{"id":1540,"date":"2019-07-19T07:13:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T01:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2019-07-19T07:13:01","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T01:43:01","slug":"innovations-in-rapid-prototyping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/innovations-in-rapid-prototyping\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovations in Rapid Prototyping"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rapid prototyping\nis a cost-effective way to show a basic end product while reducing your risk on\ninnovation projects. It&rsquo;s the process of quickly mocking up key components of a\nsystem or physical part and validating it with users, customers, and\nstakeholders helping to bring the final product to market faster. Rapid\nPrototyping and innovation go hand in hand and can really give a business the\nedge from its competitors. <\/p><p>For those involved in product development and engineering, rapid prototyping technology can offer an excellent deliverable for various applications. Prototyping can be used for concept generation, ergonomic testing, test fitting, functional testing, and even small-batch production.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Prototyping.jpg\" alt=\"Prototyping\" class=\"wp-image-2252\"><\/figure><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rapid Prototyping Technologies<\/h2><p>There are various rapid prototyping technologies available for use including; Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (STL), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and 3D Printing. Each of these technologies has its advantages and disadvantages.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fused Deposition Modeling <\/h3><p>FDM works on an &ldquo;additive&rdquo; principle by placing the material in layers. A plastic filament or metal wire is unwound from a coil and supplies material to an extrusion nozzle which can turn on and off the flow. The nozzle is heated to melt the material and can be moved in both horizontal and vertical directions controlled by a CAD software package. FDM is very quick, affordable, and has the ability to create complex geometries and structures. The cons include low resolution, as well as potential smoothing process to diminish layer lines.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distinctive\nFeatures:<\/h4><ul class=\"pyramid_list wp-block-list\"><li>Build material is\nusually supplied in filament form, but in some cases, plastic pellets fed from\na hopper are utilized instead.<\/li><li>Materials used\ninclude thermoplastics such as ABS, Polycarbonates, polyphenylsulfones, and\nElastomers.<\/li><li>Applications for\nFDM include form\/fit testing, functional testing, rapid tooling patterns, small\ndetailed parts, presentation models, patient and food applications, and high\nheat applications.<\/li><\/ul><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industries Using\nFDM:<\/h4><p>FDM is used\nprimarily in the mainstream manufacturing industry. FDM is extremely popular\nwith companies in the automotive (BMW, Hyundai, Lamborghini) and consumer goods\nmanufacturing industries (Black and Decker, Dial, Nestle). All of these\ncompanies make use of FDM all the way through their product development,\nprototyping, and manufacturing processes. <\/p><p>Because the\nthermoplastics used most often in FDM can endure heat, chemicals, and\nmechanical stress, they are the ideal material for printing prototypes designed\nto withstand testing. Additionally, FDM can print highly detailed objects,\nwhich is why it is often used by engineers who need to test parts for fit and\nform.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Selective Laser Sintering <\/h3><p>SLS uses a\nhigh-power laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass\npowders into a 3D object. The laser selectively fuses powdered material by\nscanning cross-sections generated from a 3D digital description of the part on\nthe surface of a powder bed. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder\nbed is lowered by one layer thickness, a new layer of material is applied on\ntop, and the process is repeated until completed. SLS is good for multiple\npieces of small sized items with complicated geometry. Its cons include that it\nis not suitable for large flat parts as well as its running costs were high due\nto safety precautions. For example, the room that the SLS machine is used in\nmust be separated from the powder-handling room to prevent explosions. <\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distinctive\nFeatures:<\/h4><ul class=\"pyramid_list wp-block-list\"><li>Powdered polymer\nand metal composite materials are transformed into successive cross-sections of\na three-dimensional part.