Today Rapid Prototyping (RP) is widely used in industry for a variety of purposes such as the production of complex prototype parts, visualization, and quote preparation, making expendable patterns, or for investment casting and for fabricating parts required for biomedical applications.

To improve efficiency in RP manufacturing, determination of optimal part orientation,  part strength, and part cost are fundamental problems, which are being addressed by PLM Nordic team. The material cost can be significantly reduced by using hollowed RP parts in place of solid ones if functionally acceptable. Hollowing would significantly reduce part cost and build time. We have developed the strategies to address issues of hollowing, internal support structure generation in the hollowed CAD model and optimally orienting CAD models in an integrated manner.