Rapid Prototyping Machine Selection Program.

Rapid prototyping RP is a new and quickly growing field in engineering. Because of the diverse technology, rapid development and inadequate direction associated with rapid prototyping, two major problems arise. The novice and expert alike discover it is increasingly difficult to determine the best machine for each application. Also, research facilities are presented with the challenge of locating valid research areas. The objective of this research involves the creation of a program capable of selecting the best rapid prototyping machine for each application, noting areas in need of development. To achieve this objective, the research develops a quality function deployment, resulting in a problem understanding form for a rapid prototyping machine selection program. This research yields a program called the RP Advisor. The program uses input concerning the desired prototype to calculate a normalized time, cost and quality value for each machine. The time, cost and quality values are weighted with respect to the priorities of the user. The program then derives a normalized non-dimensional value from the weighted values for each machine. Upon ranking the machines with respect to this non-dimensional number, the RP Advisor informs the user of the best machine and its corresponding data. The RP Advisor also lists alternative machines for comparison. Valid research areas exist when no machine is selected. Review of previous work indicates the RP Advisor is the first working program available in the United States which employs a rapid prototyping machine selection algorithm.