Numerical model for studying rapid prototyping processes in ANSYS environment and CAD/CAE/CAM technologies integration

• Grant number: 06/02787-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2006
• End date: July 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Maciel Filho
• Grantee: Hermann Josef Donley Bairão Simon
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Rapid prototyping is a technology class which can automatically build tridimensional physical objects, through CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), directly from CAD (Computer Aided Design) data. While the beginning of the process (product design) and its ending (manufacturing) are covered by CAD and CAM systems, a main task, the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) processes engineering, is still done empirically, what increases processes' time and costs. Lately, it has been seen an increase in the use of mathematical models based on numerical methods to simulate many aspects of industrial processes. In this project, it is purposed to develop a mathematical model to optmize rapid prototyping processes parameters, and the integration of CAD, CAE, and CAM computational technologies. It will be used, as CAE tool, the ANSYS software, which formulates and solves many engineering problems, based on Finite Elements Method.