Rapid Prototyping -- Design-Controlled Automated Fabrication (DesCAF)

Design-Controlled Automated Fabrication - DesCAF

Design-Controlled Automated Fabrication (DesCAF) is a photosolidification process developed by Light Sculpting Inc., Milwaukee, WI. The process selectively solidifies a layer of polymer material by irradiation through a mask consisting of transparent and opaque areas. An automated mask transport system moves masks into place automatically without the aid of an operator. Masks for the machine are on mylar or similar material and are generated ahead of time, before model building begins.

Each new layer of polymer material is deposited on the imager, not on the model, which means that the machines needn't maintain an open vat of material around the model, as in other systems that build polymer models. This allows simple switching to a new material, even from one layer to another. It also minimizes any warpage or shrinkage in the model and eliminates the need to mill each layer, giving high accuracy.

See Also - Light Sculpting Inc.