In the past, great progress has been made in prototyping. At first, most RP technologies have obvious advantages in terms of speed, but their further development is limited due to the problems of accuracy and material properties. Since the advent of RP, due to the threat of some competition, CNC can improve its speed and bring well-known benefits. Similarly, RP has been improved in accuracy, material properties and surface polishing. Understanding these two technologies is particularly important for selecting the right machining tool for the job. The following guidance can help in the selection of tools.
Material Science
RP restricted
The research of materials has gone through a long process. The range of material selection is enlarged, and the performance is guaranteed. At present, the available materials are metal, plastic, ceramic and composite materials, and the selection of materials is still limited. Moreover, the properties of most of the materials are not well matched with those of processing, molding and pouring.
CNC machining is almost unlimited
The machining center can cut almost all materials.
The maximum size of the part, the maximum size of RP is 600x900x500mm
Although the existing industrial equipment can not process dashboard or baffle, the existing prototype can be used to produce most of the daily necessities and industrial products. If the parts to be produced by the equipment are too large, the components can be produced first and then combined into a complete part. It must be noted that size has an effect on time and it takes longer to make larger parts.
CNC machining can produce aircraft parts
CNC machining can produce the actual size of parts and modules, from small desktop devices to large bridge equipment. It can be said that the limitation of CNC size only comes from the mechanical tools used.
Complexity of parts
RP unlimited
If a sample can be molded with design software, the time or cost of manufacturing is hardly affected. Rapid and cheap production of complex parts is one of the greatest advantages of RP
About the author