JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008 - 18

EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT Rapid prototyping Quick, strong and accurate Compared to other rapid manufacturing methods, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) can produce parts from a wider range of powder materials, including unreinforced or glass- or carbonreinforced thermoplastic polymers. A 100% density can be reached with some materials, combined with properties comparable to those from conventional manufacturing methods. elective laser sintering is an additive rapid manufacturing technique that uses a high-power laser to fuse plastic, metal, or ceramic powders into a 3D object. The laser selectively fuses powdered material by scanning crosssections generated from a CAD file on the surface of a powder bed. After each crosssection is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness, a new layer of material is applied on top, and the process is repeated until the part is completed. SLS technology can be used to produce very complex geometries easily. The first application of SLS was rapid prototyping (which is still used), but rapid manufacturing or tooling are also possible with this technique. S SLS and composites Composites are among the wide range of materials that can be used in SLS systems. The Italian company CRP Technology, which partners with racing car manufacturers, has developed a family of SLS materials named Windform™. The first member of this family was Windform GF a light grey polyamide-based , composite material with added aluminium and glass that features improved heat deflection temperature (HDT), superior stiffness, excellent surface finish, wear resistance and first-rate detail reproduction. This material also offers an attractive, gleaming metallic look, appreciable in aesthetic and functional applications. In 2004, CRP launched Windform XT, a material that was created for the highperformance SLS market, including Formula One applications. It was the first carbon-fibre-reinforced polymeric material ever launched on the SLS market. This opaque black polyamide- and carbonbased material with brilliant reflections is characterized by its high stiffness and extremely high ultimate tensile strength, excellent surface finish, resistance to extreme wear, and optimum reproduction of details. It is particularly suited to applications that require superior mechanical properties and extremely high performance, in rapid time. Fig. 2: The Zybek LMP2 engine air intake CRP Technology managed to meet the application’s critical requirements, including minimal mass, very complex shape, very tight time constraints, and the need to produce just a few components without expensive tooling and patterns. In the past, carbon/epoxy materials were formed on an aluminium mould, but Zytek switched to the CRP solution because the new section was difficult to produce with traditional technology. Conclusion Selective laser sintering can be used at most stages of the composite production process: prototyping, of course, but also tooling and batch production, since carbon- and glass-reinforced thermoplastics are also appropriate raw materials. With new materials in the pipeline, SLS should expand rapidly and benefit from many new opportunities. More information: www.3dsystems.com www.crptechnology.com www.windform.it Fig. 1: The Vanguard SLS system from 3D systems The fourth generation The Vanguard™ SLS system (figure 1) was developed by 3D Systems specifically for advanced manufacturing applications. It belongs to the fourth generation of SLS systems. With this system, a CAD file can move into a durable, functional plastic or metal part or tool in a fraction of the time required for traditional machining and tooling processes. The system can generate small runs of production parts quickly (in JEC Composites Magazine / No43 September 2008 © Courtesy of Zytec and CRP Technology as little as one day), eliminating the tooling step. It can be used to create accurate, complex parts, casting patterns, and tools with features as small as 0.5 m, without spending time programming for CNC. The process station dimensions are: W2.13 x D1.35 x H1.98 m. The latest Windform application is an air intake section for the Zytek LMP1 & 2 engines manufactured by Zytek Engineering Ltd. for Le Mans racing cars (figure 2).

http://www.3dsystems.com http://www.crptechnology.com http://www.windform.it

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008