Prototyping is the process of quickly putting together a working model in order to test various aspects of a design, illustrate ideas or features and gather early feedback.

Rapid Prototyping is automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication directly from CAD data. It is also known as additive fabrication, three dimensional printing, solid freeform fabrication and layered manufacturing.

Often one or more prototypes are made in a process of incremental development where each prototype is influenced by the performance of previous designs, in this way, problems or deficiencies in design can be corrected. When the prototype is sufficiently refined and meets the functionality, robustness, manufacturability and other design goals, the product is ready for production.

Companies are exploiting the power of RP to

• Validate form, fit & function
• Get a complete understanding of the part - by holding it in your hand
• Save on tooling costs during design iterations
• Produce visual models for market research, publicity, packaging etc
• Get to market sooner