So FDM printing has solidified itself as one of the best and most accessible technologies in the rapid prototyping world. That's because you can design and print a completely unique model from scratch at home on your desktop, and that's really exciting.

Now we spoke about all the industrial uses of 3D printing but where does it actually fit with you? So the way I see it, there are costs and time costs associated with 3D printing, and that's great for one-off prototyping, small production runs, maybe one bed's worth, but the whole idea scales really terribly if you want to print a thousand models. It's going to take a thousand times longer than one model.

So if you're looking for a technology that's going to mass-produce, maybe one of your brilliant inventions, maybe FDM printing isn't perfect for that production type, but it will be a great tool for you to get a well-prototyped model, maybe a one-off invention that you've just made for fun. Now that's the idea of rapid prototyping, and that's why we love 3D printing.