A robust process optimization for a powder type rapid prototyper

Abstract

Rapid Prototyping (RP) technology is being widely used in diverse areas including mold manufacturing. However, the quality of RP parts is significantly affected by the property of adopted material and process parameters of the rapid prototyper. The aim of this paper is to investigate the powder material and to optimize the process parameters for Zcorp 402 3DP rapid fabricator. Taguchi's method was employed to investigate the possible process parameters including binder setting saturation value (shell & core), layer thickness, and location of made‐up parts. The experimental result shows that these optimal parameters can shorten parts building time and reduce the use of powder and glue about 20 per cent for ZP100 and 10 per cent for ZP11. Additionally, the quality of RP parts is also improved dramatically. The observation of experiments also shows that the parts made by ZP11 powder is difficult to clean up because of its starch‐based property.