In the rapidly evolving world of product development, few understand the intersection of speed, precision, and manufacturability better than Micah Chaban. As the Founder and Vice President of Sales at RapidMade, Micah has helped hundreds of companies—ranging from startups to Fortune 500s—bridge the gap between design concept and full-scale production. RapidMade, known for its advanced 3D printing, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing solutions, specializes in helping teams innovate faster while reducing cost and risk.

Today, Micah shares deep technical insights on the real-world application of rapid prototyping: how it drives better products, smarter development cycles, and successful market launches.

What is rapid prototyping and why is it critical in product development?

Rapid prototyping is all about speed, iteration, and validation. In simple terms, it’s the ability to quickly turn a digital design into a physical model using fast, scalable manufacturing processes. It matters because it allows engineers to detect problems early—design flaws, mechanical weaknesses, manufacturability issues—before they become expensive production errors. In today’s environment, where time-to-market can make or break a product launch, being able to validate and iterate quickly is critical. It lets teams experiment without massive upfront costs, and it drives smarter, data-based design decisions.

How does rapid prototyping reduce costs compared to traditional prototyping?

Traditional prototyping often meant you were investing in hard tooling—like steel molds for injection molding—before you even knew if the design worked. That’s incredibly risky and expensive. Rapid prototyping skips that by using direct digital manufacturing methods like 3D printing, CNC machining, or low-volume molding with aluminum tooling. You spend a fraction of the cost to build prototypes, and you can afford to iterate multiple times. Catching errors early saves exponentially more money than fixing them during production.

What are the main advantages of using rapid prototyping?

Micah Chaban:
The biggest is speed—hands down. You can go from CAD to a physical part in days instead of weeks or months. Second is flexibility. You can tweak designs between iterations without having to remake expensive tools. Third is collaboration. A real part communicates ideas better than any rendering or CAD model. Finally, it lowers development risk. When you’re testing real prototypes early, you’re de-risking your entire product launch.

When should a company use 3D printing versus CNC machining for prototyping?

It depends on the application. If you need speed and complex geometry, 3D printing is usually your best choice, especially early in the design cycle. If you’re moving toward functional testing where material properties matter—say, testing mechanical strength or precision fit—CNC machining often makes more sense. CNC gives you the exact properties of production-grade plastics or metals, while 3D printed parts are sometimes proxies that behave a little differently.

What factors should guide material selection during rapid prototyping?

Material choice should be dictated by what you’re trying to learn in that stage of development. If you’re evaluating basic shape and fit, you don’t need to pay for expensive materials—an inexpensive resin or thermoplastic might do. But if you’re testing mechanical function or chemical resistance, you need to choose materials that mimic or match the final application environment. Always balance cost against learning value for each prototype phase.

What are the main types of 3D printing technologies used in rapid prototyping?

The major technologies are Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), and PolyJet printing. Each has a different strength. SLA is great for fine detail and cosmetics. SLS and MJF offer tougher, more functional parts. DMLS produces real metal components. FDM is affordable and good for quick concept parts. PolyJet gives you the best visual realism if you need multiple materials or colors in a single part.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of SLA 3D printing?

SLA excels at detail and surface finish—it’s phenomenal for early-stage concept models or cosmetic evaluation. The weakness is that the parts are typically more brittle and sensitive to UV light and humidity. They’re not usually the right choice for mechanical testing or outdoor applications.

Why is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) often used for functional prototypes?

SLS creates strong, durable nylon parts that can actually be used for mechanical testing or low-volume end-use parts. Plus, because it builds parts from powder without the need for support structures, you can design much more complex geometries. It’s one of the best technologies when you’re serious about validating performance.

What challenges should be considered when moving from prototyping to production?

Designs that print beautifully don’t always mold or machine easily. Moving to production means you need to account for things like draft angles, consistent wall thickness, and parting lines. Also, materials that behave one way in a 3D printed part may act differently when injection molded. Planning for manufacturability during prototyping saves a lot of pain when you scale up.

How does rapid injection molding fit into the rapid prototyping landscape?

Rapid injection molding uses aluminum tooling to make small batches of molded parts quickly and economically. It’s a fantastic bridge step once you’ve validated your design and you’re looking to test parts in the final production material and form. You get parts that are virtually identical to what you’ll produce at volume—but you’re not committing to expensive, hardened steel tools yet.

Can rapid prototyping be used effectively for metal parts?

Absolutely. We use DMLS for real, functional metal parts—things like stainless steel, aluminum, titanium. You can produce strong, durable prototypes for functional testing or even limited production runs. CNC machining is also a go-to method for metal prototypes when you need tight tolerances and specific material properties.

What is the role of design for manufacturability (DFM) in rapid prototyping?

DFM is crucial. Prototypes aren’t just about proving an idea works—they’re about proving an idea can be manufactured efficiently. Building DFM principles into your prototype—thinking about moldability, machinability, assembly—saves huge amounts of time and money later. If you ignore manufacturability early on, you risk major redesigns when you transition to production.

How does rapid prototyping support greater product customization?

With digital manufacturing, each part can be different without a massive cost penalty. You can offer variations in size, features, colors, materials—you name it. Prototyping makes it easy to validate those customizations quickly before scaling them into the market.

What risks are reduced by incorporating rapid prototyping into the development cycle?

You reduce the risk of catastrophic failures in production. You avoid expensive tooling changes. You catch usability issues before they reach customers. You validate performance, manufacturability, and user fit earlier. Every stage of prototyping cuts down the unknowns—and that’s the real power of rapid prototyping. It doesn’t eliminate risk entirely, but it moves the major risks to where they’re affordable to solve.

For expert consultation on rapid prototyping and full-scale production solutions, contact RapidMade at rapidmade.com or email us directly at info@rapidmade.com. Let’s turn your next innovation into reality.