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A Brief History of Rapid Prototyping
In the late 1960s, computer-controlled machine tools started to appear in factories as the latest innovation in efficient manufacturing of mechanical parts. These tools were able to complete manufacturing tasks with greater accuracy and consistency than could be manually accomplished but they had to be programmed every time a new part needed to be built.
In the late 1960s, University of Rochester engineering professor Herbert Voelcker developed the early mathematical theory and algorithms that form the basis for computer programs that design machine parts including how to specify the surfaces of parts in three-dimensions. Voelcker was particularly interested in automating a process that would take data from these computer programs to program the new computer-controlled machine tools. Much of Voelcker's work became an operational standard throughout the 1970s in terms of how mechanical parts were designed. This work eventually led to the development of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software programs as they are known today.
In 1987 University of Texas researcher Carl Deckard considered constructing physical models of parts by adding one layer of material at a time. With a $50,000 Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Deckard was able to produce promising results culminating in being awarded one of NSF's first Strategic Manufacturing (STRATMAN) Initiative grants.
The efforts of Voelcker and Deckard became the basis for Rapid Prototyping (often referred to as free form fabrication) which has revolutionized the design and manufacturing of mechanical parts. While Voelcker's work resulted in the automation of the design of parts, the actual construction of the parts did not change. Mechanical parts were still constructed manually or with computer-controlled tools, cutting away at a piece of metal until the desired part was produced. The manner in which the cutting needed to be accomplished could not be programmatically translated from the design software to the computer-controlled tools. Deckard's work brought this translation closer to reality by breaking down the form of parts into extremely thin layers (0.1mm to 0.7mm). These layers could be determined by breaking down the surface of the part into planar triangles that are comparable to "the facets of a jewel". The coordinates and orientation of these triangles comprise a mathematical representation which can then be translated programmatically.
Disclaimer
DPT may not provide some of the services and/or techniques presented in the Knowledge Center. For a full list of services we do offer, please visit our rapid prototyping page.
