In the case of plastic tooling prototyping parts intended for use as prototypes, or for small production runs, different material properties may be required than those of the material used in the available RP process. While the target material is a plastic in this case of plastic tooling prototyping, the RP-generated pattern may belong to another family of materials.

plastic tooling prototyping article

A common means of making small quantities of polymer parts is through the use of silicone rubber tooling. If larger quantities or specific material properties are required, an injection molding tool may be fabricated. Silicone Rubber Tooling and plastic tooling prototyping

This is a standard method of making small quantities of polymer parts. Any rapid prototyping-generated part can be used as a pattern to make silicone rubber tooling. These tools can be used to mold small to medium quantities of parts in a large variety of urethane, epoxy or other polymers. Some of these polymers have properties which emulate particular engineering thermoplastics, and it's also possible to fill them for added strength. The method doesn't produce a part which is identical to an injection molded part, however, because the conditions of manufacture aren't the same.

Injection molded parts may have functionally important anisotropic mechanical properties that depend on how the material flows in the mold and cools, for example. Nevertheless, silicone rubber tooling is inexpensive, offers good accuracy and finish, and the parts produced are often adequate for prototypes or small production runs. The materials are often used in a natural state, but painting and other secondary operations can result in parts that are very attractive to plastic tooling prototyping.