Rapid prototyping is a powerful tool for reducing risks and achieving success in product development. It allows teams to create physical prototypes that are based on digital models and execute quick revisions of designs, enabling users to test the usability of products before they go into production. This reduces the risk of costly mistakes that are difficult to fix in the final product and saves time and resources.
While it may be tempting to use this tool for everything, it is important to remember that prototyping is only one part of the design process. It should be paired with research, testing, and communicating with stakeholders to get the best results. Without these additional activities, a team is likely to waste time and money on a design that does not meet user needs or fails to deliver the experience they envision.
The speed at which feedback can be gathered and synthesized with prototypes also helps prevent teams from progressing too far down the path towards a product that does not meet consumer needs or does not provide sufficient value. This can be especially problematic for startups with limited resources and short development times.
As an added benefit, rapid prototyping can serve as a cost-effective means of conducting functional tests on prototypes prior to going into production. This is particularly important for complex products that need to undergo rigorous mechanical testing such as fatigue strength, hydro- or aerodynamics, and stress/strain analysis. These tests can be conducted quickly on a prototype and correlated with data generated by CAE software. This allows designers to refine their designs based on the results of the testing and avoid the need for more expensive rework during production.
When it comes to rapid prototyping, there are a few different types of prototypes that can be used during the design process depending on the desired level of fidelity and required functionality. The appropriate fidelity for a prototype can be determined by a number of factors including the overall project goals, design maturity, and designer interests. This will help to determine the right mix of high- and low-fidelity prototypes, and save time and resources by ensuring that the appropriate level of detail is captured for each iteration.
A popular example of a high-fidelity prototype is a scale model, which is used to test the form and fit of a design. This type of prototype is usually made out of a material that closely resembles the final product such as plastic, cast metals, or ceramics. It is important that the scale model be able to replicate all relevant dimensions of the final product in order to ensure that it will function as intended.
In contrast, a low-fidelity prototype is an early concept model that is not as close to the final product in terms of geometry or tolerances. This type of prototype is often created from a combination of materials in order to mimic the intended look and feel of the final product and can be made more cost-effectively using 3D printing techniques. Examples of these methods include stereolithography (SLA) and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).