by suitably applying compressive force. 

Forming Process

A process that changes the size and shape of a material by a combination of force and a shaped form. 

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling.)

Rapid prototyping process in which a filament of wax or polymer is extruded onto the existing part surface from a workhead to complete each new layer.

Grinding

An operation that removes material by rotating an abrasive wheel or belt against the work.

Industrial Material

Material that has been changed from raw material so that it is ready to be used in manufacturing. Also referred to as standard stock.

Injection Molding

A process during which plastic is heated in a machine and forced into a cavity by a screw or ram. The material solidifies and is then ejected.

LOM (Laminated Object Manufacturing)

Rapid prototyping process in which sheet stock is cut and bonded into a stack.

Metals

Any of a category of electropositive elements that usually have a shiny surface, are generally good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be melted or fused, hammered into thin sheets, or drawn into wires.

Molding

A manufacturing process in which the industrial material is made into a liquid. The liquid is then introduced (poured or forced) into a prepared mold of proper design.

Plastics

Materials that undergo a permanent change in shape or size when subjected to a particular amount of stress.

Photopolymer

Liquid resin material that utilizes light (visible or ultra-violet) as a catalyst to initiate polymerization, in which the material cross-links and solidifies. This technique is used by various rapid prototyping technologies.

PLA (Polylactic Acid)

A thermoplastic formed using organic material.

Post Processing

A common practice that includes clean up and finishing procedures on models after they are removed from the rapid prototyping machine. It may also include mechanical or chemical removal of support structures, powder removal, and surface finishing.

Primary Processing

The first step in manufacturing where raw materials are processed into a usable form for further manufacture.

Prototype

A full-scale working model used to test and improve a design concept by making actual observations and necessary adjustments.

RP (Rapid Prototyping)

Computer-controlled additive fabrication.

Raw Materials

Basic substance in its natural, modified, or semi-processed state, used as an input to a production process for subsequent modification or transformation into a finished good.

Renewable Resources

Biological materials that can be replaced.

Sand Casting

A process of pressing moist sand around a pattern to make a mold. The pattern is removed, leaving a cavity in the sand. The cavity is the mold that will be filled with liquid metal. The result will be a casting that is identical in shape to the original pattern.

Secondary Processing

Subsequent  steps in manufacturing after primary processing. Take the useable material and use it to create products. Common processes include casting and molding, forming, separating and joining, conditioning, assembling, and finishing.

Separating

A process that removes excess material to change the size, shape, or surface.

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering)

A rapid prototyping process that used a moving laser beam to sinter heat-fusible powders one layer at a time.

SLA (Stereolithography)

A rapid prototyping process that fabricates a part layer-wise by hardening a photopolymer with a guided laser beam.

Subtractive Process

Processes that remove material to change the size, shape, or surface of a part. There are two groups of separating processes: machining and shearing.

Vacuum Forming

Process to heat a thermoplastic sheet until it softens and then force the hot and pliable material against the contours of a mold using vacuum pressure.

Water Jet Cutting

A process that uses a high speed jet of water emitted from a nozzle under high pressure (10,000-60,000 psi or greater). This process does not create a burr and it is a low temperature process.