Technique Achievement of Glass Objects Using Kiln Casting Method

Abstract

In the context of the competitive actual environment, the production need to adapt to the preferences of the consumers, this represents the essential goal for all manufacturers. The production flexibility can be achieved by designing and marketing of new products or/and modify existing products in short time and at low cost. The technique presented in these article addresses of manufacturers and designers who made glass products unique or small series, adapted to consumer demands. In recent decades, digital fabrication methods are developed in various fields (aeronautics, shipbuilding, automotive, construction, architecture, industrial design and so on) and gained great popularity due to relevant advantages over the traditional production methods. Sculptural surfaces (also called free form surfaces) of the product with aestethetic requirements and/or functional role can be achieved through various technologies RP & M (Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing). The Rapid Prototyping technologies can be grouped unto two major categories. First one refers to additive processes RP. From this point of view there are over 40 different types such as: stereo lithography (SL), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), 3D Printing (3DP), Solid Ground Curring (GSC) and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). The second one consists of subtractive Rapid Prototyping. Subtractive Rapid Prototyping (SRP) is one of the methods used for processing digital models into physical objects used for RP and for Rapid Tooling (RT). It is difficult to say what method is the best RP/RT; every one of them has advantages and disadvantages. The choice of the appropriate method depends on many factors, such as: product geometry, material type, dimensional accuracy, surface roughness on finished product, and so on. The starting point of this work consists in three photographs that are digitally processed to achieve the expansion of 2D in 3D structure. The expanded model is imported into computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. The parameters required to processing on Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine are set, in order to obtain the shape of the casting mold. The schedule of heat treatment for glass is adapted according to the characterics of glass, mold material and the type of kiln. Rheological behaviour of glass has a key parameter in processing glass. The steps of kiln casting process (temperature ramps, heat treatment time) are choose at some values of viscosity (also called viscosity points ) related with glass type and size of object. The presented method can be successfully used in the manufacturing process offering to companies the possibility of increasing the capacity of new product development.