What is Rapid Prototyping?
Rapid prototyping is the group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) data. Because these parts or assemblies are usually constructed using additive techniques as opposed to traditional subtraction methods, the phrase has become synonymous with additive manufacturing and 3D printing.

Additive manufacturing is a natural match for prototyping. It provides almost unlimited form freedom, doesn’t require tooling, and can produce parts with properties closely matching various materials made with traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing technologies have been around since the 1980s, but their high cost and complexity mostly limited use to large corporations, or forced smaller companies to outsource production to specialized services, waiting weeks between iterations.

The advent of desktop and benchtop 3D printing has changed this status quo and inspired a groundswell of adoption that shows no sign of stopping. With in-house 3D printing, engineers and designers can quickly iterate between digital designs and physical prototypes. It is now possible to create prototypes within a day and carry out quick iterations of design, size, shape, or assembly based on results of real-life testing and analysis. Ultimately, rapid prototyping helps companies get better products to market faster than their competition.

Why Rapid Prototyping?
Realize and Explore Concepts Faster
Rapid prototyping elevates initial ideas to low-risk concept explorations that look like real products in no time. It allows designers to go beyond virtual visualization, making it easier to understand the look and feel of the design, and compare concepts side by side.

Communicate Ideas Effectively
Physical models empower designers to share their concepts with colleagues, clients, and collaborators to convey ideas in ways not possible by merely visualizing designs on screen. Rapid prototyping facilitates the clear, actionable feedback that is essential for creators to refine and improve their designs.

Design Iteratively and Instantly Incorporate Changes
Design is always an iterative process requiring multiple rounds of testing, evaluation, and refinement before getting to a final product. Rapid prototyping with 3D printing provides the flexibility to create more realistic prototypes faster and implement changes instantly, elevating this crucial trial and error process.

A good model is a 24-hour design cycle: design during work, 3D print parts overnight, clean and test the next day, tweak the design, then repeat.

Save Cost and Time
With 3D printing, there’s no need for costly tooling and setup; the same equipment can be used to produce different geometries. In-house prototyping eliminates the high costs and lead time associated with outsourcing.

Test Thoroughly and Minimize Design Flaws
In product design and manufacturing, finding and fixing design flaws early can help companies avoid costly design revisions and tooling changes down the road.

Rapid prototyping allows engineers to thoroughly test prototypes that look and perform like final products, reducing the risks of usability and manufacturability issues before moving into production.

Applications of Rapid Prototyping
Thanks to a variety of available technologies and materials, rapid prototyping with 3D printing supports designers and engineers throughout product development, from initial concept models to engineering, validation, and production.

Concept Models
Concept models or proof-of-concept (POC) prototypes help product designers validate ideas and assumptions and test a product’s viability. Physical concept models can demonstrate an idea to stakeholders, create discussion, and drive acceptance or rejection using low-risk concept explorations.

Designers at Swiss design and consultancy studio Panter&Tourron used SLA 3D printing to get from concept to showcase in two weeks.
Designers at Swiss design and consultancy studio Panter&Tourron used SLA 3D printing to get from concept to showcase in two weeks.

The key to successful concept modeling is speed; designers need to generate a wealth of ideas, before building and evaluating physical models. At this stage, usability and quality are of less importance and teams rely on off-the-shelf parts as much as possible.

3D printers are ideal tools to support concept modeling. They provide unmatched turnaround time to convert a computer file into a physical prototype, allowing designers to test more concepts, faster. In contrast with the majority of workshop and manufacturing tools, desktop 3D printers are office-friendly, sparing the need for a dedicated space.

Functional Prototypes
As the product moves into the subsequent stages, details become increasingly important. 3D printing allows engineers to create high-fidelity prototypes that accurately represent the final product. This makes it easier to verify the design, fit, function, and manufacturability before investing in expensive tooling and moving into production, when the time and cost to make change becomes increasingly prohibitive.