How does a new product go

through the prototyping process?

Inside this Article
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How does a new product go through the prototyping process?

Prototype Design
Prototype Development
Prototype Testing
Lots More Information
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Prototype This: CNC Mill

New products pop up on store shelves every day, but did you ever wonder what went into getting the
latest and greatest slotted into place? Chances are there was a lengthy product evolution before you
rested your gaze on it. Some of the major checkpoints a product must pass through on its way to hitting
the market are the design phase, the prototyping phase and the production phase.
Kitchen Appliance Image Gallery

Photo Courtesy of 3-D Systems

Prototypes are models of new products that can be useful for visualizing what the final product will be
like. See more pictures of kitchen appliances.
After someone has a hot idea for a new product, the next thing he or she needs to do is determine all
the details. The more comprehensive this design stage is, the better. Some good questions to ask
include:

What are the product's attributes and characteristics?

What will the product offer that others on the market don't?
What is its function or purpose?
Does any new technology need to be invented to manufacture the product?
What is the product's lifespan?
How and where will it be manufactured, packaged, marketed and sold?
How much will manufacturing cost, and how much will people be willing to pay for the product?
Are there any issues with the product concerning government regulations, safety and
environmental issues, patent infringements, or other potential hang-ups?
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If the answers to these questions give you the green light, you're probably ready to begin thinking about
building a prototype. Different types of prototypes can be helpful at different stages of the product
development process. For example, when you first get going, a drawing could suffice for your design
needs. After a while though, you may be ready for a simple prototype to use as a visual aid. But it
doesn't need to be full-sized or able to stand up to rigorous operations and testing. You might also want
more detailed physical prototypes of specific portions of your product -- maybe a complicated
mechanical gear system, for example. You probably wouldn't need to prototype an entire bicycle just to
take a closer look at how smoothly a new chain drive system operates.
For a time, you might have to bounce back and forth between tweaking design plans and rough
prototyping if you realize your product still has some issues. As the process moves along, however, you
may want a prototype that's a more exact imitation of what your final product will be. This is when those
final design questions can be settled and everything tested, fine-tuned and perfected.
Now that we've had a look at what basic early design and prototyping can encompass, let's take our
product a step further and check out how the pros get their hands on some pretty hardcore prototypes.

Prototype Design
After you've got the basic questions answered and you've worked out all the obvious kinks, serious
prototyping can begin in earnest. Designing prototypes that are more advanced usually involves using
3-D CAD (computer-aided design) software to create a 3-D map of the product. If you're looking to
bring a product into actual production, using CAD software is probably the way you want to go so you
can carefully verify the functionality of your design. It's also a useful way for transferring product specs
clearly and concisely to whomever is conducting the actual manufacturing.

Photo Courtesy of 3-D Systems

Once you have a prototype designed, wouldn't it be great if you could print it out as easily as the driving
directions for your next vacation. With 3-D printers, that's totally a possibility. Plug in the CAD data and
you're good to go.
With CAD software you can do lots of different things. Designs can be made in both 2-D and 3-D, and
while viewing and tweaking your design specifications you can easily switch between the two views.
Does your product have lots of parts? Each part can be designed individually and added to the overall
product assembly one at a time. Every time you make an adjustment to any particular part of your
product, not only will it alter the other dimension's specs accordingly, it'll also automatically integrate that
change into the overall prototype design. Realistic images can be detailed with captions, close-ups and
side views. You can try the look of different materials like chrome, steel or wood in matte finish, gloss
finish, textured or brushed -- the sky's the limit. Many other actions that are commonly performed while
designing a product are also automated in the software's extensive features. Useful too, CAD software
commonly allows designers to see all the parts in motion, simulating how they will operate -- or fail to
operate -- when built and assembled.
Once a set of 3-D CAD plans are complete, the next step in the prototyping process frequently involves
making use of some special technology that's becoming increasingly popular among innovators, both for
its speed and its accuracy. On the next page, we'll take a closer look at these machines and see how
they could affect a product's pass through the prototyping process.

Prototype Development
There's a bountiful variety of methods that can now be used to take your product from the blueprints and
into your hands. Providing you aren't planning on time-consuming methods like building the product
from scratch, you'll probably be turning to the world of rapid prototyping for a solution.
Rapid prototyping first emerged in the late 1980s in the form of stereolithography. The word might be a
mouthful, but the idea is ingeniously simple. What isn't so simple is determining the exact name for this
group of technologies. Rapid prototyping is actually just one category in a broader range of applications.
Machines that can churn out 3-D models of new design concepts also have a number of other uses.
These might include creating multiple models of a product for market testing and refinement, as well as
for custom or short run production. Because of the diversity of technology, products and uses of those
products, there's no single overarching terminology structure.

