‘Massless Prototyping’ an Energy-Saving Alternative to 3D-Printed Physical Parts

Additive manufacturing has long offered the advantages of quickly printing spare parts and of rapid tooling — inexpensively creating a mold that can be used in a conventional molding process. This method bypasses the considerable expense and time involved in designing and building a mold by traditional means. An additive manufacturing company has improved on that scenario by developing a free augmented reality tool that enables engineers to get an instant “massless” prototype of their design in their physical workspace. PolySpectra, a Berkeley, CA–based additive manufacturing startup, refers to this as “massless prototyping through augmented reality.”