3.4 Solid Free-form Fabrication
Solid free-form fabrication (SFF) is a term used to describe processing technologies that allow the production of parts with the required geometrical complexity directly from a computer-aided design (CAD) file without the use of traditional tools such as molds.
Steroelithography
A schematic of the stereolithography technique is shown in Fig. 6.50. A laser beam is scanned on the surface of a highly concentrated suspension of ceramic particles in a monomer solution, and the monomer is cured to form a polymer layer that binds the particles together. When the first layer is completed, the support platform is lowered by a depth equal to the layer thickness, and the suspension flows over the polymerized layer.
Laminated Object Manufacturing
In laminated object manufacturing (LOM), layers of a thin sheet are sequentially bonded to each other and cut by a laser according to a computer-generated model.