Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping - producing prototypes quickly and easily thanks to 3D printing

Rapid prototyping is the manufacture or production of prototypes using a 3D printer. This allows ideas to be presented quickly and effectively and then immediately processed further with the help of an initial prototype. Corrections, necessary improvements and further approaches can be made or incorporated very quickly. In this way, an idea can take shape within a very short time and the suitability of the respective idea can be tested immediately in practice.

The fact that rapid prototyping is used to gradually create different components for a project, which can be repeatedly tested for functionality, saves a long search for errors in the end. This in turn leads to significant time savings. As time can sometimes be worth a lot of money, especially in research, this form of 3D printing is a real step forward in this sector.

 

With the right print service provider at your side, you will find more than just a simple 3D printer. A really good service provider will act as your partner and provide you with advice and support for your project. They will support you in designing your specifications, selecting the right material and, last but not least, the best possible manufacturing process. With the right partner at your side, you will receive a usable and testable prototype in record time, allowing you to drive your research and development forward in a highly efficient manner.

What is Rapid Prototyping?

Rapid prototyping is initially just a generic term. It refers to various technologies that are used to produce three-dimensional objects. Production is carried out using a 3D printer. Rapid prototyping is used to virtualize workpieces and prototypes in order to discover errors and opportunities for improvement more quickly and efficiently.

These technologies also include various steps in the post-processing of the respective product. After the production and post-processing process, you have a finished product in your hands that is fully resilient and suitable for any form of application testing.

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Did you know?

Although rapid prototyping is now considered an important factor in the field of 3D printing, there are also technologies outside of 3D printing that can be used for rapid prototyping. Additive manufacturing is clearly the preferred option for the rapid production of prototypes. However, machining processes such as milling from a block of material are also used here. Occasionally, non-cutting shaping processes such as the casting of liquid or the processing of semi-liquid material are also used.

Technologies in Rapid Prototyping

In fact, very few service providers in this area offer all the main procedures.

After all, there are seven of them. The main types of rapid prototyping are:

Not all of these methods are equally suitable and produce the same results. Some methods are only suitable for certain areas of application. We will briefly introduce you to these seven variants below and show you exactly what they involve.

Stereolithography

This method is also known as vat photopolymerization. Stereolithography was the first method with which 3D printing was successfully commercialized. A bath of synthetic resin liquid is used. This hardens layer by layer with the help of an ultraviolet light beam. This beam of light is controlled by a computer unit in which the plan for the object to be produced is stored. The main advantage of this technology is the speed at which it works. In addition, this technology is comparatively inexpensive to purchase, meaning that many laboratories and development facilities can afford their own 3D printers of this type.

Selektive Lasersintering

The abbreviation for selective laser sintering is SLS. This technology is used for plastic and metal prototypes and is very versatile. It works with a powder bed in which a laser builds up the prototype layer by layer. This is done by heating and then sintering the powder. One disadvantage of this process is the very rough surface of the printed object. In practice, this sometimes requires considerable reworking.

Fused Filament Fabrication

Melt layering is also one of the cheaper options. This process is also easy to use. Desktop 3D printers are used for this process. These work with a thermoplastic filament that is wound onto a spool, melted in the printer’s print nozzle cylinder and then applied to the resulting object in layers by a 3D print head. As this process is both fast and cost-effective, it is often used in product development today.

Selektive Lasermelting

This method is often referred to as powder bed fusion. This process can be used to produce complex and high-strength parts. This is why selective laser melting is often used in the aerospace industry. This process is also used in the automotive industry, defense technology and medical technology.

 

This process is also a printing variant that works with a powder bed. A fine metal powder is used here, which is melted in layers and then solidified accordingly. A high-power laser or an electron beam is used for this. Both prototypes and production parts in smaller quantities are manufactured in this way. Various materials are also used in selective laser melting. For example:

Laminated object production or sheet metal lamination

Laminated object production is significantly less demanding than selective laser melting and also much less expensive. Unlike most variants of rapid prototyping, it does not require controlled conditions. For sheet metal lamination, thin laminates are first cut to size using a laser cutter. These laminates are then placed on top of each other and glued. This creates the pattern design layer by layer, which is stored in a CAD program.

