What is Rapid Prototyping

Generally speaking, rapid prototyping is the model machine before the design finalized, in China, it’s called “first sample”, before mold making, designer often need to make some samples according to exterior or mechanical drawings, to inspect appearance and verify the rationality of mechanical design. Prototype are usually needed when r&d or design work finished, as it is the first step to verify the product feasibility, and most direct and effective way to find design defect and insufficiency, the defects of products, thus targeted improve the defect until can't find any problems from an individual.

Design products generally can't be perfect, even can't  use, direct production may cause greatly waste of manpower, material cost and time if the design has defect and problems. Prototype is generally low volume samples, with this we can quickly find out the shortage of the product design and make improvement, providing sufficient foundation for mass production.

Purpose and advantage:

1.Exterior verification

Prototype is visual and tangible, it could express the designer’s ideas directly via physical form, avoid the case of “conceptual design rendering looks better than real product”, so prototypes is quit necessary during new product development and appearance improvement.

2.Mechanical verification

As rapid prototype could be assembled, so it could verify the rationally of structure and check assemble easy or not, help to find the problems and solve it in early stage.

3.Reduce the risk of mold making

As the cost of mold making is very high, so we can imagine how terrible it is if have design defect, but prototype could avoid this lost and reduce the risk of mold making.

4.Shorten the available time of product

Due to prototype is in the early stage of product development, so you can even use prototypes to publish, advertising, early sales, production preparation work, occupy the market as early as possible.

Category: Generally Prototype can be divided into the following categories according to processing methods(pls look service page for details):

1.Additive Manufacturing, include SLA, SLS, FDM, DLMS...

2.CNC machining, CNC milling and CNC turnnin...

3.Molding, include valume casting, RIM(reaction injection molding)and injection molding...

4.Sheet metal, include cutting, welding, punching...

Material of rapid prototype(reference material selection in help page) Plastic: ABS, PP, PC, POM, PE, PMMA, PU, PA6/66, PA12, PA+GF, Specific imported material... Metal: Aluminuim, carbon steel, SST steel, copper, zinc alloy, magnesium alloy, sliver... Others: carbon fiber, sliver, wooden, glass...