Suite Deals: Rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing, and the design software they require are rapidly reshaping product development

Rapid prototyping is synonymous with additive manufacturing. The digital process, also known as 3D printing, is especially valuable because it inverts the economics of product development by generating rapid design iterations at a greatly reduced upfront cost than conventional solid-modeling methods since it requires no molds or dies. With its ability to eliminate parts through the use of complex geometries and change designs on-the-fly, additive manufacturing (AM) is reshaping the process and economics of product design and—importantly—has the potential to do the same for part production. © 2018 The Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc.