Prototyping is a crucial stage in product design that involves creating models to identify defects, improve the design, and showcase to investors. There are three types of prototyping technology: additive, subtractive, and software-based. Additive technology adds material to create a model, while subtractive technology removes material from a block. Software prototyping is less expensive and involves testing programs during development.
Prototyping is a stage in the design process of new or revised products that allows design teams to check products for defects, identify possible areas for improvement, and demonstrate the product to potential investors or the target market. In most cases, this process involves making models with varying levels of functionality from a range of materials using different types of prototype technology. These technologies include subtractive and additive construction and software-based representation. The first two methods involve removing material from a block or sheet of modeling material or adding material to a model layer by layer. The third type of prototype technology is used to demonstrate software products.
Proof of concept is an important part of the design process for new or revised products. Producing a prototype model of a proposed product allows a design team to evaluate the design for functionality, defects, and aesthetics before moving to the final production stage. Prototyping models are produced using a variety of techniques and can be fully functional or not at all depending on the results expected from the prototyping process. The most common categories that prototype technology falls into are the additive, subtractive, and software groups.
Additive prototyping technology, also known as rapid prototyping, uses techniques that add material to a blank slate. These include direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), selective laser sintering (SLS) and stereolithography (SLA) techniques. In most of these processes, a laser is used to trace the shape of the pattern into a fluid or powder base that solidifies upon contact with the laser beam. Guided by a computer aided design (CAD) representation of the model, the laser gradually builds the prototype layer by layer until completion. Three-dimensional printing (3DP) and electron beam melting are two similar additive prototyping processes.
Subtractive prototype technology uses several types of conventional computer numerical control (CNC) machines to remove material from a block of modeling material to reveal the completed prototype. These machines are also driven by the details contained in a CAD file. Machining is known as the primary subtractive prototyping process. Casting models from resins is also known as a subtractive process, as the material is first machined from a block of aluminum or plaster to make the molds used. This type of process is known as secondary subtractive prototyping.
Software prototyping technology tends to be much simpler and less expensive than producing physical models. Prototype programs are typically tested as they are developed, making bug identification and refinement an ongoing process during development rather than a specific event. Once beta versions are refined, they are often released for operational testing in a live environment.
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