SRP - Subtractive Rapid Prototyping
Subtractive Rapid Prototyping is starting with a solid object and removing unwanted material. SRP has several advantages over traditional rapid prototyping. SRP machines mill a wider range of materials that cost less and do not require chemicals or post finishing work. Plus they produce a superior finish.
Although they have trouble milling prototypes with complex geometries and deep undercuts, benchtop SRP devices are extremely good at cranking out precision prototypes that are manufacturable every time. Using a wide variety of inexpensive materials, including polyurethane, resin, epoxy tool board (Ren board), ABS, aluminum and brass, SRP devices mill prototypes that take less time and money to produce. When the prototype is done, it requires no hand finishing.
SRP devices mill a wide range of materials without gumming up the liquid coolant systems found on traditional CNC production mills. These devices also have no requirement for three-phase power. At the same time, these SRP devices still offer the power and precision associated with AC servomotors, look-ahead processing, simultaneous fourth-axis controls and automatic tool changers.
Featured here is our Roland MDX 40, one example of a SRP desktop mill.
Benefits of SRP
- Increase productivity and lower cost
- Mass production - Machining methods are faster and cheaper for part-per-part production
- Turn over parts in just a few days
- No more wasted time in removing "support" materials
- Wide variety of materials can be used
- Many more materials can be machined than available to "additive" processes
- Surface quality rivals any other RP method
- No stair stepping to be removed post production
- Accuracy - High tolerance machining
- Machine tools are more accurate than RP layer-by-layer or drop-by-drop methods
- Larger pieces - Larger geometries can be machined than can be prototyped
- Any model regardless of the source software can be machined
SRP Work Flow
- CAD model creation
- Import into milling software
- Create progressive tool paths
- Send data to SRP/CNC Machine
- Cut solid block of raw material