Traditional prototyping involves the design, development, and creation of a model by a designer or engineer. In contrast, rapid prototyping involves 3D printing, which speeds up and simplifies the process of creating a physical model. Rapid prototyping reduces the need for various materials and tools and prototyping planning.
Prototyping is a phase of design validation and improvement, as it demonstrates and clearly visualizes the design. People want to be able to touch, feel, test, and demonstrate a product before it goes into mass production or is made from expensive materials. The main requirement is to ensure that the product design meets all requirements and needs before any of this happens.
It gives us the opportunity to show the new product to investors, designers, buyers, etc. It allows us to test ideas and concepts to really understand if the product will work in real life and to test the design's compliance with the demands of real life.
So, how is traditional prototyping different from rapid prototyping? In traditional prototyping, a product mock-up is created. This is done using a wide variety of materials, ranging from foam to clay to wire and wood. Everything is done by hand, cutting, gluing, or using CNC equipment for milling or turning. In contrast, in rapid prototyping, a three-dimensional part is created from the CAD file itself using a 3D printer. We can make our prototype using materials such as ABS, PLA, PETT, HIPS, HDPE, PVA, epoxy, ceramics, nylon, steel, etc.
3D printing has become very popular and accessible, allowing control over both the speed and resolution of prototyping. It is also possible to create models with very complex shapes that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing. A major advantage of a 3D printed prototype is that it can be almost identical in appearance to the final product, allowing for a realistic representation of the final product's form, fit, and function.
When a project moves on to the next stage, from prototyping to actual production, 3D printing can be less effective and slower than traditional manufacturing methods. It is often not possible to produce large-scale parts with 3D printing, although they can be divided into parts and glued together later, this can often be time-consuming and complex.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether you use traditional or rapid prototyping, prototype development is important and a crucial step in product development to learn, experiment, fix and visualize your idea.
Comments