Study shows that 80% of the production cost is determined at the design stage. Therefore, the design stage is of great importance to product cost control. Rapid prototyping constitutes an important part in the industrial design process. From the fully manual prototyping (hand sampling) to the semi-mechanical prototyping, then to the modern 3D printing of prototypes, the progress epitomes the technological progress of the modern manufacturing industry. Among them, though Rapid prototyping is an advanced supportive design technique, it doesn&#;t receive enough attention.
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It has been proved th Rapid prototyping not only plays a very important role in product design decision, but is also an effective tool for protecting product information and marketing.
Now, let&#;s talk about the importance of Rapid prototyping from different stages of the industrial design process
Mechanical parts that are more focused on geometric shapes can be designed directly with the application of computer graphics. For products with curvy surfaces, such as small-sized household appliances, on the one hand, the reverse engineering technology can be leveraged for 3D mapping, to obtain the 3D modeling data. And, after adjustment, the 3D data obtained can be directly copied with the help of the computer-aided rapid prototyping technology. The benefits of this approach are more evident when designing artworks that feature varied curvy designs. Firstly, the designer directly creates the shape with materials such as sludge, and then parameterizes the prototype through a 3D scanning device to obtain the computer data of the original prototype, which is then copied to a rapid prototype, to greatly improve the design efficiency
During the product design process, discussion plays a very important role. Visualization is an important part in the expression of product design, as well as the cornerstone for design discussion. Modeling products quickly and efficiently is able to ensure a higher design efficiency within the same period of time. During the design creative stage, what is used the most is often the 2D expression based on drawings. However, in the middle and late stages, the design expression will be more specific, so a more intuitive prototype should be adopted as the subject of discussion. Compared with the 2D expression, the hand sample enjoys an irreplaceable advantage, because it is able to make the details of the product clearer and the visual perception of the product more intuitive. Since everyone in the design team is able to see these designs, obvious advantages are demonstrated in the coordination of teamwork among all members.
Rapid prototyping is able to help with certain functional tests and simulate the final form of the product, including functions and curves, etc. Prototyping allows the designer to obtain the most intuitive understanding of the dynamic simulation and internal structure of the prototype. When materials with a certain strength are used, a functional prototype containing an internal structure can be made to verify whether the product structure is reasonable, whether the wall thickness meets the requirements, and whether the moving parts are smooth enough, etc. A prototype can also be used for aerodynamic testing. For example, in the design of fast-moving objects, such as cars, high-speed trains and spacecrafts, a 1:1 prototype can be made and placed into a wind tunnel for intuitive aerodynamics research.
A design defect that is identified with a CNY 1,000 worth of prototype may cause a huge loss of up to CNY 10 million to produce and test, if the product is put into production and launched into the market. Through hand sampling, the final shape, size, structure and color of the product can be obtained, or product ergonomic testing can be performed at a lower cost. Also, important product information, such as product volume and quality, can be predicted, which can effectively help with the control of the packaging, transportation and material costs during production. Also based on this, the sales price and profit of the product can be estimated. If the cost exceeds the assumptions at the beginning of design, adjustments can be made in a timely manner until the specified target range of cost is reached. Therefore, Rapid prototyping is an effective means for an enterprise to control the cost.
In a trade fair, the 2D display board or the 3D animation you show to your potential customers will not be as attractive as the prototype. The prototype can most intuitively indicate the shape, color, size, structure and function of the product. You can also use the rapid hand sampling technology to reproduce the prototypes in small batches, and then send them to different regions for investigation, so as to obtain differentiated survey data. The hand sampling technology is able to help predict the actual consumer mindset and application effects of the product before mass production.
Generally speaking, with the advancement of modern processing technologies, the Rapid prototyping technology is continuously improved with a declined cost. On such a basis, more attention should be paid to the role the rapid prototyping plays in the whole process of industrial design, to make full use of its advantages, thus improving design efficiency and reducing R&D risks.
-06-07
Rapid prototyping is a relatively new term. However, it has managed to gain popularity over a short period. Industries around the globe are becoming inclined towards the usage of rapid prototyping. After all, it does offer a number of benefits such as reduced cost, error-free production, etc.
The method incorporates a number of manufacturing technologies. The most common of these technologies is additive manufacturing. Nonetheless, there are other technologies that manufacturers use to RP include molding, extruding, casting, and high-speed machining.
So, in this blog post, we will talk about the rapid prototyping, its types, and its advantages.
You might have heard the term prototyping in the software field. They use it to create software in an effective and efficient manner. The same rule of prototyping applies in other fields as well.
In the simplest form, we can define rapid-prototyping as creating prototypes efficiently. Engineers use these prototypes to test the validity of their product design. Moreover, they are able to see how the final product would look and function.
