Re: your opinions

From: Juergen Bauer (University of Bremen)
To: RP-ML
Date: Thursday, July 6, 1995
Subject: Re: your opinions
Elaine,
You wrote:
>Rapid Prototpying: physical models without prints :
>....  
>The RP parts are generally not produced  in
>materials which can be directly used for product applications.
>  ... 

After a discussion with Bent Mieritz/DTI and Wilhelm Steger/IPA last year 
for EARP (European Action on Rapid Prototyping), we took the following 
definition:

RAPID PROTOTYPING   (RP)
"Create a understandable, visible representation of a product or of a 
part of it"
This is the "top layer"; rather a management principle.
It stands obove various techniques and methods. One of them is "Virtual 
Prototyping", another are the "Rapid Prototyping Techniques". Another 
example: the software people use the term "Rapid Prototyping", too, in 
cases when they quickly show the look-and-feel of an application, before 
implementing the real code.

RAPID PROTOTYPING TECHNIQUES   (RPT)
There you are with "building physical models, with 'fire and forget' 3D 
plotter or imager" - And all the well-known names like SLA, SLS, LOM, 
FDM, SGC, ...

Yours, Juergen