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Provides a short history of the biggest collaborative research project on rapid prototyping in Europe – Computer‐Aided Rapid Prototyping (CARP) – which is concerned with the concept of design and manufacture “right first time”. Introduces the organizations involved with the project, and discusses some of the results, including the manufacture of functional components from rapid prototype models. Discusses some of the issues relating to data transfer and the limitations of CAD. Finishes with a view of how the technology is evolving and how and where it might be applied in the near future.

Reviews, for the USA, Europe and Japan, the current state of development and application of rapid prototyping techniques and their impact on time‐to‐market for new products. These techniques, which are still undergoing rapid development, have already had a dramatic effect on reducing the time‐to‐market for new products by between 60 per cent and per cent and on reducing the cost‐to‐market by between 40 per cent and 70 per cent. Concludes that although the US is ahead of the rest of the world in terms of depth of experience and range of techniques, Europe and Japan are catching up fast in terms of experience and applications. Gives guidelines for the managers of manufacturing companies on the importance of the techniques, the selection of the most appropriate system and how to obtain most of the techniques adopted.

Recent developments in rapid prototyping provide evidence of the maturing of some areas of application. New applications continue to surface and new systems/processes are being introduced on a regular basis. The Fifth International Conference on Rapid Prototyping (Dayton, Ohio, 1994) provided an opportunity to bring together leaders in the commercial development and application of RP technology and to hear their perspectives on the current capabilities and future directions. A “Manufacturers round table” provided the forum for the audience to submit questions. Relates participants’ responses.

Highlights the future potential of rapid prototyping (RP) and manufacturing around the world. The US manufacturing industry may be on the rebound; this will help accelerate the sale of RP systems. Strong market growth in the US and, to a lesser extent, Europe and Japan, will come as a result of awareness, erasing myths, technical enhancements, personnel and organizational issues, complimentary processes and technologies and CAD solid modelling. The ratio of price to performance will continue to improve, but not as dramatically as it has in the past. New RP products will be made available in 1994 and 1995. As the market expands, entrepreneurs will identify niche opportunities for after‐market products. The prospects for growth in the RP industry are now better than ever.

Discusses the use of two commercially available non‐contact laser triangulation sensors. First, describes a standard dual view sensor called REVERSA and demonstrates the use of the scanner in the production of flatware tooling. Second, introduces a novel hand‐held scanner which is retro‐fitted to a portable CMM and describes two examples of its use in the automotive industry.

Discusses the 6th ITCRR, its breadth of textile and clothing research activity, plus the encouragement given to workers in this field and its related areas. States that, within the newer research areas under the microscope of the community involved, technical textiles focuses on new, ‘smart’ garments and the initiatives in this field in both the UK and the international community at large. Covers this subject at length.

Over the last two decades, Japanese products have challenged Western ones, not only in terms of cost but also on quality, reliability and delivery. This has meant that meeting customer needs on time has now entered the competitive equation. Hence, in the 1990s, time to market (TTM) has become a focal point in achieving competitive advantage in the marketplace. Presents an overview of TTM and of how to do it. Considers the costs and benefits of TTM, and uses two case studies to compare and contrast the effect of adopting TTM and ignoring it. Looks at the key factors of: tools and techniques; technology; team management and logistics, with practical examples of the main points in achieving TTM successfully.

Editorial This special issue of Industrial Management & Data Systems is a huge departure from our usual journal/ monograph style. This is an additional issue to the year's volume — a bonus in fact.

This paper describes the use of parametric modelling techniques in the design of drinking bottles. A customised application programme is developed and integrated for the design and manufacture of a blow mould bottle within a proprietary CAD/CAM software named Duct5. One such conceptual design is physically realized and verified through the use of the stereolithography technique. Overall, by equipping designers with a library of “bottle‐design” features from a CAD/CAM system, the design period is shortened and simplified, and the same geometrical data can be passed downstream for manufacturing.