Better Software for Rapid Prototyping with INSTANTCAM

摘要

INSTANTCAM is a European initiative which began in June 1990 with participantsfrom both industry and research centers. The objective is to develop know-how regarding the emerging rapid prototyping technologies allowing shorter design cycles for products, especially those using layered manufacturing techniques (LMT). In particular, software is being developed to meet the challenge of allowing a smooth flow of data from CAD systems to these manufacturing processes. The paper describes present and future tools such as a general triangulation program, tools for creating and manipulating cross sections, and offsetting operations for triangles and surfaces. These new software tools have improved the quality of LMT objects and opened new application areas for these technologies. Implementation considerations are also discussed.