Current indicators suggest that rapid prototyping is on the verge of a resurgence following a tumultuous few years, as new fabricating technologies and prototyping applications drive up business activity.

Rapid prototyping, which uses high-tech and flexible manufacturing methods to quickly fabricate custom products, experienced broad market contraction throughout the recession. But as global economies recover from the downturn, the rapid prototyping industry is also poised to make a rebound thanks to the development of new technologies, expanded fabrication capabilities and more promising sales opportunities.

According to a May report from manufacturing consultancy Wohlers Associates, demand for products and services from the rapid manufacturing industry has been relatively strong for most of the technology’s 22-year history, posting an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.4 percent in revenue.

However, over the past three years, the CAGR for rapid prototyping — also known as additive manufacturing — has fallen to an average of 3.3 percent, with 2009 becoming one of the slowest years since the industry’s foundation. Despite a weaker market in 2009, unit sales remained strong, rising 13.9 percent due to lower-cost machines and open-source development. These trends are likely to continue stimulating industry expansion at a faster rate.

“Using AM [additive manufacturing] for part production is considered the next frontier, with opportunities beyond measure,” Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates and author of the report, said in an announcement of the findings. “Corporations, entrepreneurs, investors and researchers are considering ways in which AM can be used to manufacture an exciting array of products in quantities of one to several thousands.”

A report from Frost & Sullivan found that the rapid prototyping market earned revenues of $300 million in 2006, but total worldwide revenue is forecast to reach $859.4 million in 2013. As the rapid prototyping industry works to increase marketing and educate users on the technology’s potential to innovate production methods, it’s likely to further expand within the manufacturing sector.

“Even though rapid prototyping has been adopted early on by the automotive and aerospace markets, research indicates that only a handful of companies, about 15 to 20 percent of the end users worldwide, have taken advantage of the various rapid prototyping technologies,” S. Vidyasankar, a senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, explains. “This clearly demonstrates that the technology’s potential has not reached the end users over the years, and thus highlights the need to elevate their awareness levels.”

A major reason for the appeal of rapid prototyping is that it’s not just for making prototypes anymore. In addition to boosting product development by quickly creating models for testing or design purposes, rapid prototyping technologies have become more integrated into manufacturing techniques, providing broader commercial applications.

“Perhaps the most significant advantage of rapid prototyping evolving into rapid manufacturing is that it can help bridge the gap between when a part design is finished and when the part goes into production,” IndustryWeek notes. “If, for example, a company needs several thousand parts molded while waiting for tooling to be made, production parts can be rapidly manufactured to jump-start the process.”

One of the main obstacles to adopting rapid prototyping for manufacturing purposes is the limited number of materials usable for fabrication. Although basic raw materials can be fabricated with a high degree of precision, the existing range of options constrains the final number of products that can be made.

“Today materials are limited to plastics and metals,” MoldMaking Technology explains. “However, mixing two materials is now possible, although it is the exception at the moment. It is predicted that these technologies will be accessible to the general public at an accelerated pace. In laboratories, printing of ceramics and glass has been tested and will be made accessible in the near future.”

Despite the material limitations, rapid prototyping does have the benefit of reducing material waste in manufacturing. Rapid prototyping is also known as additive manufacturing because it builds a product layer by layer rather than stripping away material from a workpiece. This means that fewer resources are discarded in production and only the necessary amounts are used.

Pricing is another key concern in the rapid prototyping industry. Historically, rapid prototyping technology has been more expensive than traditional production tools and sometimes prohibitively so, particularly for smaller businesses. But recent advances have driven down costs, making some rapid prototyping systems, such as 3-D printers, affordable even to do-it-yourselfers.

“[G]rowth and widespread uptake has been relatively slow based on the perceptions that the technology itself has not fulfilled its potential and that it has remained financially prohibitive,” according to RapidToday. “In reality, improvements to the technology have seen it exceed many of the original expectations, and the final frontier — that of cost — has been largely overcome, as competitive platforms can be bought for under £2000 [$3,093 USD].”

“It is starting to happen. Companies are offering direct access to not only production capability, but also to designs that can be ordered or adapted then ordered,” MoldMaking Technology adds. “This is directly enabling the consumer of the 21st century for the first time to order items/goods really needed, and not items that are pre-designed, pre-produced and then pre-shipped to stores forcing them to compromise and buy items that are close to, but not exactly what they need.”

Earlier

Rapid Prototyping Shows Few Signs of Slowing Down

3-D Printing Brings Prototyping to the Home

Resources

New Industry Report on Additive Manufacturing
Wohlers Associates, May 5, 2010

Rapid Manufacturing Spearheading Growth of the World Rapid Prototyping Equipment Markets
Frost & Sullivan, June 13, 2007

Beam Me up a Part, Scotty
by Peter Alpern
IndustryWeek, Jan. 20, 2010

Rapid Prototyping’s Role in Customized Manufacturing
by Peter Weijmarshausen
MoldMaking Technology, February 2010

Will Lower 3D Printer Prices Aid Growth?
by Martin Stevens
RapidToday, 2009

3-D Printing Spurs a Manufacturing Revolution
by Ashlee Vance
The New York Times, Sept. 13, 2010