In the current poor economic climate, it is vital that businesses spend their capital wisely. For most (especially small business), the days of having money to spend on risky ventures are gone. Nowhere is this more true than in the domain of new product development and testing. Businesses simply can not afford to risk diminishing resources on a product that may never see the light of the sales day. For these very reasons, rapid prototyping production tooling technology is the solve method to this very serious problem.

The most advantageous feature of this technology is that it affords the designer the ability to incorporate changes during the construction process and before the item is actually put into use.

There are numerous engineering advantages to this exciting technology as well. Rapid prototyping allows the design process to actually yield a creation to scale, which also means that errors can be located and improvements made prior to actual implementation. This ability to factor in improvements at the development stage has become the ¡®gold standard¡¯ for manufacturing technology.

Rapid prototyping offers this ability to incorporate improvement to a design as the imperfections are discovered gives designers more control than ever. It also increases the odds of creating a flawless product far earlier in the development phase than has been possible in the past.

Computer aided design or animated modeling software is used in the initial design phase of this process. Those programs then deconstruct the item and virtually ¡®break¡¯ it in to extremely thin horizontal cross sections. The rapid prototype machine can then construct the item by re-creating those cross sections in layers until an actual physical form results. Most additive manufacturing creates a physical object my layering liquid, powder or a sheet material.

The advantage to finding and correcting flaws before implementation is also paramount from the marketing and sales standpoint. The process also has the advantage of the capability to make just a few items, which is also far more cost effective.

There are many different techniques available today that fall under the main category of rapid prototyping. Some incorporate the traditional layering technique, while others use medium blown or poured into molds or casts.

Still others use metals as the construction material. Geographic location is not a factor in deciding which manufacturer can be engaged. Since rapid prototyping machines are programmed from computer design-generated files, the completed file can simply be transmitted to the manufacturing facility for fabrication. The advantages represented by rapid prototyping technology quickly eclipse the costs.

One of the technologies which have been gaining momentum in the additive fabrication space is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).  Over the past few years this process has transitioned from being looked at strictly as a rapid prototyping solution to now being considered for rapid prototyping and final end use production tooling.  The aerospace and industrial product industries started using parts manufactured from this process as final end use production parts.

One of the main drivers for this transition is the materials that are offered.  The Duraform materials are nylon based and can also contain glass adders.  This enables the material to withstand up to 300 degree temperatures and gives the parts great durability features.  In additional, the parts can be coated to help improve their durability and moisture resistance. 

Rapid prototyping is the 3D object creation using advanced production tooling technology. This technology has only been around since the 1980s. Today, the use of rapid prototyping is used by manufacturing companies not only to create prototypes for mass production, but in many cases is used to create the final products themselves, if the quantity is low enough.

Additionally, many modern artists use 3D printing services to create customized one-time art pieces, a creation that would have been much more expensive just a few years ago.

Prior to the advent of rapid prototyping technology, prototypes had to be built in just the same way large-scale manufacturing was done, only everything was customized for just one piece. This meant that the molds themselves had to be custom made for each prototype job.

The costs were astronomical. In the late 1980s, after computer technology had been around for a few years, scientists found a way that they could merge computers and manufacturing. This enabled companies to design their prototypes on computer, and the computer would send the file to a manufacturing machine that would build the prototype in layers based on the computer file specifications.

The building was done simply by pouring a moldable layer and then firing before adding the next layer. This was an amazing cost savings to companies who needed the prototypes.

Unfortunately, rapid prototyping was still very slow, especially when you consider the time expensive of creating an object layer by layer. The process takes several hours to several days. Over time, rapid prototyping technology improved to make the models more accurate and more ready for usage.

Ultimately, this gave way to a form of prototyping called 3D printing.

3D printing is a form of rapid prototyping that uses layers, but is much quicker and more affordable than other types of creation. Products can even be made of different materials in a single build. 3D printing services are affordable for small businesses. The technology has even gone global.

In China, for instance, a computer prototype could be created to emulate the actual size and weight of the final product, and could even have the Chinese characters for computer imprinted on the product as a label.

Manufacturing wouldn¡¯t be where it is today without these amazing technological advances. 3D printing and rapid prototyping have and will continue to change the way business is done and the speed at which products reach the market.

A PhD student at the Royal College of Art in the UK has come up with a very unique use for rapid prototyping.

First: rapid prototyping is used in industrial product design to create physical models of computer-aided designs (CAD). Machines can be used to "read in data from a CAD drawing and lays down successive layers of liquid, powder, or sheet material, and in this way builds up the model from a series of cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross section from the CAD model, are joined together or fused automatically to create the final shape. The primary advantage to additive fabrication is its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature."

Products have been designed and manufactured much faster than 20 years ago and everyone is on a rush to put their products on market. That's when a rapid prototype machine comes handy. All prototypes are either machined or modeled by hand before the rapid prototype machines and it would take one or two week to get a prototype part for evaluation .

