The TEP Package

Software Selection Tool - Manufacturing Processes

There are over 30 processes included in the software, grouped into 6 main classes, which provide a wealth of information.

Overview

Animation

Materials & shapes

Economic Issues

The information for individual processes is split into 5 sections:

• An overview giving useful general information about the process, some production information and a picture of a real machine.
• Information on how the process works; this is often given as an animation with a commentary to highlight the important details.
• Useful design guidelines about possible materials and shapes.
• Useful guidelines about the economics to enable selection of cost-effective processes.
• A list of example products made with this process and some representative pictures.

In addition, there is an overview of each the processing classes which includes information on materials compatiblity.

Processes included:

Metal shaping: Sand casting, Die casting, Lost wax casting, Powder metal forming, Forging, Sheet forming, Metal extrusion, Rolling

Polymer shaping: Polymer extrusion, Compression moulding, Injection moulding, Rotational moulding, Blow moulding, Vacuum moulding

Ceramic shaping: Sintering and HIPing, Glass forming

Composite shaping: Composite forming

Machining: Milling, Turning, Drilling, Grinding/Polishing, Mechanical cutting

Joining: Mechanical fastening, Arc welding, Friction welding, Soldering and brazing, Adhesive bonding

Other processes: (these are not dealt with in as much detail as the 6 main classes).

• Heat treatment: case hardening, transformation hardening, surface coating, peening
• Rapid protyping: Stereo-lithography, selective laser sintering, laminated object manufacture, solid ground sintering.
• Emerging technologies: laser processing, jet cutting, hybrids.