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Digital Light Processing

In parts, digital light processing is very similar to stereolithography. Here too, the polymerization of synthetic resin is used to produce the object to be manufactured. However, more conventional light sources are used to cure the synthetic resin. In this process, the part to be produced is drawn from a vat. The apparatus draws the resulting product over an illuminated surface. The cross-sectional pattern of the plastic is created by configuring this surface.

 

Digital light processing is faster than many other types of 3D printing – also because it does not proceed layer by layer. However, this process often requires some reworking and support elements during the drying phase. These must also remain in place after production for a slightly longer drying process and can only be removed after complete curing.

Binder Jetting

In this process, more than one part can be produced at the same time. A powder bed is also used here. The powder particles are bonded together by micro-fine droplets of liquid sprayed through a nozzle. This creates a layer of the object to be produced. The respective layer is then compacted by a roller and the process starts again with the next layer.

 

Parts and prototypes manufactured using the binder jetting process require a special work step after production. The finished product is usually cured in an oven, where the binder is burnt off and the powder is finally fused into a completely cohesive part.

Advantages of Rapid Prototyping

The various processes in this area all have one thing in common: they create opportunities to produce prototypes quickly, cost-effectively and, above all, fully functional. This allows ideas to be visualized quickly and efficiently. Engineers can show their colleagues and superiors planned designs directly and do not first have to explain them theoretically, record them and search for possible errors through extensive calculations.

Prototypes can be produced so easily and tested directly in practice for their suitability. Possible errors and potential for improvement can be identified more quickly and, above all, more comprehensively and eliminated in full. The use of materials is also minimized, as an additive process is generally used.

Last but not least, it is also possible to quickly and easily revise and modify designs once they have been produced in the corresponding CAD software. This means that desired or unavoidable changes can be implemented quickly and without much additional effort and a new prototype can be produced.

The production of components is cost and time efficient

Development times are significantly reduced as experience can be gained in practice

Overall, there are time savings in production and research

Auf der Grundlage der hinterlegten 3D Daten erfolgt eine schnelle Fertigung

The processes offer a high degree of design freedom

Components in an assembly can be reduced, thus saving costs

Risk management in development can be significantly improved here

Previously very complex designs can now be realized quickly and cost-effectively

Materials in Rapid Prototyping

Depending on the process used and the desired result, various materials can be considered for rapid prototyping. These include various plastics with different strengths. The plastic PA 12 FR, for example, is flame-retardant and can be used in particularly flammable areas. Some plastics are also combined with other materials, such as PA 12 GF – a plastic mixture to which glass is also added.

In addition to plastics, there are also various metals that are used here. In most cases, customers can choose between:

Aluminium

Sainless Steel

Inconel

Tool Steel

Copper

Cobalt-Chrome

Titan

Applications

The areas of application are extremely diverse. As almost any shape and contour can be produced, the various rapid prototyping processes can also be used in almost any manufacturing sector.

Whether moving or geometrically complex parts, whether with cavities or integrated joints – 3D printing allows a lot of variables and therefore endless possibilities. The main areas in which production processes using 3D printing have long been established include

A lot is set to happen here in the future, especially in the medical field. From prostheses and implants for teeth, for example, to entire organs or at least parts of organs that are adapted to the specific needs of the respective patient, many things are already feasible today, but anything is actually conceivable.

This is how the production process takes place in rapid prototyping

1 The production chain always starts with an idea. This is then incorporated into the corresponding CAD software and visualized. The 3D printer then works with this theoretical visualization and produces the prototype.

2. after the necessary reworking, the test phase begins – at least in the areas of research and development – in which the necessary optimizations are compiled. The original idea in the CAD software is adapted once again and after another prototype, the whole thing can go into small series production.

3. if the products from the small series are accepted accordingly, series production can then begin. Of course, it is then necessary to check whether it makes sense to produce larger margins using 3D printing or whether other processes should be used.

Who is rapid prototyping particularly suitable for?

This type of production is particularly suitable when either a desired object needs to be produced very quickly. Or if you want to visualize an idea in a short time and without great expense in order to subsequently test and refine it. The fact that no tools are needed during production generally makes working with rapid prototyping even easier and therefore more cost-efficient.