According to Crump, rapid prototyping has blossomed only in the last four years with the advent of faster and less expensive systems. Some rapid prototypes, for example, are used to create molds from which real parts are created, such as medical implants. Rapid prototyping is also an excellent engineering check for final tooling. At times, good rapid prototype models are even better than conventional tooling molds. The more detail included in a rapid prototype model, the longer it takes to build.
More detail means more design engineering to create the tool paths that make the rapid prototype.
It is this output phase of rapid prototyping that may not be so rapid. Making modifications to the computer numerical control file, if the first rapid prototype doesn't turn out as expected, isn't necessarily difficult, but the output takes the same amount of time as it did for the first prototype. If it took four hours the first time around, it will take another four hours to create again. With a CAD simulation, any modifications made to the initial design are swift, and as an alternative to rapid prototyping, the results can be exported to a movie package, such as QuickTime, from Apple Computer Inc., in Cupertino, Calif., that can render your revisions on screen. In many cases, a rapid prototype will have ribs and other features for attaching other components, and these can detract from its appearance.