Abstract

Stereolithography is a Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing (RP&M) technique which can be used to produce 3 dimensional plastic parts directly out of computer files generated by CAD. RP&M systems build the 3-dimensional objects by first converting the data in the CAD files into a form of successive horizontal 2-dimensional slices. One slice at a time is then formed as a thin layer of the object and joined to the previously built layers. The raw material in a Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) is liquid photopolymer resin. Layers are formed by solidifying the desired cross-section of a resin layer on the surface of a vat using an ultraviolet laser beam and two orthogonal scanning mirrors. This layer is simultaneously attached to previously build layers situating one layer thickness below the surface inside the photo-polymer resin vat.

© 1996 IEEE