3D replication of surface structures by rapid prototyping technique

Abstract

The article describes the possibilities of 3D replications of surface structures by the rapid prototyping technique. It presents the method of masking the surface of the specimen in order to make the scanning of the required structure more precise. Next, it describes the method of scanning and assessing the data through the surface matrix. Finally, the above is documented by 3D replications of a specimen made from ''polymethylmetacrylate'' which was used for the assessment of microhardness, and a specimen from steel 12020 machined by the face milling technique.