Rapid prototyping has been successfully used in an astonishing variety of fields. Any field using software that is capable of creating an STL file can potentially use rapid prototyping to help streamline the design process and gain a competitive advantage.

Engineers and designers in the following sectors are well known for their use of rapid prototyping technologies:

• automotive
• aerospace
• consumer products
• medical
• military

Engineers and designers currently use rapid prototypes in the following scenarios:

• Showing concepts to non-technical management and marketing professionals.
• Design review meetings
• Focus groups and early stage customer reviews
• Showing progress to customers and management
• Manufacturing and vendor part samples for more accurate quoting.