Tensile tests on samples manufactured by the rapid prototyping technology in comparison with the commercially manufactured material

For the Rapid Prototyping (“RP”) technology to be usable in the design of equipment (even if only a prototype is to be designed), the material properties of the component so obtained must be known as early as the design stage. Among important properties of materials is their tensile strength. This paper describes tensile tests of samples manufactured by the RP technology. All of the samples had identical dimensions but differed in the internal arrangement of the structures and in the basic orientation of the print. The results are compared to those obtained in the tensile test of polycarbonate manufactured by the conventional process.