Abstract
The process of free-form thick-layered object manufacturing (FF-TLOM) has been developed with the aim of supporting physical concept modeling and rapid prototyping Of large sized, morphologically complex, dominantly free-form industrial engineering products. The FF-TLOM process involves the following activities: (i) morphological segmentation of the CAD model, (ii) tool profile generation, (iii) slicing the segments based on higher order shape approximation, and (iv) tool position and tool path calculation, (v) layer manufacturing, and (vi) assembly of the physical model. Due to the number of factors that influence the decisions, the otherwise highly automated computations must be accompanied by an in-process visualization. This paper proposes a ‘virtual prototyping’ for pre-implementation testing of the actual physical concept modeling and/or rapid prototyping process. It explains the operation of the developed calculation software tools and presents the results of the visualization tools. Based on the visualization of the process and the artifact, possible errors of the physical model can be explored and eliminated, furthermore, parameters of the process can be optimized.