Rapid prototyping & tooling (RP&T) are the technologies for quickly fabricating components and tooling inserts directly from CAD data by selectively adding material layer by layer, and have been widely used in many fields. The latest development of the machines and materials for RP&T and 3D measurement technologies in the rapid manufacturing center of Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) in China were introduced in this paper. Selective laser sintering (SLS) and selective laser melting (SLM) are the powder-based RP processes. A series of SLS and SLM equipment and materials developed independently have been successfully commercialized and used by more than 200 customers at home and abroad. Especially, we have the largest SLS equipment in dimensions of 1000mm (long) ï,´1000mm (width) ï,´ 600mm (height). The HRPL machines and photo-curable resins of Stereolithography (SLA), HRLM machines and paper sheet materials of Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) and HRE-I-type line-scanning laser and HRE-II-type structured light measurement systems were also independently developed and commercialized in the rapid manufacturing center of HUST.

1.
Kruth.
J. P.
, “
Material Increase Manufacturing by Rapid Prototyping Techniques
”.
Annual of  the CIRP
,
40
(
2
):
603
614
(
1991
).
2.
Xiong
X. H.
, and
Zhang
L. H.
, “
The Present State and the Development of Rapid Prototyping Technique
”,
Metal Forming technique
,
19
(
2
):
1
4
(
2001
)
3.
F.
Chen
,
G. W.
Brown
, and
M.
Song
, ‘
Overview of three-dimensional shape measurement using optical methods
’,
Opt. Eng.
39
(
1
),
10
22
(
2000
).
4.
F.
Blais
, “
Review of 20 years of range sensor development
”,
Journal of Electronic Imaging
13
(
1
),
231
240
(
2004
).
5.
C.
Reich
,
R.
Ritter
and
J.
Thesing
, “
3-D shape measurement of complex objects by combining photogrammetry and fringe projection
”,
Opt. Eng.
39
(
1
)
224
231
(
2000
).
6.
Yan
Tang
,
W.J.
Chen
and
X.Y.
Su
et al, “
Neural network applied to reconstruction of complex objects based on fringe projection
”,
Opt. Commun.
278
,
274
278
(
2007
).
7.
S.Y.
Chen
,
Y.F.
Li
, and
J.W.
Zhang
, “
Vision Processing for Realtime 3-D Data Acquisition Based on Coded Structured Light
”,
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON IMAGE PROCESSING
,
17
(
2
),
167
176
(
2008
).
8.
T. P.
Koninckx
and
L. V.
Gool
, “
Real-time range acquisition by adaptive structured light
,”
IEEE Tran. PAMI.
28
,
432
445
(
2006
).
9.
Z.Y.
Wang
,
D.A.
Nguyen
,
J.C.
Barnes
. “
Some practical considerations in fringe projection
”.
Opt. Lasers Eng.
48
(
2
),
218
225
(
2010
).
10.
Gao
Yongqiang
, “
Research on the Key Problems of Crafts and Apparatus for Stereolithography
”, Doctoral dissertation,
Wuhan
,
HUST
(
2006
).
11.
Yan
Chunze
, “
Preparation of Polymer and Its Composite Powders and Their Selective Laser Sintering
”, Doctoral dissertation,
Wuhan
,
HUST
(
2009
).
12.
R. D.
Li
,
Y. S.
Shi
,
J. H.
Liu
, et al “
Selective laser Melting W-10wt.%Cu Composite powders
”,
International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
2009
, Available online, DOI:.
13.
Z.W.
Li
,
Y.S.
Shi
,
C.J.
Wang
and
Y.Y.
Wang
, “
Accurate calibration method for a structured light system
”,
Opt. Eng.
,
47
(
5
):
053604
(
2008
).
14.
Yang
Jinsong
, “
Study on the selective laser sintering materials for plastics functional parts and complex castings
”, Doctoral dissertation,
Wuhan
,
HUST
(
2008
).
15.
Liu
Jinhui
, “
Investigation into manufacturing metal parts via indirect selective laser sintering
”, Doctoral dissertation,
Wuhan
,
HUST
(
2006
).
16.
Qian
Bo
, “
Research on the key technic for rapid prototyping & manufacturing
”, Doctoral dissertation,
Wuhan
,
HUST
(
2009
).
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.