A more formal definition is: Prototype is a preliminary version of an end-product. It makes it possible to evaluate the design, analyze its working, and test its technology. This results in a product that has the specification that would work in the real-world system.
There is no denying the importance of prototypes in designing the product. In addition, it plays a vital role in the overall development cycle of the product. The good thing about rapid-prototyping is that you can use it at any stage of the product development cycle.
Moreover, you can use it for a certain component or a sub-component of the product. The versatility in terms of production makes RP an excellent choice. What more is that you can make as many changes to the prototype as you like.
The endless iterations are not expensive especially when you compare them with the rework you might have to do in case of design error with the entire product batch.
Below, we have listed different types of Rapid-prototyping.
Vat photopolymerization is an inexpensive, yet efficient technique. Being the first fruitful marketable 3D printing technique, it became very popular in a short time. The technique uses a photosensitive liquid to make the prototype. The ultra-violet light monitored by a computer solidifies this liquid layer by layer to achieve the respective results.
SLS is an effective technique for both plastic and metal prototyping. It uses a powder bed to create one layer of the prototype at one time. To sinter and heat the powder material, SLS uses a high-power laser. Although, it can manipulate two different materials, it lacks the robustness of the SLA.
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The prototypes created using SLS are not steady. Furthermore, most products require secondary work to achieve the surface of a finished product.
Another inexpensive rapid-prototyping technique is fused deposition. You will find this technique part of many non-industrial 3D printers. The procedure requires a spool of thermoplastic filament. It melts the material inside the nozzle barrel of the printer.
Now, the computer deposition program lays down the melted material layer by layer in accordance with the requirements. Initially, the fused deposition modeling offered low-quality and weak products. However, technological advancement has improved the entire process.
It still is affordable, yet the quality of the prototype has improved tremendously.
If the prototype you require is complex and should be highly durable, the SLM prototyping technique is your best shot. Industries like automotive, medical, defense and aerospace frequently use SLM.
The procedure makes use of fine metal powder. It melts the powder layer by layer, thus gradually upbuilding up the prototype. Manufacturers also use this technique to build robust and strong components. For melting the power, it uses either an electron beam or high-powered lasers.
Cobalt Chrome alloys, aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel are the common Selective Laser Melting materials.
Unlike the SLS and SLM, Laminated Object Manufacturing lack the rigidness. There is no need for specially controlled conditions. The less sophisticated technique uses several laminates. These series of laminates are always thin. It then uses laser beams to cut these laminate piles to produce the CAD design.
To build the part, each layer is fused on top of the preceding one. The process goes on until the desired shape is achieved.
Binder jetting offers the facility of printing several parts at the same time. It does offer mass production; however, the quality of the prototype is not very strong. The technique uses a powder bed. To bind the powder particles together, it sprays droplets of the liquid via nozzles.
These liquid droplets are micro-fine. This process is repeated for every layer of the part. Moreover, it is important to compact a layer using a roller, before starting with the next layer of the powder.
Doing this solidifies the entire process. To further enhance the robustness of the product, it is cured in an oven. This curing helps to burn off the binding agent. At the same time, it helps in powder fusing in just the right coherent parts.
Digital light processing uses the same mechanism as that of the SLA. However, it does not require an extremely sophisticated method for the cure of polymerization of resins. It uses an orthodox light source to cure the resins.
Even though it is cheaper and faster in comparison to the SLA, the technique does require a post building curing. In addition, there is a need for support structures.
It is possible to category prototypes. However, this greatly depends upon the accuracy that is required by the consumer. In formal words, you can categorize prototypes based on fidelity.
These types of prototypes do not look like the final product. They may vary to a certain degree. The difference depends upon what the product designer wants to achieve from the prototype.
The low fidelity products are extremely simple. It is possible to produce them in a short period. The basic idea is to test the broader concepts, for instance, cardboard mock-ups or paper sketches.
The high-fidelity products are extremely similar to that of the final product. They not only look like the final product but also offer most of its functionality.
For a company to stay afloat in the modern-day, fast-moving consumer market, it needs to be innovative. Not only this, but the company also needs up to come up with better, advance, and sophisticated products fast to ensure competitiveness.
Since technology innovation and faster product development plays a vital role in the company&#;s success, therefore, the rapid prototyping becomes an important part of the development cycle of the product.
With rapid prototyping, it is possible to achieve the following.
Rapid Prototyping aids technology innovation in every possible way. It lets developers and engineers validate the product idea. In addition, it lets you find any fault in the product design, well before the production phase.
With rapid-prototyping, you can actually transform your idea into something tangible. You can present the idea to investors with more confidence and increase the chances of landing them.
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