In the past eleven years, a number of new manufacturing systems have been developed. These permit the conversion of the concept of a complex component into a solid replica in a matter of days. Conventional prototyping systems involve weeks, or months.
New developments arrive continually.
Rapid prototyping is of particular importance to industries that have the following characteristics. Time to market driven and fashion conscious - eg the automotive industry where new product development costs have risen dramatically in recent years, along with the need to drastically decrease lead times on new products. Personalised products are required - eg the medical implant industry where components manufactured individually, but economically, to fit each patient offer advantages to the customer and higher added value for the manufacturer. All rapid prototyping techniques start with a computer generated software model of the part to be made. The computer then slices the part into thin layers and feeds information on the shape and dimensions of each layer to the manufacturing system.