Rapid prototyping slowly gains acceptance

A Business Advantage Group product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 25, 2002

Rapid prototyping technology has been used at 15% of CAD-using mechanical engineering sites over the last 12 months, according to recent research conducted by The Business Advantage Group.

Rapid prototyping technology has been used at 15% of CAD-using mechanical engineering sites over the last 12 months, with a further 11% considering using it in future, according to recent research conducted by The Business Advantage Group.

These findings concerning the current usage of and attitudes towards rapid prototyping of CAD users operating within the Mechanical Engineering sector came from telephone interviews conducted in January 2002 with managers responsible for design/product development functions at 262 UK-based sites.

The sample was taken from Business Advantage's database of 20,000 UK CAD/CAM user sites.

The research also found that there are significant differences by company size; only 8% of sites with less than 100 staff have used rapid prototyping, compared to 28% of sites with more than 100 staff.

Although the number of sites analysed at which rapid prototyping had been used was too small to allow further statistically reliable analysis, it is interesting to note that of these 40 sites, 13% do so in-house with their own rapid prototyping systems, and 87% use a service bureau.

Only three from this group of 40 who use rapid prototyping thought they would produce/commission less prototype models/parts in the next twelve months.

The other sites were split equally between those saying that their use of rapid prototyping would increase, and those saying it will remain the same.

Chris Turner, Managing Director of The Business Advantage Group, observes: "Traditionally rapid prototyping has been associated with certain industries in the manufacturing world such as aerospace and automotive, but its expanding range of applications has the potential to open up diverse new market opportunities.

The reasons why the 85% of our sample are not using rapid prototyping are complex.

One pre-requisite of rapid prototyping growth is to have a high proportion of 3D CAD users.

However, a recent survey of 3D usage found that in the mechanical engineering sector, 49% of sites are not using solid modelling.

Also, many rapid prototyping technologies are expensive, and relatively few CAD users have researched the benefits it offers to the manufacturing process.

Rapid prototyping suppliers to the mechanical engineering sector face a major task in educating potential customers about the relevance of their products/services.

Our research has revealed that over three quarters of those not using rapid prototyping have not looked into its uses, and are not intending to use it in future.

If the new range of applications is genuinely opening up new market opportunities, rapid prototyping suppliers need to find more direct ways of pushing the advantages of their products and services".

The full report entitled "User views on rapid prototyping", including colour charts, can be read free of charge on the Business Advantage Group website.

(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 22 March 2002).