Rapid Prototyping (RP) has revolutionized the landscape of how prototypes and products are made and small batch manufacturing carried out. This book gives a comprehensive coverage of RP and rapid tooling processes, data formats and applications. A CD-ROM, included in the book, presents RP and its principles in an interactive way to augment the learning experience.Special features:

This text provides an introduction to the fundamental theories and applications of rapid prototyping and traces its development in the arena of advanced manufacturing technologies.

Rapid prototyping (RP) has revolutionized how prototypes are made and small batch manufacturing is carried out. With rapid prototyping, the strategies used to produce a part change a number of important considerations and limitations previously faced by tool designers and engineers. Now in its third edition, this textbook is still the definitive text on RP. It covers the key RP processes, the available models and specifications, and their principles, materials, advantages and disadvantages. Examples of application areas in design, planning, manufacturing, biomedical engineering, art and architecture are also given. The book includes several related problems so that the reader can test his or her understanding of the topics. New to this edition, the included CD-ROM presents animated illustrations of the working principles of today's key RP processes.

This introduction to the fundamental theories and applications of rapid prototyping traces the development of rapid prototyping in the area of advanced manufacturing technologies and explains the fundamentals behind each of the rapid prototyping techniques.

Since the publication of the first edition, several Additive Manufacturing technologies have been invented, and many new terminologies have been formalized. Each chapter has been brought up-to-date so that this book continues with its coverage of engineering procedures and the application of modern prototyping technologies, such as Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Virtual Prototyping (VP) that quickly develops new products with lower costs and higher quality. The examples, practice exercises, and case studies have also been updated. Features Gears toward rapid product prototyping technologies Presents a wide spectrum of prototyping tools and state-of-the-art additive manufacturing technologies Explains how to use these rapid product prototyping tools in the development of products Includes examples and case studies from the industry Provides exercises in each chapter along with solutions

Rapid prototyping is a faster, more cost-effective method for building prototypes from three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) drawings. Rapid Prototyping provides a fundamental overview of the general manufacturing process and presents the principles and applications of designing and fabricating parts in a format that makes learning easy. This user-friendly text features basic information on layered manufacturing processes, the essential vocabulary of nomenclature, numerous review exercises, case studies, a full section of rapid prototyping applications, helpful material for further study, applications to real-world problems, and more.