What is the Purpose of Prototyping?
There really isn’t another manufacturing process in the industry as multifaceted and versatile as CNC machining. Do you need highly precise components with tight tolerances you can use to build planes? CNC machining can make those. How about bespoke wood furniture that’s one of a kind? CNC machining can do that as well. But this process doesn’t just make an ideally proportioned component out of nothing.
Before you end up with that perfect final product, you must go through many testing and prototyping rounds. But what is the purpose of prototyping? Building a prototype lets you test the designs before production. Developing multiple iterations of the same product allows designers to troubleshoot any imperfections and refine the final design.
It’s a process of experimenting and tweaking until you get a product that matches the exact specifications and performs as intended. Let’s see its purpose and when to best use prototyping during product development.
What Are the Goals of Prototyping
Manufacturers are constantly developing new product ideas or trying to make parts that solve very specific problems. But how do they know if their designs actually work? Well, they test them out first. Starting production on a part or component that’s faulty is a great risk that manufacturers aren’t willing to take.
If you want high-quality and flawless CNC-machined parts, you must first double-check their accuracy and function. The only way to do that is to create a tangible prototype you can put through a series of tests to see if it performs as intended. This is the time to test out every aspect of what you want to make, from the dimensions and the material it’s made out of down to the color.
Improving Product Development
Some might look at prototyping as an extra step between the product design stage and the manufacturing stage. They might think it unnecessary to prolong the time it takes to go into production, but this is the most important phase of the development process. It’s when you can best notice what needs adjusting and polishing. After that, you can easily make the necessary corrections until you perfect the product you want to manufacture.
Identifying Design Flaws Early
The main purpose of creating a prototype is to see if the design is fully functional or if there are any mistakes and flaws that must be fixed. When you’re looking at blueprints or a digital 3D model, it’s hard to notice potential mistakes or functionality issues. When you have a tangible prototype in hand you can use it for the intended purpose and see how it performs.
Maybe the dimensions are wrong and not all components fit as they should. Or maybe the tolerances are too tight making assembly difficult. You can even see if the material is standing up during heavy use or if it’s leaving unexpected wear patterns.
Improving Usability and User Experience
One of the most successful prototyping practices is trying out the model in real-life situations. Physically handling and interacting with the prototype will give you a good feel of its usability and the experience actual users will get when handling the finished product. Creating a prototype allows designers to:
- Test in context: Using the prototype in a real-world environment will show how the target audience will use the product in an everyday setting. It will make any usability issues obvious and give designers a touchpoint for future improvements.
- Build with empathy: Direct interaction with the prototype gives designers a better feel of the user flow. You can spot any issues with the size or ergonomics of the model right away. After that, they can remove any user difficulties and optimise the user experience.
Cost and Time Efficiency
Developing prototypes of the same product repeatedly takes some time and money. But that’s nothing compared to what it will cost you to start production on a faulty component and have to recall everything and start from scratch. Developing a few iterations of the same product until you can roll out a perfect product will help you:
- Reduce Development Costs: Creating prototypes and doing thorough testing means you’re less likely to give the green light to a product that has inherent design flaws and will not work as intended. The prototyping process stops you from wasting time, money, and materials on something that doesn’t work.
- Accelerate Time to Market: When your product is thoroughly tested and all the issues are ironed out, you can start manufacturing without delay. You can be certain that there will be no interruptions during production and that you can place your product on the market knowing it will perform up to standards.
Facilitating Communication and Collaboration
CNC manufacturing is a collaborative process. A part or component goes through many hands to reach the phase of starting from an idea to a fully realised product. It starts with the design team and ends with the CNC machinist and operators who are responsible for the final production. Then there are the stakeholders who have a vested interest in the success of the final product. Prototyping opens up communication channels between all parties and encourages the trading of ideas.
Bridging the Gap Between Teams
While something might look good on paper it might not work as intended. It can even be very difficult to produce. Designers might think their models are streamlined and versatile, while the CNC machinists have trouble executing those complex geometries or tight tolerances. The machinists then give their feedback to the designers who improve the model.
The new prototype is created and it goes through quality assurance testing. If the QA inspectors find new issues, the design process starts over again creating a feedback loop leading to new and improved iterations.
Engaging Stakeholders
One of the best uses of prototyping is during the early development stages. That’s usually when manufacturers must show an approximation of the product to their stakeholders or potential inventors. If you’re working on a large order of custom parts for a third party, they need to be satisfied with what they’re getting before giving the OK to start large-scale production. They can tell if you’ve met their expectations or if the model still needs a little work.
Innovation and Creativity
When you have a physical object in front of you, it’s easy to see what is working and what needs improvements. Sometimes your design needs minor adjustments like more precise dimensions or a sturdier material. But sometimes the needed adjustments may force you to think outside the box and come up with more creative solutions. Prototyping helps you create better products because it:
- Encourages Experimentation: The prototyping stage is the best time for experimentation. It allows you to try new and exciting ideas and come up with creative solutions to serious functionality issues. With every new model iteration, you can try a novel idea and push the boundaries further until you end up with a truly innovative product that is functional and useful.
- Supports Agile Development: By creating multiple low-fidelity prototypes you can test out several designs at the same time and receive almost instant feedback. You can use that data to make fast adjustments and create new prototypes for further testing. This process is fast and flexible, so you can make as many adjustments as necessary. You can even take the design in a new direction without compromising the deadlines.
Improving the Quality of the Final Product
What is the purpose of prototyping if not to help you create a perfect final product? The goal of every manufacturer is to produce high-quality components that serve their function well and are built to last. They need to solve a problem and be easy to manufacture in large volumes. This rarely happens without the prototyping process where you can find all the inconsistencies and improve the design.
Refining Functionality
What works as a 3D concept may not be as functional when turned into a physical object. A prototype allows you to put the design through a series of tests to see how it performs during use and identify any weaknesses or unexpected behaviours.
For example, if you’re testing a medical device such as a joint replacement, you might notice that the shape doesn’t allow for a full range of motion during use. Or if you’re creating eclectic components, you might notice that the material isn’t suitable for that particular function and you can change it before manufacturing.
Ensuring Feasibility and Scalability
Perfecting the functionality of a product isn’t the only goal of prototyping. It’s also a good way to see if the product can be manufactured without major difficulties. Maybe the geometries are too complex for the CNC machines and tools you have or large-scale production of that particular model requires too much manual labour. Prototyping allows you to streamline the production process and come up with a product that is feasible and easy to produce.
The Point in Prototyping
Ultimately, what is the purpose of prototyping? It’s to get you from a rough drawing to a perfect product, by allowing you to test out what you want to make. With a prototype in hand, you can run endless functionality tests and get valuable user feedback. You can show stakeholders you’re on the right track and start manufacturing knowing you won’t have to stop and deal with any issues.
Prototyping lets designers exercise their creativity but keeps them grounded enough to produce usable designs that serve a purpose. If you want an innovative product that is fully functional and user-friendly, start with a prototype and improve from there.
