MATERIALS • PROCESSES


The TRUE POWER of the prototype


Austen Miller explores the often misunderstood role of the prototype and takes a look at its future


W


hen it comes to new product development, the function of a prototype is often


misunderstood. For many, it represents a facsimile of the final product; a point in the plan to alleviate anxieties and put the sceptics to rest. If this can be done without spending too much of the development budget then so much the better. And with so much talk these


days about 3D printers, the general view is that you do a bit of CAD work and simply press F7. The evidence of this mindset can be


seen in the project plans that focus on a prototype milestone relatively early in the project. But the trouble with trying to force the process is that it disregards the reality of what we are doing in the design and development process. A successful product is the culmination of juggling many varied constraints into an elegant


set of compromises. Each of the elements that are wrestled with during design can indeed be tested and evaluated using prototypes. It’s not one-size-fits-all. The finished production item will


capture the know-how gained during development, the experience of the design team and the attention to detail given along the way. Whereas a prototype can only be a simulation of part of the story, because it’s constrained by the limitations of the process that created it.


One example of a 3D-printed part, in this instance made by using fused deposition modelling (FDM)


26 www.engineerlive.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52