Prototyping and Design Iteration

3D printing accelerates product development by enabling rapid, in-house iteration. For example, Peak Design uses Formlabs desktop SLA printers (e.g. the Form 4) to print dozens of custom hardware prototypes in Tough 2000 resin each day. This lets their engineers try multiple designs quickly and move to final parts faster. Similarly, medical startup PSYONIC used Formlabs SLA (Form 3) to 3D-print its prosthetic hand parts and even injection-mold tools.

One engineer noted that they could “implement a change, run a prototype, [and have it] in a new Ability Hand… within a week or two”. Markforged users see comparable speed-ups. For example, a metalworking firm printed functional prototype bending tools on a Markforged X7 (carbon-fiber nylon) to test new tube bends. These printed tools cost about €350 and took 1 week to make instead of €4,000 and 6 weeks for machined tooling. By printing prototypes in strong materials, companies iterate designs rapidly and at low cost, often reducing cycles from weeks to days.