Direct Digital Manufacturing

The Direct Digital Manufacturing Centre (DDMC) is the latest addition to the portfolio of advanced manufacturing equipment available at HEC. Following investment by regional development agency EEDA and Norfolk County Council, portable 3D scanning, vacuum casting, robot loaded CNC mill and a new FDM machine have been added.  

Rapid Prototyping is a term that many will be familiar with but it was adopted to describe the original process when the first machines came to market in the late 1980s. Although rapid by comparison with the alternative, many think that a process that can take many hours or days is misnamed as 'rapid' also, process and material developments mean that parts can now be manufactured either individually or in small batches for direct use not just for prototyping.

As the term implies, 'Direct Digital Manufacturing' is dependent on digital data. this is normally generated directly from 3D CAD solid models in the form of STL files. But digital data can also be generated by laser scanning existing parts as part of the process known as reverse engineering.

Vacuum casting takes the digital manufacturing process a step further by using a mould created from a direct digital manufactured part to create multiple copies in a range of resin based polymers.

A further step is to create CNC machine programs directly from digital data that are used to machine injection moulds in aluminium for short runs.

HEC now has the facilities to demonstrate, educate and undertake all of these processes.

DDMC equipment includes:

A robot loaded HAAS Super Mini Mill fitted with tool and workpiece probing for unmanned machining

REVscan portable 3D laser scanner

http://www.creaform3d.com/en/handyscan3d/products/revscan-video.aspx

MTT 5/04 VarioVac vacuum casting system

Stratasys Fortus 360mc FDM manufacturing Centre. Capacity 355 x 254 x 254mm

CADCAM
Solidworks 2010
CAMworks 2010

Rapid Prototyping machines
Fortus 360mc FDM
Z Corp Z510 3D printer

A series of four free education days are scheduled each specialising in one of the four main elements of the DDMC

For further information and to book places contact Derek Hillyard, Engineering Manager, Hethel Engineering Centre. (dhillyard@hethelcentre.com)