CNC machines.
(explanations: http://www.cncci.com/resources/articles/…
You need to figure out if you have 3 axis or 5 axis machines available. 3 Axis can’t make undercuts.
CNC machines can usually deal with pretty large structures (e.g. life sized statues). Other rapid prototyping machines can typically do 1-2 cubic feet large as they work within a chamber.
Other prototyping options are:
Prototyping technologies
Selective laser sintering (SLS)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
Stereolithography (SLA)
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)
Electron beam melting (EBM)
3D printing (3DP)
They vary a bit in what they can do and in particular which materials they can work with. Selective laser sintering can make structures inside other structures which are not connected to anything.
3D printing will not do that, it always needs to print on an support and you will have to remove the support structures after printing.
Use google to find more info.
Preparing a file which is suitable for printing may not be straightforward. Talk to the company you want to work with before starting. Also it is probably going to be expensive. Less so with CNC. You pay for machine time and materials used.
Clay, wax, aerated cement blocks or florist foam blocks, hot glue gun and about anything else that takes your fancy sometimes referred to as ‘twig and twine’. Prototypes in sculpture are traditionally referred to as a marquette (pron. market) and being thought doodles for sculptors are mostly done in easy to use materials often scale models of a larger finished work. Some like clay and wax lend themselves to testing surface finishes etc. when made into cast objects and can be seen as small editions on a theme.
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CNC machines.
(explanations: http://www.cncci.com/resources/articles/…
You need to figure out if you have 3 axis or 5 axis machines available. 3 Axis can’t make undercuts.
CNC machines can usually deal with pretty large structures (e.g. life sized statues). Other rapid prototyping machines can typically do 1-2 cubic feet large as they work within a chamber.
Other prototyping options are:
Prototyping technologies
Selective laser sintering (SLS)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
Stereolithography (SLA)
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)
Electron beam melting (EBM)
3D printing (3DP)
They vary a bit in what they can do and in particular which materials they can work with. Selective laser sintering can make structures inside other structures which are not connected to anything.
3D printing will not do that, it always needs to print on an support and you will have to remove the support structures after printing.
Use google to find more info.
Preparing a file which is suitable for printing may not be straightforward. Talk to the company you want to work with before starting. Also it is probably going to be expensive. Less so with CNC. You pay for machine time and materials used.
Clay, wax, aerated cement blocks or florist foam blocks, hot glue gun and about anything else that takes your fancy sometimes referred to as ‘twig and twine’. Prototypes in sculpture are traditionally referred to as a marquette (pron. market) and being thought doodles for sculptors are mostly done in easy to use materials often scale models of a larger finished work. Some like clay and wax lend themselves to testing surface finishes etc. when made into cast objects and can be seen as small editions on a theme.