The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

27.8. Summary

Promises, promises! One of the first rapid prototyping workshops I attended in the late 1980s offered a great presentation entitled "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." It was a very honest and up-front presentation of one company's account of what worked and what didn't. Material, machines, education, and processes have come a long way since the 1980s.

Though some of what others have learned about using various rapid prototyping processes can be applied to other situations, in the end, one must carefully evaluate what works best for each company. Your first selection may not be what works best for your company, products, or culture. This should not be viewed as a failure, but should motivate you to continually evaluate your RP processes against other emerging or established processes in locating the process that is closest to ideal.

Even with rapid prototyping, one can end up with "ugly" from time to time. By adhering to good standard work practices, developing a dedicated rapid prototyping staff, and continually refining methods to identify client needs, rapid prototyping will become vital to the success of product development.