The Cambridge International Dictionary of English, explains the word "Design" as a "pattern
used to decorate something". Whilst this very narrow-minded definition can spark a debate on the
meaning of design, it does however imply, that something has to made or manufactured,
following a process-chain which started with an idea, followed by the design, and finally, the new
product. As Functional Design is closely linked to inter alia manufacturing and building,
Designers' freedom to express themselves, are often limited by the capabilities of craftsmen who
have to give physical substance to Designer's ideas.
The recently completed Manufacturing and Materials national FORESIGHT report [1] from the
Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) of the South African
Government shows that manufacturers wishing to compete internationally should focus on
integrated product, process and production system design, to speed up production time. This is all
encapsulated in Concurrent Engineering, where design and approval are configured into a
parallel, iterative process. Whilst it is not only dependent of technologies, technology and
enabling tools such as Rapid Prototyping, applied in an integrated process, are crucial in the
successful application of Concurrent Engineering. In the past a series of technologies, e.g. CAD,
CAM and NC manufacturing was identified to solve these problems. Rapid Prototyping, Solid
Freeform Fabrication or Generative Manufacturing - which are all synonyms for new methods of
building physical parts directly from CAD data - represent the latest trends in manufacturing
technology.
However, all these techniques represent only a technological view on how product development
can meet the tremendous challenges of the future. In fact, not merely the use of a single
technology provides better products faster for the market, but the integration of a large number
of technologies and methodologies. Therefore, aspects of information processing, cost, quality
and time management, team work, organisational issues and many other enabling technologies
like data highways, multi-media or distributed databases have to be taken into account as well.
Rapid Prototyping is being used more and more as a key enabling technology in reducing the time
to market for new products, by identifying possible design flaws prior to tooling and
manufacturing, and is providing the common focus for multidisciplinary groups, around which
to resolve design and development questions. Barkan and Iansti present RP as a means of rapid
learning at every stage of the design process. Adopting this view on the whole of the
development process, one comes to the conclusion that the use of RP to enable Rapid Product
Development, is a fundamental challenge that must be addressed by all manufacturers to remain
competitive in today's global market place.
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In defining manufacturing, one tends to think about plastic products, casting, tooling concerned,
and mass production. Whilst this represents the latest trends in manufacturing, one of the oldest
methods of manufacturing however, is the conversion of basic raw materials into
accommodation, shelters, etc. In adopting Rapid Prototyping and related technologies into the
built and architecture environment, numerous new opportunities open up. The paper describes a
fresh approach into an age-old industry.Mechanical Engineerin