Laser-Based Rapid Prototyping Processes

In the present competitive manufacturing environments, the product manufacturing industries are faced with numerous challenges such as increasing variations of products and product complexity, and decreasing delivery time. In response to these challenges, major industrial and research efforts have been concentrated on rapid development of prototypes, rapid tooling, and rapid manufacturing. Lasers have been extensively used in various rapid prototyping (RP) technologies. This chapter presents the background of the RP processes followed by a detailed discussion on various laser-based RP processes.