SOLID GROUND CURING

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Cubital site in Bad Kreuznach is dedicated to marketing, sales, and service to all of Europe.

Cubital is a spin-off company from Scitex Corporation and began operation in 1987. Commercial sales began in the fourth quarter of 1991.
It currently has facilities in Raanana, Israel (company headquarters and R&D activities), in Germany, and in the United States. To date, Cubital has sold a total of 26 machines. Its customers are from automotive, aerospace, consumer products, and medical industries, as well as engineering firms, academic institutions, and other research institutions. Seventy percent of users of the solid ground curing (SGC) machines are rapid prototyping service bureaus. This photopolymer-based technology (SGC concept) was provided by Cubital. The company has been dissolved, but the process may still available from a very few organizations.

INTRODUCTION TO SOLID GROUND CURING

Solid Ground Curing, also known as the Solider Process, is a process that was invented and developed by Cubital Inc. of Israel. The SGC process uses photosensitive resin hardened in layers as with the Stereolithography (SLA) process. However, in contrast to SLA, the SGC process is considered a high-throughput production process, more expensive and not as accurate. The high throughput is achieved by hardening each layer of photosensitive resin at once. Using layer data created by specialized software, the photomask is created on an electrostatically charged glass plate. The electrostatic toner becomes attracted to the plate while a thin layer of liquid photopolymer resin is spread on a work platform. The early versions of the Cubital system weighed several tons and required a sealed room. Size was made more manageable and the system sealed to prevent exposure to photopolymers, but it was still very large.

SOLID GROUND CURING IN BRIEF

Another method of rapid prototyping is Solid Ground Curing . Using layer data created by specialized software, the photomask is created on an electrostatically charged glass plate. The electrostatic toner becomes attracted to the plate while a thin layer of liquid photopolymer resin is spread on a work platform. Then, the photomask and the resin-coated work platform are aligned. Several seconds of UV light flash through the clear area of the photomask and the exposed resin is hardened. Unexposed resin is "vacuumed" away from the work platform, which leaves behind a layer of hardened resin in the shape of the photomask. At the same time, the layer image is erased from the glass plate to prepare for the next photomask. The cavities created by the removal of the unexposed, liquid resin are filled with melted wax. A cooled plate hardens the wax, which will support and protect the run's remaining layers. The hardened, resin/wax layer is milled to achieve a precise, predetermined thickness and a smooth, even surface. Finally, the work platform passes under a second powerful UV lamp for final curing and complete solidification of the resin.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SGC
Large parts, 500 500 350 mm (20 20 14 in), can be fabricated quickly. High speed allows production-like fabrication of many parts or large parts. Masks are created with laser printing-like process, then full layer exposed at once. No post-cure required. It suffered from high acquisition and operating costs due to system complexity. This led to poor market acceptance. Milling step ensures flatness for subsequent layer.

Wax replaces liquid resin in non-part areas with each layer so that model support is ensured.
Creates a lot of waste.

SOLIDER 4600
Work volume : 14 X 14" X 14"

Accuracy : 0.1% up to 0.020max.

Flatness : typical 0.006 Resolution : x-y 0.004, z 0.004 0.006

Smallest feature : x-y 0.024, z 0.006

Times : preprocess 0.20 3 hours, postprocess 0.30 3 hours Production rate : 120 seconds/layer

Input format : solid formats automatically, 2D with user interaction, CT/MRI voxels etc.,
Cost : $275,000US Used to produce investment casting

SOLIDER 5600
Work volume : 20 X 14" X 20" Accuracy : 0.1% up to 0.020max. Flatness : typical 0.006 Resolution : x-y 0.004, z 0.004 0.006 Smallest feature : x-y 0.024, z 0.006 Times : preprocess 0.20 3 hours, postprocess 0.30 3 hours Production rate : 65 seconds/layer Input format : solid formats automatically, 2D with user interaction, CT/MRI voxels etc., Cost : $400,000US

CAD STANDARDS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PART SHAPE ACQUISITIONS

Cubital has developed a proprietary software package called the Solider Data Front End (DFE). This software has editing and file manipulation capabilities that prepare adequate STL files for processing on any RP system. Features include cutting, patching, facet trimming, scaling, and file preview.

