SEVEN
STICKING
POINTS
THAT SLOW PROTOTYPES
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
SPEED TO
MARKET CAN
MEAN THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
SUCCESS
AND FAILURE.
Right out of the gate, many new products stumble in the
prototyping stage – bogged down by bureaucracy, paperwork
and other speed-killing burdens.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By honing the prototyping process
down to only the essential elements, it’s possible to achieve the
rapid prototype turnaround that today’s market demands. Like a
few days, vs. a few weeks. How does that sound?
Let’s take a look at the seven sticking points that may be
slowing your prototype process. But first, let’s start with a truth:
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
A
PROTOTYPE
IS NOT A
PRODUCTION
PART.
And yet, many companies treat it like one, entering it into their
production system with an eye toward running the product
multiple times.
That’s really putting the part before the horse.
The reason: Designs change a lot in prototyping. At this
stage, many designers are still staring at a design on a screen,
pondering, “How will this thing work?”
The time will come for putting all the official pieces in place for
production. But right now, all you need is to get that prototype
built. It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s just supposed to help
you make sure the product fits together and can do what you
want it to do.
With that in mind, let’s see which sticking points you can ditch
to make your prototype happen faster than ever.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
ONE
PART
DRAWINGS
There’s no need for individual flat drawings of
the different parts that may make up your metal
component.
For prototype purposes, skilled fabricators can work
straight off of 3D Models in just about any format –
igs, iges, stp, step, dxf, dwg, sldprt. Solidworks,
Autocad, Inventor.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
TWO
PRODUCTION
INSTRUCTIONS
An experienced prototype specialist should be able to
translate your mechanical/photometric design into an
assembly without detailed specifications on how to do so.
Entering information on bending, forming, painting,
etc. into a production system slows down the process
for no good reason – with details that probably will be
revised later, anyway.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
THREE
PURCHASE
ORDERS
For a supplier that’s looking to earn a contract for full
production on a part, wringing every penny of profitability
from a prototype seems, well, counterproductive.
So how official and exact does the green light really need
to be? Does it have to involve a big spreadsheet that
specifies processes and materials? Or will a simple e-mail
go-ahead suffice?
Based on a few key production specs, you should be
able to get a reliable prototype price quickly - in hours,
not days. And in the meantime, your prototype should
already be underway.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
FOUR
SUPERFLUOUS
SPECIFICATIONS
Some specifications that you’ll require for a finished
product are overkill for your prototype.
For example, you might need a prototype primarily for
functional testing. You probably don’t need a high-end
coating that will slow the prototype significantly – even
if that’s something you will need in the final product.
With numerous materials available, your prototyping
supplier should be able to recommend an ideal option
to meet your needs with the quickest turnaround.
It’s important to determine your most speed-friendly
options that fit your prototyping need, as opposed to
your ideal choices in materials and finishes.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
FIVE
OFFICIAL
QUALITY CHECKS
Granted, there are certain projects where PPAP and
other ISO quality steps cannot be set aside.
But if they aren’t strictly required for your prototype,
then delaying these processes until full production
can save you significant time. Often, informal quality
checks using 3D CAD models will do the trick.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
SIX
TOOLING
Does your prototype require complex tooling? If so,
there may be an opportunity to use cutting-edge
3D-printed tooling to cut your lead time from months
to weeks.
And while these tools, typically made of ABS plastic,
aren’t as durable as steel tools, they’re rigid enough
to handle aluminum forming at significant volumes.
Here’s a recent example from our prototyping team.
A lighting reflector design to be used on LED retrofits at
gas stations required 36 deep-draw, parabolic-shaped
forms. Instead of using a custom built steel tool, which
would have taken months, we used a 3D-printed tool,
which took just a few days. Best of all, the tool was tough
enough to go on to make 2,000 units in production.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
SEVEN
POOR
COMMUNICATION
All too often, there’s just one engineer talking to a
representative of the prototype supplier only once
before a prototype gets delivered. When the inevitable
issues arise, delays in the solutions are also inevitable.
As fluid as the prototype process is, continuous
communication among all team members is essential.
Who’s on the team matters, too. To get the fastest
speed, you need a multidisciplinary team in place –
a prototype specialist, a manufacturing engineer,
customer service, etc.
One more reason communication is vital: learning from
each prototype project. A good team will discuss what
went well and what could be done to make the process
go even better. Then make improvements for production
or for deployment in a future prototype project.
S E V E N S T I C K I N G P O I N T S T H AT S L O W P R O T O T Y P E S
SPEAKING
OF GOOD
COMMUNICATION
Do you have any prototype questions you’d like to communicate
with us about? Contact Scott Oechsner and the RMF team at:
Phone: 262.909.4101
Email: [email protected]
ABOUT RMF
Racine Metal-Fab Ltd. helps design engineers get great ideas
to market fast. Customers turn to us for a collaborative design
process, prototypes in as little as three days and rigorous
troubleshooting efforts to bring your product to market
faster and help you keep it in production as long as possible.
Learn more at www.RM-F.com.