Not all medical rapid-prototyping developments are in the OR as a feature story in this issue suggests. One casting process is well suited for rapidly manufacturing high-precision components for medical equipment. Using permanent graphite molds to produce parts from a zinc-aluminum alloy Graphicast Inc., Jaffrey, N.H., (graphicast.com) uses the ZA-12 metal in an economical alternative to other casting methods for producing 300 to 30,000 parts per year. The company says its in-house capabilities include design, rapid prototyping, tooling mold production, casting, and secondary machining. Typical turnaround time from finished CAD design to first-article sample is four to six weeks.