<\/li><li>Materials used\ninclude nylon, glass-filled nylon, SOMOS (rubber-like), Truform (investment\ncasting), and metal composites.<\/li><li>Applications for\nSLS include form\/fit testing, functional testing, rapid tooling patterns, less\ndetailed parts, parts with snap-fits &amp; living hinges, and high heat\napplications.<\/li><\/ul><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industries\nUsing Selective Laser Sintering:<\/h4><p>SLS is used often\nin the healthcare, medial, and dental industries to develop anatomical models\nincluding dummies, training aids, and pre-operative planning models. Aerospace\nand automotive industries benefit from SLS in the form of parts manufacturing\nutilizing a variety of different materials. Tooling production (including jigs, fixtures, and\na variety of other tools) in engineering-related industries also benefits from\nthe rapid prototyping procedures afforded by SLS. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stereolithography <\/h3><p>SLA is a process\nutilizing a vat of liquid UV-curable resin and a UV laser to build parts a\nlayer at a time. On each layer, the laser beam traces a part cross-section\npattern on the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the UV laser light\ncures, or, solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and adheres it to the\nlayer below. SLA is one of the most precise 3D printing techniques on the\nmarket and is popular because it&rsquo;s print services are smooth. Cons include a\nlonger printing time and higher costs. <\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distinctive\nFeatures:<\/h4><ul class=\"pyramid_list wp-block-list\"><li>Stereolithography\nis most often used for prototypes, large concept models, master patterns, and\ninvestment casting patterns.<\/li><li>SLA makes use of\nphotopolymers in liquid form. The main materials used are thermoplastics\n(elastomers).<\/li><li>Applications for\nSLA include functional testing, form\/fit testing, snap fits, highly detailed\nparts, rapid tooling patterns, high heat applications, and presentation models.<\/li><\/ul><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industries\nUsing Stereolithography:<\/h4><p>This additive manufacturing process is popular in\nthe medical industry, where (since 1990) it has been used to create accurate 3D\nanatomical models of patients&rsquo; body parts, based computer scans. The popularity\nof stereolithography 3D produced parts in automotive and wind tunnel testing is\nalso on the rise, due to the highly accurate nature of the prototypes produced.\n<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3D Printing <\/h3><p>This unique form\nof prototype creation is rooted in traditional rapid printing technology. A\nthree-dimensional object is created by layering and connecting successive cross\nsections of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable, and\neasier to use than other additive fabrication technologies.<\/p><p><strong><a href=\"\/blog\/reverse-engineering-using-3d-scanners-to-generate-cad-models\/\">3D CAD<\/a><\/strong> prototyping offers tremendous potential for retail consumer uses, especially because the cost of production is less than other methods, and the part build time is minimal. In the latest incarnation, 3D color printing is also available. The only real cons are that the 3D printing can be limited in material selection, as not every metal or plastic can be temperature controlled enough yet for printing. <\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distinctive\nFeatures:<\/h4><ul class=\"pyramid_list wp-block-list\"><li>No special tools\nare required in 3D printing (for example, a cutting tool with certain geometry\nor a mold). Parts are manufactured directly onto a built platform one layer at\na time.<\/li><li>The list of\nmaterials used in 3D printing grows longer by the day. While plastic may reign\nsupreme, materials like metal, graphite and graphene, carbon fiber, resin,\nPolylactic Acid, and High Impact Polystyrene are quickly catching up.<\/li><li>Applications of\n3D printing include rapid prototyping, architectural scale models, maquettes,\nmovie props, and 3D printed prosthetics.<\/li><\/ul><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industries\nUsing 3D Printing:<\/h4><p>3D printing is\nused most commonly in the aerospace, automotive, and consumer products industries\nto design and build prototypes, models, end-use parts, and tooling. This type\nof additive manufacturing process is also widely used throughout the\narchitecture, engineering, and construction industries to develop models. The\nmedical industry also makes use of 3D printing for their bioprinting processes.\n<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Case Studies: Rapid Prototyping in Action <\/h2><p>Below are two\nexamples of well-known companies that use rapid prototyping to better their\noutputs and increase productivity.