Fundamentals of rapid tooling

Abstract

Product development takes advantage of the use of computer-aided design (CAD) systems to define the geometry and its various dimensional characteristics. Besides, the product’s feasibility can be predicted using computer-aided engineering (CAE) software for the analysis of product performance and for the simulation of manufacturing processes without the need for physical prototypes. While this iteration strongly improves the probability of success, in many cases, a physical assessment of the real component is still needed. This often requires the creation of prototypes and tools to be produced, becoming one of the most time-consuming and costly phases in the development of new products. The employment of rapid tooling (RT) techniques allows the development of tools for processing different materials by various technologies in a fast and inexpensive way. In such a way, RT offers great advantages both to the product development and production set-up, allowing the achievement of faster and better solutions.