: Klocke, F.; Hartung, S.; Clemens, U.

Abstract
Today, especially in view of decreasing product life times, companies are compelled to shorten their product development times to stay competitive, keeping at the same time costs down and quality high. Rapid Prototyping has proved to be an effective means for reducing product development times and costs without risking quality or the explosion of expenses. However, Rapid Prototyping is still only at its beginning; information management, metrology and technology are at an early stage of development. To improve current (metal) RP-techniques as well as creation, retrieval and handling of necessary data, 7 Fraunhofer Institutes have formed a network, merging a comprehensive know-how in the fields of information management, materials engineering, production technology, laser technology, quality management and mechanical engineering