Photo Courtesy of 3-D Systems

3-D Systems' Sinterstation Pro SLS System performs selective laser sintering, one of the additive
manufacturing methods described below.
Examine the field carefully, though, and we see what all these technologies have in common is they
create something by adding substrate, not taking it away. So a basic general term could be additive
fabrication. Beyond its earliest manifestation as stereolithography, other terms used over the years
include solid freeform fabrication, automated fabrication, rapid technologies, layered
manufacturing, digital fabrication, 3-D printing -- it's quite a list, and there are even more candidates
out there.
Despite the variations in name, what these machines all have in common is they join extremely fine
layers of material onto each 3-D creation, layer by layer, until they have a finished prototype ready to go.
The two key components of this system are the substrate that forms the layers and the method that's
used to make them stick to together.
Some fields of additive fabrication include:

Stereolithography: A laser beam makes a patterned pass over the surface of a vat of liquid
photopolymer resin. The resin hardens as the laser hits and the object is lowered slightly for the laser,
usually UV, to make another pass.
Selective Laser Sintering: This system also makes use of a laser, but works by melting layers
of thermoplastic powder and other materials like polymers.
Laminated Object Manufacturing: In this method, sheets of material are rolled into range, cut
in the desired shape with lasers and adhered to the layer below.
3-D Printing: An inkjet head applies liquid adhesive to layers of powder.

Electron Beam Melting: This method can make and repair dense metal parts by using an
electron beam (more powerful than a laser) to melt layers of metal powder like steel, titanium and cobalt
chrome parts.
Fused Deposition Modeling: Strands of plastic filaments or pellets are warmed while passing
through a nozzle and melted into place, where they harden and bond.
Depending on the procedure used, support may be necessary for overhangs or undercuts in a part's
design. If needed, this can be accomplished either by manual design or by automatic technique, and
any supporting structures are usually brushed, dissolved or melted away afterwards. Other
postproduction steps may include curing (or baking) a prototype with intense light and applying a finish
or a hardener.
Despite the benefits of rapid prototyping, there are some drawbacks. While not taking weeks and
months to build a prototype, it does still take a substantial amount of time for all those little layers to be
laid down. Waiting hours, even a few days, for prototypes is the norm. The process and equipment can
also be very expensive, with larger models costing several hundred thousand dollars. Many smaller and
more affordable machines are available, however, and some companies charge hourly to prototype
specs submitted by designers.
Now that we've got our prototype, what are we supposed to do with it?

Prototype Testing
So what is it about prototypes that make them so critical to product development? Since prototypes are
by definition the first of their kind, they are used in product design for testing, testing and more testing.
Let's take a minute to find out how testing a prototype generally works and the benefits of taking the
time to do this.

Photo Courtesy of 3-D Systems

Prototypes like this drill casing are good for testing for design flaws.
The biggest benefit is probably to the bottom line. Prototypes can be tested for aspects like design flaws
and ease of use, two things that are critical if your product is going to be a success. You need to make
sure everything works the way it should -- and that your customers can figure out how to make it work,
too.
One of the reasons for this is that time is a huge factor in product development. One designer's great
idea could also be cooking in the head of a competitor the very same moment. Having the first product
to hit the market has a number of benefits -- as long as it's a good product. Consumers will pay more for
it, they'll develop stronger brand loyalties for it and you'll make a lot more money. This is another way
rapid prototyping can be a huge boost: the time it saves in the prototyping process can really jumpstart
your product development timeline.
One other thing to keep in mind about prototypes is that they can also be useful if you want to start
pitching your idea to investors, upper level management and other interested parties before you have a
finished product. Having an actual functioning prototype in hand can be a lot more persuasive than
something on a piece of paper.
Safety testing is important as well. You want to make sure the product isn't inherently dangerous or
dangerous if misused. If there is any risk associated with the product, you must determine how high the
odds are and how serious the outcome would be. Can the risk be avoided or diminished? What
warnings will you need to label the product with? Do the warnings and instructions need to be
accessible to users of various skill levels and languages? This is all information you can learn by

studying your prototype, your business plan and the market. Before your product heads for the
assembly line, it's crucial to know everything is going to go off without a hitch. If you are in the United
States, it's important to visit the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site for any
applicable guidelines and regulations. If you're not in the United States, don't worry -- you probably have
something similar where you live that shouldn't be too hard to find.
Once the prototype has proven itself, it's off to the assembly line for production. Check out the next page
for lots more links -- like ones to helpful pages about legally protecting your new product.

