| Summary: | Since the launch of the first commercial system in 1988, Rapid Prototyping (RP) Technology is fast being accepted in the fields of product design and development, tools and die making industry and recently, for biomedical applications. Although, in theory, RP is able to produce object of any complexities, problems such as having material trapped inside parts with hollow features still occur frequently during normal operation. This problem leads to unnecessary waste in time, effort and money as damages to the part and even the machine can only be detected when the build is in progress or upon completion. To reduce such occurrences, this research project has conducted an in-depth study on the formation of trapped material inside RP parts. Attention is paid particularly to parts produced by Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM). In SLA and SLS, the focus of the research is on the influence of the trapped volume on the quality of the parts produced. For LOM, the concern is on the removal of the entrapped material.
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