What is Rapid prototyping?
Lets start simple. Lets say you draw a circle. Then you draw another circle on top of it. Then you keep drawing a circle until you get something like a cylinder. The robot that is designed to do this is known as a Rapid Prototyper. Rapid prototyping is also called Fabbing, 3-Dimensional Printing, fabrication, and reprapping. Here at Reprap.wikidot.com, I am trying to weld the fab@home, the Reprap, and my own crazed genius together to create the ultimate rapid prototyper. The Helix, target price about 100 USD. Welcome to the future.
Benefits
Easy fabrication of objects.
Disadvantages
Types of Processes / Methods
Rapid Freeze / Ice
Rapid Injection Molding
This process is where you inject a substance into a mold. Rapid Injection Molding, I would imagine, is the only way to make stuff like the mousepad with a gel hand rest.
Stereolithography
Sugar Fab
The Candy Fab Project is attempting to use sugar as a material for rapid prototyping.
Issues
Accuracy
Cost
The cost varies for Rapid Prototypers. The RepRap costs around $500, but you have to build it yourself and there are no kits available yet. Other premade options like the fab@home cost around 2,500 to 5,000, but they are premade. The Zcorp Printer is about 39,000 dollars and the refills cost another 1,000 or so every time.
Machines
(Main article: rapid-prototypers)
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