Selection of Prototyping Process and Part Orientation for Virtually Manufactured Gears

Abstract

This chapter explores transformation of a virtually produced gear to a physical product using rapid prototyping technique. The same can be segregated into two parts. The first being selection of the best possible rapid prototyping technique using dynamic mechanical analysis and the next was optimization of the process parameters of the selected rapid prototyping technique considering tensile strength as the criteria. The results indicated that fused deposition modeling process provides the best solution amongst the techniques studied. Moreover, as orientation of the product in rapid prototyping techniques plays an important role in providing the strength and also accuracy of the product profile, from results it was also ascertained that strength and profile accuracy of the product was optimized with horizontal position.