There is more than one way to skin a cat. Different processes have being used to get parts done but still it's all about the same principle, get a 3d cad computer model and slice it into thin layers then build a part from those layers. I think that the first one to use this process was Stereolithography it uses a resin that hardens with a laser beam to build the parts layer by layer and it's called "Sl process" still the best process to make accurate parts. Another old processes is called "LOM" laminated object manufacture , it cuts the slice contour layers from paper or wood laminate then glue it together to form the parts. The new ones are "FDM" Fused deposition modeling, "3d printing"the name says it all, "SLS" selective laser sintering, and the list goes on.

FDM melts a thin abs rod and build the parts layer by layer . It's the machine to get if you want a fully functional part but resolution is not the best one, layer thickness is about 0.25mm.

3Dp gets you one of the best looking parts and it print in colors but parts are not strong as the the ones made by FDM. One could infiltrade the 3dp parts with epoxy but I've no idea how strong it gets.

SLS selective sinteres a nylon like powder to bond the particles together and parts are strong.

This are the processes I'm familiar with , there is a lot more processes out there like 3d printing using UV resins, a 3d printer that uses metal powder, 3d printing using wax and many others.The build material to use on this machines is not cheap it goes from 100 to 300 dollars per kilo and some of this machines uses a support material to build the parts taking the cost of build material even higher. It's like when you buy a new cheap desktop printer you pay something like 100 dollars for it and pay 80 dollars for a new cartridge when it runs out of the ink. Rapid prototyping machines are very expensive anything from 10.000 usd to half million add to that the build material cost and replacement parts and it turns into a very expensive printer to buy.

One thing that prevents it from getting out of the industry and into the every day home use is the 3d modeling cad software not easy to learn to use.

What's my intention then? Since I've made the printer the next step is to try new affordable build materials. Some that I still need to try is microcellulose, PVP, PVA, carbon fiber, ceramics and steel powder. maltodextrin and gypsum is cheap enough to keep using it and I'll add some PVA to it as it might increase green parts strength and controll how the ink absorbs into the powder layer.

Almost forgot to mention that I need to add a cover to my 3d printer as dust gets every where and into my nose and lungs, another thing is that some play on the printer's shaft is showing up I'll need to replace the cartridge bearings with a bearing that can run on a dust enviroment such as the ones IGUS have, anyway I think I has gone thru 5 thousand layers and 5 cartridges since I've started to work on this project and some of the cartridge was damage by trying some water based glue on it , besides that it's working very well.

We are maybe familiar with rapid prototyping. Rapid Prototyping is a great way to develop a new idea into reality quickly. I use rapid prototyping all the time whether it be in AS3 or Javascript, a game or an application. Whilst game and application development are very different, the same rapid prototyping methods can be applied.

Lets examine a few points, please see following:

¡°Embrace the Possibility of Failure ¨C it Encourages Creative Risk Taking¡°

This is the most crucial concept to grasp when rapid prototyping. Before I had a rather cautious view on development, I would constantly be thinking ¡°I could also do it this way but I better do it the way i¡¯ve seen before¡± when actually if i had prototyped a few examples i would probably have developed the end product faster and it would probably be more efficient.

¡°Simulate in Your Head ¨C Pre-Prototype the Prototype¡°

Many developers will be thinking ¡°Duh of course¡± every developer has an idea of how to develop an idea programatically. But the key here is to not limit yourself entirely to how your application or game will work, but to think of it as a whole, interface, animations, graphics and usability. I¡¯ve applied this approach to Wuup¡¯s AIR apps (which were rapid prototypes though with extra polish :P ) Which was the first time i applied the prototyping technique. They both took approx and hour to think of and deploy.

¡°Build the Toy First¡°

This is my favorite point, because i write a lot of experimental apps and i¡¯ve always built the fun part first. The reason you develop the toy first is that, if you don¡¯t, you might end up with a great UI, animation and efficiency but the main function of your application could be flawed.

¡°Build Toward a Well Defined Goal¡°

Many of you who have developed large applications know how important this statement is. You can work as long as you like o a project but without well defined goals your work could prove ultimately pointless.

Rapid prototyping isn¡¯t entirely a solitary experience, two programmers working very well together can achieve much in a short space of time. Both me and Alan have prototyped several pieces of software to much success. Though be prepared for many arguments about how things should and shouldn¡¯t be done.

In closing, Rapid prototyping can be your friend if you are of the right mindset. But be prepared for failure and never spend too long on a prototype.

Just as sophisticated urethane dispensing machines and CNC machine centers have found their way into polyurethane facilities, additive fabrication and rapid prototyping are gaining popularity in polyurethane processing, especially with these techniques¡¯ ability to reduce on development time and costs.

