Virtual bloXing - assembly rapid prototyping for near net shapes

Theodore Lim, Hugo Medellin, Raymond Sung, James Ritchie, Jonathan Corney

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)
134 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) provides another dimension to many engineering applications. Its immersive and interactive nature allows an intuitive approach to study both cognitive activities and performance evaluation. Market competitiveness means having products meet form, fit and function quickly. Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (RP&M) technologies are increasingly being applied to produce functional prototypes and the direct manufacturing of small components. Despite its flexibility, these systems have common drawbacks such as slow build rates, a limited number of build axes (typically one) and the need for post processing. This paper presents a Virtual Assembly Rapid Prototyping (VARP) project which involves evaluating cognitive activities in assembly tasks based on the adoption of immersive virtual reality along with a novel nonlayered rapid prototyping for near net shape (NNS) manufacturing of components. It is envisaged that this integrated project will facilitate a better understanding of design for manufacture and assembly by utilising equivalent scale digital and physical prototyping in one rapid prototyping system. The state of the art of the VARP project is also presented in this paper.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages8
Publication statusPublished - 2009
EventWorld Conference on Innovative VR - Chalon-sur-Saone, France
Duration: 25 Feb 200926 Feb 2009

Conference

ConferenceWorld Conference on Innovative VR
CityChalon-sur-Saone, France
Period25/02/0926/02/09

Keywords

  • virtual reality
  • rapid prototyping
  • assembly planning
  • near net shape

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