Rapid Prototyping

What Rapid Prototyping does

Rapid Prototyping (legal name: Rapid Prototyping Könke) is a privately held, founder-led rapid prototyping service provider founded in 1996 and headquartered in Arnsberg, Germany. The company operates a single-site workshop offering a full-service portfolio across five additive manufacturing technologies: Stereolithografie (SLA) using an SLA 250 machine with tolerances down to 0.02mm, Lasersintern (SLS) for cost-effective plastic parts from polyamide powder, Metall Lasersintern for high-precision metal components (tool steel, aluminum, stainless steel, Inconel, brass) with tolerances as small as 0.01mm, Vakuumguss (vacuum casting) for small-batch production using silicone molds and liquid plastics, and Rapid Tooling for metal tool production via laser sintering. The company also offers CAD construction services to convert customer concepts into 3D models. SLA parts can be produced up to 2 meters in size.

The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven model. Customers submit STL or Step files and receive tailored quotes, with standard 5-business-day delivery and a 24-hour urgent turnaround available. The company serves unspecified enterprise customers across medical, automotive, and consumer products sectors, addressing use cases including prototype testing, functional testing, design validation, assembly testing, thermal testing, load testing, fit verification, and photo/marketing models. Distribution is direct (phone, email, website contact form) with no reseller network; geographic reach is documented only within Germany.

The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, with the company positioning itself on method-selection guidance rather than price competition. Equipment and material supply chains are anchored by relationships with 3D Systems (machines), DSM (Somos/Accura SLA resins), and VESTOSINT (polyamide powder). The company is small (1-10 employees), appears family/founder-owned (primary contact: Herr M. Könke), has no external investment, no subsidiaries, no patents, and no certifications disclosed. The online presence is a static website (rapidprototyping.de) with Google AdWords as the primary paid acquisition channel, supported by a newsletter subscription. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, software products, or international expansion.

Name

Rapid Prototyping

Legal name

Rapid Prototyping Könke

Website

https://rapidprototyping.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rapid Prototyping is a founder-led German rapid prototyping service bureau operating since 1996 in Arnsberg, offering SLA, SLS, metal laser sintering, vacuum casting, and rapid tooling to industrial customers across medical, automotive, and consumer products sectors on a project-based quote-driven model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Additive Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAAAFAB

Engineering Prototype Builds (Form/Fit/Function)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/3D Printing/Rapid Prototyping & Product Development (Additive)

SECONDARYIMAAAFAD

Rapid Tooling & Prototype Molds (Additive)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/3D Printing/Rapid Prototyping & Product Development (Additive)

SECONDARYIMAAAFAO

Prototype Program Management & Low-Volume Pilot Runs (Bridge to Production)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/3D Printing/Rapid Prototyping & Product Development (Additive)

SECONDARYIMAAAFAG

Functional Testing Prototypes (Mechanical/Thermal/Fluidic)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/3D Printing/Rapid Prototyping & Product Development (Additive)

Keywords

• Rapid prototyping services
• Additive manufacturing
• 3D printing services
• Stereolithography services
• Vacuum casting

Headquarters

HQ city

Arnsberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Rapid Prototyping Services: Project-based service fees for 3D prototyping and model building. Customers receive quotes based on STL/Step file submissions. Pricing varies by prototyping method (Stereolithografie, Lasersintern, Vakuumguss) and project complexity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rapid Prototyping provides a full-service rapid prototyping and small-batch additive manufacturing offering for industrial customers. The company delivers parts via Stereolithografie (SLA), Kunststoff Lasersintern (SLS), Metall Lasersintern, Vakuumguss (Vacuum Casting), and Rapid Tooling, with CAD construction as a supporting design service. Customers submit STL or Step files for quote-based projects, with standard delivery in 5 business days and urgent 24-hour turnaround available.

Product overview

Rapid Prototyping is a service provider offering multiple rapid prototyping and manufacturing services: Stereolithografie (SLA) for precise parts with tolerances up to 0.02mm; Lasersintern (SLS) for cost-effective, durable plastic parts from polyamide; Metall Lasersintern for high-stress metal components; Rapid Tooling for quick metal tooling production; Vakuumguss (Vacuum Casting) for small production series; and CAD Konstruktion for design services. The company operates since 1996, serving medical, automotive, and consumer product sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stereolithografie (SLA) Stereolithography using an SLA 250 machine to create complex, precise plastic parts with layer heights from 0.05 to 0.3mm and tolerances down to 0.02mm, manufactured from UV-curing transparent resin. Suitable for industrial customers needing detailed prototypes with fine surface features.
• Lasersintern (SLS - Kunststofflasersintern) Selective laser sintering of polyamide (and other plastic) powder to create flexible, form-stable parts suitable for mechanical testing, with no support structure required. Cost-effective rapid prototyping for industrial customers.
• Metall Lasersintern (Metal Laser Sintering) Metal laser sintering of tool steel, aluminum, stainless steel, Inconel, and brass to produce heat-resistant, robust prototypes and mechanical components with tolerances as small as 0.01mm, suitable for extreme stress applications and rapid tooling production.
• Rapid Tooling Metal tooling for plastic processing manufactured using laser sintering, providing durable tools for small and medium production series and complex unit testing. Enables shorter product development cycles and faster time-to-market using original series plastics at lower cost than conventional tooling.
• Vakuumguss (Vacuum Casting) Small-series production of plastic parts using silicone molds filled with liquid plastics (typically produced from an SLA master model), including glass fiber reinforced plastics and polyurethanes. Capable of producing complex shapes, half-shells, rubber parts, and lost wax patterns.
• CAD Konstruktion

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Direct peers

• Xometry: On-demand marketplace connecting customers to manufacturing partners for CNC, 3D printing, sheet metal, and injection molding. Directly comparable in serving engineers seeking prototype and small-batch parts with quick-turn quoting.
• Materialise: European-headquartered 3D printing service bureau with industrial-grade additive manufacturing, prototyping and small-series production. Highly comparable to Rapid Prototyping in technology stack and European customer base.
• voxeljet: Germany-based provider of industrial 3D printing services and binder-jetting systems for prototyping and small-series production. Comparable as a German specialist competing in similar regional prototyping markets.
• Hubs (formerly 3D Hubs): Global manufacturing platform offering instant quotes for prototyping and low-volume production via a distributed network of service bureaus. Competes for the same transactional prototype work that Rapid Prototyping addresses locally.
• Sculpteo: European 3D printing service bureau (France-based) offering online quoting across multiple additive technologies. Comparable as a multi-technology European prototype service provider.
• Shapeways: Online 3D printing service bureau offering SLA, SLS, metal sintering, and other additive technologies with instant quoting. Comparable digital-first model targeting small businesses and individual designers.
• Protolabs: Global on-demand digital manufacturer offering SLA, SLS, metal 3D printing, vacuum casting, and CNC machining with automated quoting. Directly comparable in service breadth and target customer profile of engineers needing prototypes and low-volume parts.

Broad incumbents

• EOS GmbH: German-headquartered global leader in industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers; competes indirectly via direct part manufacturing services as part of a broader equipment-led business model.
• 3D Systems: Global additive manufacturing solutions provider whose machines the company uses (SLA 250). Offers its own on-demand manufacturing services, making it both a supplier and a competitor at the service layer.
• Stratasys Direct Manufacturing: Service bureau arm of Stratasys offering FDM, PolyJet, SLA, and SLS prototyping. Comparable additive service offering but operates as part of a much larger OEM with broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rapid Prototyping