Here¡¯s a quick overview of some of the most promising rapid prototyping technology.

Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Both SLA and SLA start with precise 3D CAD data. The SLA machine builds the part layer by layer with a special laser to cure the liquid photopolymer to create a master. With the SLS, there is no liquid photopolymer. The materials range from wax to certain nylons and metals creating a more durable master. Watch for SLA¡¯s latest nickel plating technology, which produces a strong, mirror finish that¡¯s even waterproof.

Polyjet (Objet) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

The key to Polyjet technology is a special inkjet with a built-in UV laser spraying to build each layer. Similarly, FDM feeds a plastic, wire-like filament unwrapped from a supply coil to a heated extrusion nozzle with an on-off valve spraying liquid polymer layer by layer. Polyjet is new and more costly than other processes featured here, but it has a niche for building small parts that require fine details. FDM offers more flexibility in polymers, with tradeoffs between strength and service temperature.

Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

EBM uses a high-energy, precisely focused electron beam to melt fine metal powders layer by layer. The resulting product is solid and doesn¡¯t require any additional thermal treatment. This makes EBM not only faster, but allows it to build high-definition masters and products.

Reminder: Polyurethanes are not metals, so plan accordingly. In fact, urethanes have a thermal expansion coefficient 10 times that of most industrial metals! Be sure to take such factors into account and design smart to avoid big problems and delays in production tooling.

In the beginning before Rapid Prototyping, there was the evolution of 3D CAD.

CAD was first developed before 20 years with the development of personal computers. The first company to become a leader in the CAD world was Autodesk with a product called AutoCAD. This was the first software product that allowed the user to produce 2-dimensional drawings on the computer and take advantage of the efficiencies that software can provide (copy, templates, etc.). 

It is important to note that at this time in the product development world, all products were designed and developed from 2-dimensional drawings. These 2D drawings fully represented all appropriate views of the part or product. While this was a standard method of product design, it did require the learned ability to ¡°visualize¡± what the part would look like in 3-dimensions (or in the ¡°real¡± world). Since this was a subjective requirement, communication regarding the part was subject to misinterpretation. This also required parts to be designed much simpler than our products today. With 2D design, it was very difficult and expensive to develop parts that were highly contoured or with complex surfaces. This is the reason products of this era were more ¡°blocky¡± and simple. Think of the cars of the 60¡¯s and 70¡¯s.

It was not until the late 1980¡¯s that software began evolving to render solid models and true 3-dimensional representations of the parts or products. Software was finally developed that could completely represent the part in 3-dimensional space so the designer did not have to imagine how the part would look.

Once the 3D CAD became available, this lead to the development of rapid prototyping and 3D printing. Now additive fabrication is becoming mainstream. It has been great to see over the past 20 years.

Whether it¡¯s a brand new invention or modification to an existing item, it¡¯s always recommended that a 3D CAD (computer aided design) file be created of the idea for many reasons.

Rapid prototyping as well as many final production tooling technologies, require specific math data (computer files) in a 3D file so that it can build exactly what your design is in a 3-dimensional format for prototyping and from there, for manufacturing.

Another benefit to having your idea designed 3 dimensionally is the ease of modifying and making changes as the idea grows and develops.

Hiring a mechanical engineer or designer is a good starting point if you are serious about your invention. In addition to their years of education and training, the engineers often know what will work best from a functionality standpoint as well as how to save money and what is practical when it comes time to manufacture you idea.

If you can dream it and draw it, it can be built ¨C well, as long as you¡¯re not looking for a ball park in a cornfield.

But if you¡¯re daring to do the seemingly impossible in your parts design, remember this: Dreams fuel innovation and innovation supports progress, and rapid prototyping works to take your idea and move it from the two-dimensional paper world into a 3D rapid prototype reality.

The late 1980¡¯s introduced 3D Rapid Prototyping and since then it has been used by sculptors to R & D engineering because of the scope of capabilities it offers the designer.

But what exactly is rapid prototyping and why would you need it?

In the simplest of terms: rapid prototyping development is recognized as a means to improve the overall design process.

To take it one step further - rapid prototyping helps to streamline the production tooling process by reducing the overall time spent on a product design project. It accomplishes this by allowing for flexibility in the design process of a prototype model - in that it provides R & D engineering the time to evaluate the results of a prototype more immediately, make necessary design adjustments, and test the part before putting it into production.

In the end, rapid prototyping development speeds up the time to bring a product to market, which reduces total designs costs.

Essentially, rapid prototype manufacturing cuts out unnecessary steps that previously slowed down production, and eliminates design flaws that might otherwise have been overlooked, thereby making rapid prototyping a means to reap immediate rewards.

So when should you choose to take your next design to the inexpensive rapid prototyping solution? The next time your R & D team wants to fully explore their creative ideas and generate a final product that will bring your company to the next level of success.