Which rapid prototyping system builds a 3D product by slicing the design into layers and bonding the slices to form the final product?

• A. Lamination
• B. Laminated Object Manufacture (LOM)
• C. Mass customization
• D. Mass production

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is layer-by-layer fabrication where the design is divided into thin cross-sections and each slice is created and then bonded to form the 3D part. Laminated Object Manufacturing uses sheets of material (like paper or plastic), cuts each sheet to the shape of the current cross-section, and bonds the layers together with adhesive. By stacking these sliced layers, a complete 3D product emerges, which is then finished by trimming away the excess material. This specific layering-and-bonding approach is what sets this method apart as a rapid prototyping system. Lamination in general is about bonding sheets but isn’t itself a full 3D slicing-and-building process; mass customization and mass production describe production strategies rather than a prototyping method.