Rapid prototyping: laser sintering facility improves the speed and accuracy of prototype production

摘要

The firm that designed such 1960s icons as the Scimitar car for Reliant and the Chopper bicycle for Raleigh now concentrates exclusively on model-making and rapid prototyping (RP). Called Ogle Models and Prototypes (OM+P), the Letch-worth-based bureau has upgraded its facility for the laser sintering of plastic powder, to improve the speed and accuracy with which it can produce prototypes and, increasingly, undertake production runs - directly from CAD models. The Eosint P 360 - installed in 2000 by EOS Electrical Optical Systems Ltd, Warwick (Tel: 01926 623107) - has been upgraded to a P 380 version by the addition of new software and hardware that provides an even better component surface finish, as well as build times that are 15-30% faster (depending on the component), The upgrade has also resulted in improvements to part accuracy, which in turn results in better surface definition and reduced wall thicknesses.