MATERIALS
Cubital currently offers two types of materials for use in its Solider machines (Solider 4600 & 5600)
The primary material is photopolymer resin, and the secondary material is wax. The photopolymer materials are G5601 and XA7501. These are conventional materials used to make plastic models. Research efforts are focused on developing an epoxy resin to compete with 3D Systems' epoxy resin and on developing a new methodology for making wax patterns for investment casting. This includes developing a new wax material that is suitable for use in the lost wax process of investment casting.

ADVANTAGES
No need for time consuming post-curing. Part complexity does not effect speed, however volume does. Elimination of post curing reduces internal stresses, and warping. Jobs can be stopped, other jobs run, then the first job restarted at a later time. Weights may be inserted at any time to alter the centre of gravity. Supports are not required. Models with moving parts can be produced because of the firm holding of work in the process. Layers can be milled off if they are found to be in error. Many parts can be run at the same time.

DISADVANTAGES
Overexposure of the polymer may increase the viscosity, and make it unusable, thus greatly increasing the volume of expensive polymers used. The resins require that light sealed chambers and toxic material handling procedures be used. The machine is very large. Machining is noisy. Maintenance is high, requires supervision.

Very few materials available.

Removal of wax after production is required.

APPLICATIONS
Some of areas are using Solid Ground Curing. They are Automotive Aerospace Consumer products Medical industries Engineering firms Academic institutions Other research institutions.

The Cubital SGC process fabricates complex plastic models used for design validation and as functional models. New applications are in various stages of development.

Casting Cubital is currently working to develop a method for fabricating wax patterns for investment casting. This includes capturing the wax pattern in a thin polymer coating, then removing the polymer coating from around the wax pattern. This process is in the early stages of development. Small, simple patterns were shown to the team. Tooling

Tooling was mentioned as a focus of R&D at Cubital. Development of epoxy resin is evidence of this effort.
Medical There were no examples of medical applications cited, although the systems can read and build parts from data received from various CT and MRI equipment.

PHOTOS
Model of mechanism made using solid ground curing
Processes SGC Model Category : Technical, Mechanics Materials Epoxy

Model of pump wheel made using solid ground curing

Processes : SGC Model Category : Technical, Mechanics Materials : Epoxy

COMMERCIAL RAPID PROTOTYPING SYSTEMS Stereolithography and Selective Laser Sintering by 3D Systems, Inc. of Valencia, California. Solid Imager Stereolithography by Aaroflex, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia. Solid Ground Curing by Cubital of Raanana, Israel. Paper Lamination Technology by KIRA Corporation of Aichi, Japan. Laminated Object Manufacturing by Cubic Technologies Inc. of Carson, California. Fused Deposition Modeling by Stratasys, Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Three dimensional plotting by Solidscape Inc. (formerly Sanders Prototype Inc.) of Merrimack, New Hampshire. Direct Shell Production Casting by Soligen Inc. of Northridge, California. Laser Sintering of metals and plastics by EOS GmbH of Munich, Germany. DeskProto turns CAD models into parts using an automatic desktop NC milling machine (no CNC knowledge required). Produced by Delft Spline Systems of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) by Optomec Design Company of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The process builds up metal parts by injecting metal powder into the focus spot of a high power laser beam. Digital Light Processing (DLP) by Envision Technologies GmbH of Marl, Germany. Polyjet, a photopolymer-jetting technology by Objet Geometries Ltd. of Rehovot, Israel. Z810 Ink Jet Printer by Z Corporation of Burlington, Massachusetts. Z Corporation is a subsidiary of Contex of Denmark.