What are the advantages of rapid prototyping Guide, Building industrial technology, Design

What are the advantages of rapid prototyping?

30 Nov 2020

What are the advantages of rapid prototyping guide

Innovation has always been a key essence in our world. This is still the case, especially in industrial technology. The entire goal of innovation in the technologies is to maximize revenue through more effective ways of manufacturing. Rapid prototyping can help when it comes to innovation. This process is often done with the help of a 3D printer, although CNC rapid prototyping might be used as well. Rapid prototyping brings a few different benefits to the table if you want to lower costs, enhance speed, and time-to-market. These perks are mentioned below.

Quick turn-around

Rapid prototyping can be done extremely quickly, as the name already implies. If you need the parts in under a week this should not be a problem at all. The 3D printer can create small parts easily in a few hours.

Additive manufacturing has reduced the time spent on actual manufacturing significantly after all. In the case of laser cutting and CNC machining, the amount of automation has had a big impact on overall speed and costs. The driving force behind this change is the ability to process CAD files for machine setups, creating cutting programs, and automated pricing.

Testing and prototyping

Producing rapid prototypes has one main purpose: testing! You can test a big variety of solutions in a short time-span, which boosts your product development towards a reliable finished product.

The testing should be done in two ways: the functionality of the part needs to be tested, but the design as well of course. Testing the design will allow better comprehension of dimensions in reality, while testing the functionality of a product will enable you to test out parts in real-life conditions. It is also smart to try out different materials for the same geometry. This will help you to make the most cost-effective decision for production.

Price benefits

Rapid prototyping can be done online with the help of a service. This has a great benefit: you namely do not have to spend time to manufacture the parts yourself. On top of that, you can minimize the activities related to outsourcing production.

However, you could also decide to purchase a 3D printer yourself. By doing this you can do rapid prototyping in-house. This is viable due to the simultaneous advancements in technology, while the machinery costs have dropped significantly as well. This also might take less time since the products do not have to be delivered.

Comments on this guide to What are the advantages of rapid prototyping? article are welcome.