Description:

A number of technologies are used to manufacture prototypes. Plastic prototypes are often machined from ABS, polystyrene, or rigid polyurethane foam.Commonly used processes are stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), Multi Jet Fusion, PolyJet, fused deposition modeling (FDM), and more. Each of these builds parts by joining—fusing, curing, extruding—layers of material to create durable prototypes.

CNC machining is also regularly used in the prototyping realm for form, fit, and functional testing of plastic parts. Many aerospace and medical industries leverage the production-grade material selection that machining brings to the table to accelerate to, and through, gate approvals and development phases.