Robot Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Illustrated - Profe Saul

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Introduction
Laminated-Object Manufacturing (LOM)
The Laminated-Object Manufacturing (LOM) process, diagrammed in
Figure 4, forms 3D models by cutting, stacking, and bonding successive
layers of paper coated with heat-activated adhesive. The carbon-dioxide
laser beam, directed by an optical system under CAD data control, cuts
cross-sectional outlines of the prototype in the layers of paper, which are
bonded to previous layers to become the prototype.
The paper that forms the bottom layer is unwound from a supply roll
and pulled across the movable platform. The laser beam cuts the outline
of each lamination and cross-hatches the waste material within and
around the lamination to make it easier to remove after the prototype is
completed. The outer waste material web from each lamination is continuously
removed by a take-up roll. Finally, a heated roller applies pressure
to bond the adhesive coating on each layer cut from the paper to the
previous layer.
A new layer of paper is then pulled from a roll into position over the
previous layer, and the cutting, cross hatching, web removal, and bonding
procedure is repeated until the model is completed. When all the layers
have been cut and bonded, the excess cross-hatched material in the
Figure 4 Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM): Adhesive-backed paper is fed across
an elevator platform and a computer-controlled carbon dioxide infrared-emitting laser
cuts the outline of a layer of the 3D model and cross-hatches the unused paper. As more
paper is fed across the first layer, the laser cuts the outline and a heated roller bonds the
adhesive of the second layer to the first layer. When all the layers have been cut and
bonded, the cross-hatched material is removed to expose the finished model. The complete
model can then be sealed and finished.