What is the process of prototype ?
In the design process of R&D products, after they have completed the design drawings, one of the things they want to do most is to know what the products they design are like in reality, and whether the appearance of the products is consistent with their own design ideas. , Is the structure design of the product reasonable, etc.? Prototype manufacturing is produced in response to this demand.
Classification of prototypes:
Prototypes can be divided into manual and numerical control prototypes according to the production methods:
- Manual prototype: The main workload is done by hand.
- CNC prototype:The main workload is completed by CNC machine tools, and depending on the equipment used, it can be divided into laser rapid prototyping (RP, Rapid Prototyping) prototypes and machining center (CNC) prototypes
A: RP prototype: mainly produced by laser rapid prototyping technology.
B: CNC prototype: mainly produced by machining center.
RP prototypes have their own advantages compared with CNC prototypes: the advantages of RP prototypes are mainly in its rapidity, but it is mainly formed by stacking technology, so RP prototypes are generally relatively rough, and there are certain requirements for the wall thickness of the product, for example, If the wall thickness is too thin, it cannot be produced.
The advantage of CNC prototype is that it can accurately reflect the information expressed in the drawings, and the surface quality of CNC prototype is high, especially after the surface spraying and silk printing are completed, it is even more glamorous than the product produced after the mold is opened. Therefore, CNC prototype manufacturing has increasingly become the mainstream of prototype manufacturing.
According to the materials used in production, prototypes can be divided into plastic and metal prototypes:
(1) Plastic prototypes: The raw materials are plastic, mainly for prototypes of plastic products, such as televisions, monitors, telephones, and so on.
(2) Metal prototypes: The raw materials are aluminum-magnesium alloys and other metal materials, mainly for high-end products, such as notebook computers, high-end single players, MP3 players, CD players, and so on.
The necessity of prototype production
(1)Design inspection
The prototype is not only visible, but also touchable. It can directly reflect the designer’s creativity in the form of physical objects, avoiding the disadvantage of “drawing to look good but not to make it look good”. Therefore, prototype production is indispensable in the process of new product development and product shape scrutiny.
(2)Check the structural design
Because the prototype is assembleable, it can intuitively reflect the reasonableness of the structure and the ease of installation. It is convenient to find and solve problems early.
(3)Aviod the risk of directly make molds
Because the cost of mold manufacturing is generally very high, relatively large molds are worth hundreds of thousands or even millions. If unreasonable structure or other problems are found in the process of opening the mold, the loss can be imagined. Prototype production can avoid this loss and reduce the risk of mold opening.
The surface of prototype:1,electroplate.2,anodized.3,painting.4,polish.5,lase.etc
If you have a new product that need to make a prototype to design inspection and check the structural design.Please do not hesitate to contact us.As a prototype factory for 20 years.We can make any product.
Website:https://e-make.co/
Email:info@e-make.co
