Welds prototype rapid exhaust parts : the latest technique for rapid prototyping builds up parts in welded metal

摘要

By depositing a continuous bead of weld metal, it is possible to build up rapid prototyped parts in steel to almost any size. The technique is already being used by an unnamed aerospace company and shows potential for making prototyped parts for exhaust systems. It can be applied to almost any weldable metal or combination of metals.Dr Antonio Fernando Ribeiro, formerly at Cranfield, but now at the University of Minho in Guimarães, Portugal, has developed a technique for building up metal parts using robot welding.The process works in essentially the same way as any other layer-by-layer rapid prototyping technique, except that the usual plastic deposition processing equipment is replaced by a rotatable table, a robot arm and an arc welding torch.