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Decreasing costs are making what was once a highly expensive form of 3-D model-making more accessible to small- and mid-sized businesses.

When images on a computer screen just won't do, rapid prototyping provides a way to create physical, 3-D models of virtually any computer-aided design with precise detail.

At the University of Arizona's College of Engineering and Mines, small- and mid-sized businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the technology for their own product-modeling needs.

"Before you invest in mass production, this is a real quick way to get a model together and study it," said Ray Umashankar, assistant dean for industry relations at the college and director of the UA's Multicultural Engineering Program.

Sometimes called 3-D printing — that's actually just only one of a few techniques — rapid prototyping is a set of processes whereby a specialized machine prints and builds a 3-D object from an image created with computer-aided design, or CAD, software.

Models constructed using rapid prototyping are made layer by layer from a plaster or starch powder-based material gradually replicating an image down to the tiniest detail, Umashankar said.

Each layer is about 7/1000 of an inch thick, and a bonding agent is added before the next layer is laid down.

The printing can take from one to four hours, depending on the size, materials and design, but the final product is a relatively sturdy model.

For designs that require more flexibility, such as the toy action figure on display in the UA's lab, the starch powder is used to create a rubberlike prototype.

"It's really companies of all sizes that are using this," said Terry Wohlers, president of the Fort Collins, Colo.-based consulting firm, Wohlers Associates Inc.

Annually, Wohlers releases a report on the state of the print design industry, with special attention paid to the process of rapid prototyping.

Firms in "the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics industries are using these devices extensively to the point where they're building thousands of models a year to help with their designs and testing," he said. "Now it's becoming interesting for the smaller companies because the price has been driven down."

Umashankar agreed with this assessment.

"Now that the costs have come down, it's more prevalent," he said.

The cost, coupled with the speed of the process — only a few hours for a new prototype — and the ability to copy intricate designs has made rapid prototyping a more likely alternative to the more traditional and labor-intensive methods of model construction.

Two years ago, in October 2003, the UA bought two rapid prototyping machines and hired undergraduate students to run the lab where they're kept.

Since then, students from the Eller College of Management and the College of Engineering, among others, have used the machines to construct their own 3-D models for school projects.

But local businesses such as Western Mapping Co., 3323 N. Campbell Ave., are also benefitting from the machines.

The company is currently working on a joint study with the Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Fort Lowell Road, the purpose of which is to analyze the effects of erosion on rocks, to simulate the process that occurs on planets like Mars, said researcher Mary Bourke.

Using a laser scanner, Western Mapping owner James Holmlund and his staff are scanning rocks that will then be duplicated using the UA's rapid prototyping machines.

Prototyping "is a very unique and elegant way to visualize in your hand the models that you produce in the digital environment" with computers, Holmlund said.

Though not as malleable as other modeling materials, such as clay, he said the process is much more likely to capture the minute markings on the surface of rocks.

Some firms, such as Advanced Ceramics Research Inc. in Tucson, have their own machines in-house but generally don't grant access to other companies to use them.

At the UA, businesses are generally charged only for the cost of materials — a prototype from start to finish can range from $50 to $100.

"We're not in this to make money. We just want to provide real-life experiences for our students," Umashankar said.