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fender Transforms a Two-Week Lead Time into an\nOvernight Process<\/h3><p>Fender is an\nAmerican Manufacturer of amplifiers and string instruments, known all over the\nworld for its famous Stratocaster used by musicians like Eric Clapton and Jimi\nHendrix.&nbsp; Previously, the company was\nusing an external service prototyping instrument parts. As the company grew, a\nlead-time of two weeks was no longer viable. To overcome this lag in\nproduction, and to be able to address the mounting pile of orders, Fender\ndecided to tackle the task in-house. <\/p><p>The solution to\ntheir problem was to purchase their own industrial 3D printers which enabled\nthem to design and print their own instrument parts; like new knobs on their\namplifiers, for example. 3D printing one cubic inch of material costs around\n$4, which would be an enormous cost saving. With their previous outsourcing\nmodel, they had to pay additional labor and development costs to an external\nteam. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ford Saves Millions of Dollars and Months of Lead\nTime<\/h3><p>Ford&rsquo;s biggest\nchallenge used to be months of lead-time when developing new prototypes. What\nused to take months is now achievable within a few hours with rapid\nprototyping. Prototypes, whether they are metal or plastic, can be developed\nwithin a day, enabling Ford&rsquo;s teams to decide whether or not a specific part is\nworth the effort.<\/p><p>Recently, Ford\nused rapid prototyping technology on their new GT. A series of prototypes were\nused to refine and perfect their new F1-style steering wheel. Some additional\nlightweight structural components were also developed to cut down the weight of\nthe car&rsquo;s unique upward-swinging doors. Without rapid prototyping, the\ndevelopment of this new vehicle would have taken months, if not years. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In-house vs. Outsourced Prototyping<\/h2><p>As part of the innovation process, if companies can afford it, they\nmay employ rapid prototyping technologies in-house. However, many firms can\nmake use of outsourced service bureau experts to provide their rapid\nprototyping needs. <\/p><p>Outsourced service bureaus can assist a business with tooling, industrial design, molding, and production. Service bureaus tend to specialize in one or more areas such as injection molding, casting, etc. It is advisable to examine a company&rsquo;s portfolio or case histories on their web pages or discuss previous projects with the company to try to better understand areas of particular expertise. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/In-house-vs.-Outsourced-Prototyping.jpg\" alt=\"In-house vs. Outsourced Prototyping\" class=\"wp-image-2257\"><figcaption>Source: https:\/\/bit.ly\/2JCa9B9<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p>If you are wondering if you should\noutsource your Rapid Prototyping process, let Data Entry Outsourced help you\nmake that decision. Prototype outsourcing is extremely cost-efficient and\nsharing your prototypes with a product development team allows for the addition\nof many more ideas, hypotheses, and tests for your project.<\/p><p>Outsourcing\nteams move fast. When you have a team of multiple people with knowledge and\nexpertise working on and testing the project instead of you and your in-house\nteam alone, it only makes sense that the project will get done faster.<\/p><p>ICW&rsquo;s\nprofessional rapid prototyping team is well-versed in the creation of models that\nintegrate complex shapes and surfaces. We carefully evaluate designs before\nbuilding the required models, bringing innovation to every stage of the\nprototyping process. Our services are widely used in the Automotive, Aerospace,\nNaval, Consumer Products, and Medical industries. <\/p><p>Our rapid prototype services range from lending hourly support for CAD model development to 3D printing pricing for orders of any size or scope. Contact IndiaCADworks today, and we&rsquo;ll take your rapid prototyping project to new heights. <\/p><p><strong>&ndash; IndiaCADworks<\/strong><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rapid prototyping is a cost-effective way to show a basic end product while reducing your risk on innovation projects. It&rsquo;s the process of quickly mocking up key components of a system or physical part and validating it with users, customers, and stakeholders helping to bring the final product to market faster. Rapid Prototyping and innovation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mechanical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indiacadworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}