Many a products are aimed at niche markets or are used for applications where the quantities required are too small to justify a conventional tooling process for manufacturing. Rapid Prototyping technologies for end production offer a way out in these situations. This method is called Rapid Manufacturing (RM). When the part is used in the development process only, the appropriate term is rapid prototyping.

Rapid Manufacturing using RP not only offers an obvious cost and lead-time advantage, but also provides increased design freedom and the possibility to personalize products. Typical applications are concept cars, patient-customized products and design products. That is to say, RM may involve custom parts, replacement parts, short run production, or series production.

Another option for low volume manufacturing is Vacuum Casting. Vacuum casting implies the manufacture of components and small series in silicone moulds. Since it is a moulding technology, vacuum casting is mostly used for limited series of 10-20 copies, which can be pre-production series or end products. Vacuum casting is a fast and cost-effective alternative for injection moulding. Your first set of parts is ready in less than 2 weeks and you can re-order on the fly!