What AM process is used to quickly create physical models of a part concept?

Rapid prototyping is an additive manufacturing process specifically designed to quickly create physical models or prototypes of part concepts. This approach allows designers and engineers to bring their ideas to life in a tangible form, facilitating validation, iteration, and refinement of designs before full-scale production. Rapid prototyping focuses on speed and effectiveness, enabling stakeholders to evaluate design functionalities, aesthetics, and form factor in a short timeframe.

The term emphasizes the rapid nature of the prototyping process, which is crucial in fast-paced development environments where time-to-market is vital. By utilizing techniques such as 3D printing, rapid prototyping allows for the creation of complex geometries that would be challenging or costly to produce with traditional manufacturing methods.

In contrast, mass production refers to manufacturing large quantities of identical products using standardized processes, which does not align with the concept of quickly creating a single prototype. Additive assembly involves assembling parts made through additive processes but does not specifically address the rapid creation of initial models. Incremental manufacturing typically refers to a broader range of manufacturing techniques focused on building parts layer by layer but does not emphasize the rapid prototyping aspect that is pivotal in concept validation.