4. Application rules of thumb.

Over the last twenty years or so, a large number of experiments have been carried out by engineers, scientists, medical technologists, artists and others. From this body of knowledge rules of thumb approaches to solutions have evolved which can be quite helpful for initial guidance in the technology selection problem. That’s not to say that these are cut-and-dried methods which apply to all cases or that additional, and perhaps more advantageous, possibilities don’t exist. This is simply a starting point.

Almost any rapid prototyping technology can be used for any application.
Indeed, it may be sufficient to choose a particular method simply because it's readily available or that experience has been gained with it in the past, even though it might not be optimal. The attempt here is to give some guidance by indicating which choices are typical or common for particular applications, and why that might be so.