Rapid growth for prototype systems

Building model airplanes is serious business in the aerospace industry.

As designs evolve more in a digital world with fewer real prototypes, vendors are using rapid-prototype machines to create parts they can touch and feel.

These prototyping machines, which build models via plastics, nylons, or even titanium powders, give engineers a link to the real world. “Generally, people come in needing a product [and] they think they know what it is, but they usually need several iterations,” said Glenn Isbell, Experimental Design Manager for Bell Helicopter's XworX facility, which handles rapid development.