9. SolidWorks 3-D CAD Software

To print a 3-D prototype, the first thing you need is a 3-D model. Using special software, it's possible to
make virtual designs which can be fed into a 3-D printer and presto -- you have a desktop visual of your
product.
CAD (computer-aided design) software was first pioneered in the early 1960s, and it became popular on
the commercial scene in the 1970s. Since then, an enormous field of engineers and designers of all
sorts have made use of the technology to design everything from airplane engines to the kitchen sink.

Photo Courtesy of SolidWorks

This popular software makes all kinds of design applications easier to accomplish. As pictured above,
for example, it can help by simultaneously comparing different design alternatives.
SolidWorks is one company that makes top-of-the-line mechanical CAD software, with a variety of tools
and functions to design, manipulate, compile, correlate and evaluate prospective products. SolidWorks
software enables users to transform 2-D to 3-D, use a variety of tools to swiftly and efficiently develop
their design, simulate the assembly and operation of the prototype, compare and share their finished
product, and much more.
While using the SolidWorks software, it's possible to not only manipulate 2-D images and create
professional drawings ready for the production line, but also to make detailed 3-D image maps. These
can be sent to 3-D printers, and you could have a prototype of your design in a matter of minutes (or
hours depending on the size).
One example of an application of the SolidWorks 3-D CAD software was created by the MAKO Surgical
Group. They designed and built the MAKO Tactile Guidance System -- a robotic arm that assists
surgeons perform less invasive, more successful surgeries. The machine not only helps control the
surgeon's movement, it can also let them know where it's safe and appropriate to cut. The SolidWorks
software proved useful not only for part design, but also for mapping the virtual space the surgeons
navigate.
The guys on "Prototype This!" aren't making surgical equipment with their tools, but read about another
tool they're using to make their own unique prototypes.

10. ZPrinter 450 3-D Printer

Regular 2-D printers have become ubiquitous products in the modern age. Three-dimensional printers,
on the other hand, are still able to turn some heads. Whether you're an architect or an artist, an
educator or a product designer, a 3-D printer might be exactly what you're looking for.

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The ZPrinter 450 can build a 3D model of your prototype in just a matter of hours.
In some ways, the technology is similar to 2-D printing because it uses software to break down 3-D
models into 2-D layers -- or cross sections -- of the desired prototype. There are a variety of methods
to accomplish 3-D printing, but it's generally done in layers. For example, in one method, layers of fine
powder are deposited onto the blossoming prototype, followed in turn by a layer of liquid binder. Once
an object has been printed, it can be coated with sealant to strengthen it. Also, many of the machine's
components are similar to those in regular printers, but that's where the technologies diverge.
For one thing, compared to 2-D printers, 3-D printers are slow. Sure, some are faster than others -- the
Z Corporation makes one of the speedier ones on the market -- but even it only builds an inch or two an
hour (depending on the size and shape of what is being printed). Their ZPrinter 450 lays down layers
between .0035 and .0040 inches thick (.089 to .102 millimeters), and it can build prototypes that are 8
inches by 10 inches by 8 inches in size (20 by 25 by 20 centimeters). The Z Corporation has another
model, the Spectrum Z510, which can build slightly larger prototypes with greater resolution and at
about the same speed as the 450. The ZPrinter rings up at about $45,000 and the Spectrum Z510 at
about $73,000 [source: Prototype Magazine, Prototype Magazine].
Despite potential drawbacks -- including the hefty price tag -- the possibilities of a 3-D ZPrinter are
interesting to contemplate. You could print relief maps of the ocean floor, prototype products for pitch
meetings, model human hearts for research or create architectural models to give construction workers
a better visual picture of the design plans. And the best part -- it's all in color.
Different materials can be used in the printing process to create different characteristics in the finished
products; they can be made more rubbery for example. Depending on the company, a range of
techniques and materials can be utilized which impact the characteristics of the finished product. For
instance, some make stronger prototypes, some offer more colorful results, others greater precision.
On the next page, let's take a closer look at the cutting-edge software that makes 3-D printing possible.