3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping : Are They The Same?
There were still many peoples struggling about the rapid prototyping anf 3D printing, are they the same, or are they differerent with each other? The terms Rapid Prototyping and 3D printing are often used along each other. And they have similarities. For example, both rapid prototyping (RP) and 3D printing technologies build models layer by layer from STL data. But there are still some differences.
Rapid Prototyping is the technical term for this kind of additive manufacturing process.
3D printing is the colloquial term for the same so that many people can grasp this technology easily.
A not so accurate yet commonly perceived difference between Rapid Prototyping and 3D printing is that Rapid Prototyping is industrial level and 3D printing is consumer level additive manufacturing technology.
3D printing is a manufacturing process like milling and turning. Its also known as additive manufacturing because you are adding successive layers of material instead of to remove material like milling and turning. Just be aware that is not the same process for create a 3D model for 3D printing than for milling or turning.
Rapid prototyping is a method to quickly create a scale model of a part or finished product, using a computer-aided design (CAD) software. Manufacturing of the part is mainly done with 3D printing or additive layer manufacturing technology.
Drawback of 3D printers is that these printers are less accurate. Also the material choices are highly limited at the moment. But going forward, this is bound to change.
Please note that the difference stated above is general perceived difference. In actual terms, both rapid prototyping and 3D printing mean the same. In fact, rapid prototyping is the actual term and 3D printing is the most commonly used term.