An idea is burning its way through your brain, and you can’t stand it anymore. You need to release your revolutionary new product! Try 3d scanner & printer-assisted rapid prototyping!
Whoa… what’s that!?
Let us break everything down for you.
What Is 3D Printing?
3D Printing is an additive process that automates the creation of 3D objects from filaments, chemical reactions, or multiple layers of specialty resin. You can even buy a metal 3d printer to print in titanium!
To 3D print, you need a digital 3D model, A.K.A., a CAD file, that can be imported into the software you want to use. You can generate that model with a 3D scanner to redesign something that already exists easily.
Once you import the 3D model, your 3D printing software will slice that model into thin layers.
Afterward, the prepared 3D model will be sent to the printer to be extruded one thin strip at a time.
3D printers are incredible pieces of tech. They can produce complex shapes out of durable materials in less than a day of work. For obvious reasons, this makes 3D printers great for projects that require rapid prototyping.
Okay, So What Is Prototyping?
We’ll start at the beginning.
Prototyping is the process of creating non-production versions of an invention or new product for testing purposes. Think the test cars that are always covered in urban camouflage.
Those cars are all prototypes that are currently being tested by the car companies that are designing them.
The normal prototyping cycle can take months or years to deliver an excellent product to market. That includes time spent machining and raising money to produce the next version of your prototype as well.
How Does Rapid Prototyping Help?
Rapid prototyping is a catchall term that applies to prototyping methods that help speed up the development process. Those methods can range anywhere from computer-generated tests, to lab tests, to 3D printing.
If you’re tracking all of this information so far, you can probably guess why 3D printing is so effective. While you won’t build a production model by only using 3D Printing, you can use it to test concepts extremely fast.
The only thing limiting your iteration speed is your skill with the CAD program of your choice.
You Need to Be Using a 3D Scanner & Printer for Your Rapid Prototyping Now
So, in general, 3D printers are great at rapid prototyping because they decrease the time between iterations and ideas. But, why else are they great?
Here are just a few quick ways you can use 3D Printing for rapid prototyping.
Speed up Your Time to Market
Want to expand on your product line fast?
Scan in your older items and use 3D printing to create attachments for them or slight variations to speed your time to market. Because 3D Printing works by generating something with additive manufacturing instead of subtractive manufacturing, additive manufacturing will significantly reduce your time between iterations.
That means you can create and test 3-4 different concepts and tweaks within a single week. In traditional prototyping, that’s mind-blowing.
Reduce Your R&D Cost
R&D is easily one of the most expensive steps in any prototyping process.
Want to know how 3D printer-assisted rapid prototyping can help you? Just look at your pocketbook.
You don’t need to purchase chunks of aluminum to mill, wood to cut, or steel to forge. Instead, all you need is cheap, 3D plastic filaments and your imagination.
If you’ve been engaged in a 3D-assisted rapid prototyping project before, you’ll understand. The cost-to-market is an undeniable benefit.
How Can You Use a 3D Printing Service to Speed up Your Prototyping?
So, we’ve covered 3D printing, prototyping, rapid prototyping, and the benefits of 3d printing-assisted rapid prototyping, but where does 3D printing shine?
After all, while you can 3D print metal, it’s expensive and time-consuming. So, most businesses should stick to plastic prototyping.
Well, 3D printing shines in 3 specific areas.
3D Print Your Conceptual Prototypes
Conceptual prototypes are the first rendering of your concept in some form. Think about the car commercials where a sculpture creates a scale model of a preproduction car out of clay. That scale model is a conceptual prototype.
The biggest reason to create a concept is to test out sizes, anticipate problems, get measurements, and weigh real-life aesthetic qualities.
3D Printing is ideal. Just mockup your prototype and let the printer run overnight!
3D Print Your Functional Prototypes
Functional prototypes aren’t quite to the preproduction stage, but they’re close. A functional prototype is there for engineers to get hands-on with the products that they’re designing.
Because a 3D printer is excellent at printing interlocking parts, they’re great for this stage of the rapid prototyping process. You can even 3D print a pre-assembled set of gears, knobs, etc., if you format your 3D file correctly.
This stage of the prototyping process takes the longest because it’s the most complex. Engineers will be testing load distribution, repairability, and they will be making slight alterations all the time. That means they will be ordering a lot of parts.
The sooner they get those parts, the better.
3D Print Models for Tradeshows and Demonstrations
Finally, we have to cover building hype for your product.
Often this is done with live demonstrations, reviews of preproduction products, and more.
Because 3D printed prototypes are often much lighter than their final forms, they’re a great road-tripping companion. Heck, if you wanted, you could print your demo piece to break it down into an easily packable pile of parts.
Speed up your hype building process with 3D Printing. You won’t regret it.
How Can You Get Started?
Like we’ve said above, a 3D scanner and a 3D printer are all you need. That’s a several thousand dollar one-time cost you can put toward hundreds of projects (A.K.A. good R.O.I.). Alternatively, you could reach out to a 3D printing company to see about partnering up with them.
Either way, 3D scanner & printer-assisted prototyping is the future. Hop on board before you’re left behind.
