What Is Rapid Prototyping?

By Author: yash singh
Total Articles: 23
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Rapid Prototyping or (RP) is a class of technologies with the capacity of automatically constructing physical models from CAD (Computer aided Designs). This is a 3 dimensional printer that can produce tangible prototypes in a quickest possible time in comparison to 2 dimensional printers. This latest technology is applied to many uses like design testing, visual aids for communicating ideas. Rapid Prototyping is used for computer automated manufacturing, solid free-free from manufacturing and also for layered manufacturing.

The advantages of this technology are as follows:-
• It increases effectiveness of communication
• It decreases the number of costly mistakes
• It decreases development time
• It has the capacity of extending product lifetime by eliminating redundant features at the very early stage of designing
• It has also the capacity of adding necessary features that can extend product lifetime
• It reduces sustaining changes in engineering
• It can provide look of the product to the engineering, production, manufacturing, ...
... marketing etc. even at the time of designing process.
• This advantage is useful to correct the mistakes (if any) and change the design (if needed).

Because of these above advantages a huge amount of cost can be saved. That is why manufacturing industries depend much on Rapid Prototyping and get the benefit of the following:
• Different variants of products can be increased. Product development can be improved in the environment of concurrent engineering by adopting the means of better communication
• Delivery time can be decreased
• Product complexity can be increased
• Product life time can be decreased before the product becomes obsolete
• Companies get the benefit of turning innovative ideas towards end product through efficient, rapid and successful ways
• The technology has fewer flaws in the production designing, naturally the end products are better
• The great design flexibility coupled with the ease of multiple design iterations in a quickest possible time is another plus point of this Rapid Prototyping

Applications of Rapid Prototyping are wide enough such as medical, aerospace, automotive and large number of consumer product industries. Frankly speaking, the possible applications are countless because all the manufacturing industries value rapid tooling, prototyping and finally rapid manufacturing. Since Rapid Prototyping has already started the changes in the way of the companies’ designing and building products, the future of Rapid Prototyping is sure to revolutionize the manufacturing and sustain the various developments attached with it in several ways.
The optimisms of this Rapid Prototyping is used all across the world, especially in Israel, Japan and German. Within a short span of time it is sure to make inroads in those countries where technology is not yet that much developed. Since many countries and many people are involved in embracing this technology, within a short period of time it is sure to accelerate its position when RP will be combined with internet and emerge as the Distance Manufacturing on Demand.