Rapid Prototyping for Mechanical Engineering & Product Design
By: Jaycon Systems
Tags: Hardware Design, Mechanical Engineering, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing, Product Design

Prototyping is an essential step in the process of bringing a vision to life. The process involves creating a test version of your product design so that you can refine the details. Traditional prototyping can be a long and expensive process in mechanical engineering and product design.

On the other hand, rapid prototyping allows you to have a mechanical design in hand to test and refine quickly and affordably. How do we at Jaycon Systems use the art and science of rapid prototyping to help you accomplish this?

This guide will walk you through the prototyping process, the benefits of our rapid method, and what types of prototyping we offer.

The benefits of rapid prototyping far outweigh traditional prototyping’s more expensive and time-consuming process.

What Makes Rapid Prototyping Different?

Rapid prototyping is what we call the use of computer-aided design data, or CAD data, to create a three-dimensional version of your product design. Instead of using traditional methods, the design is quickly fabricated in a scale model.

In the world of mechanical engineering, there are many phrases that can be used to mean the same thing as rapid prototyping. You may have heard this process referred to as 3D printing or additive manufacturing as well, although these are not the same thing. The reason these phrases have become so synonymous is that rapid prototyping is an additive process.

This is the most significant difference between rapid and traditional prototyping processes. In traditional mechanical design, manufacturing is a subtractive process. However, in order to speed up the process, rapid prototyping involves constructing the model with additive fabricating techniques.

In recent decades, this process has become an affordable option that is mainly thanks to the changes made to the 3D printing technologies available today. Now that 3D printing can be done in-house by companies like Jaycon Systems, it is easy to rapidly-produce product designs in a variety of designs and versions. This allows for quick testing and tweaking.

But this is just one of the advantages of rapid prototyping. There are many reasons that a design team would opt for this process.

The Benefits of Rapid Prototyping

This product design process is very low risk for many reasons. Here are the most significant benefits of rapid prototyping:

Clear Communication of Product Design Ideas: If you are struggling to convey your vision to investors or clients, having a physical model in hand can be helpful. The rapid production of an affordable scale model is excellent for pitching concepts.

Iterative Mechanical Design: No product design process ever ends at the first version. Rapid prototyping makes it easy to create dozens of versions, incorporate changes at each step, and refine every tiny detail before the result. It’s a lot simpler to create a realistic model during the trial-and-error stage with this process.

Lightning-Fast Turnaround: Rapid truly means rapid in this case. This prototyping process can happen in as little as 24 hours.

Maintain Your Budget: Due to the changes that have made 3D printing accessible to mechanical engineering teams, creating prototypes is much more affordable. Materials and tools are not as costly as they once were, and it no longer requires different types of equipment to produce different iterations of a product design. Jaycon Systems also helps eliminate cost by avoiding outsourcing the prototyping process — everything is done in-house.

Quickly Eliminate Flaws: Every product will have flaws through the many ups and downs of the design process. The best way to prevent costly errors later is to find and fix these flaws as soon as possible. Rapid prototyping allows you to test the scale model as though it were the real thing, looking for any risks that should be eliminated.

These benefits far outweigh traditional prototyping’s more expensive and time-consuming process.

Mechanical Design and Product Design with Rapid Prototyping

There are many different applications for rapid prototyping within mechanical and product design. The development process for a product or hardware frequently involves steps such as:

Researching a problem to address.

Creating a proof-of-concept prototype.

Creating a works-like prototype.

Getting consumer feedback.

Creating a looks-like prototype.

Creating a mechanical engineering prototype.

Validating the engineering and mechanical design.

Validating the production.

Authorizing mass production.

As you can see, there are many steps in which you’d need prototypes. If you want those prototypes quickly and affordably, Jaycon Systems can help.

PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PRODUCT DESIGN MODELS

The first type of prototype in the process is the POC or proof-of-concept prototype. This is the step that allows designers to test the product’s ability to solve a problem. A physical model isn’t always used here, but it can be of significant help for communicating to investors and colleagues what you believe your design can do. This step also allows you to quickly identify any significant issues with the design that should be eliminated right away.

Because this stage requires only the most minimal functionality, rapid prototyping is the best choice. You can have the product in hand to validate your research and then move on to more specific design options. The best thing you can do at this stage is to get your prototype in hand quickly. The faster you can show stakeholders exactly how your design will solve a problem, the faster you can progress towards mass production.

This is a significant step to rely on 3D printing. The turnaround time is minimal, and you can quickly add or remove details to the concept before presenting it to stakeholders.

LOOKS-LIKE PROTOTYPING

The next step in product design is a looks-like prototype. You aren’t as concerned with how the model functions at this stage but rather how it looks. The purpose of this step is to ensure that your design gives the user a great experience. Some things you’ll want to consider are user-friendliness, ergonomics, the user interface, and the final user experience.

The reason most designers choose to do this prototyping before moving on is that it’s less costly to adjust here before spending significant resources on the engineering of the product. Additionally, while users do need a product to accomplish its function, the first thing consumers notice is how something looks and feels to them as they use it.

In the looks-like phase of rapid prototyping, the design team starts with a guide to your design, usually as a foam model or a sketch. This data is then transferred to the CAD modeling program. The engineers may create several iterations during this process with different design elements to test the user experience.

Because there are many back-and-forth moves between physical models and digital data, rapid prototyping is an essential part of the process. Each new iteration can be seen and tested in the physical form very quickly. The aim of this part of the prototyping process is to create a scale model that finalizes the materials and design choices, such as color and finish, of the final product.

THE WORKS-LIKE STAGE OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The next part of this mechanical design process is the works-like prototype. This stage often happens simultaneously as the looks-like phase, with a separate team of engineers. During this phase, the focus is on the core functions of the product, ensuring that the final result truly performs.

While this prototype may not look exactly the way you envisioned, it should operate in a way that solves the problem you set out to fix. This phase involves even more testing, prototyping, and back and forth between new designs and new models.

Many times, rapid prototyping is relied upon to test models in subgroups. Each group of prototypes tests a specific function, and the models are tweaked and re-designed until the target is met or exceeded. At that point, the subsets will be merged into a single prototype that will then be tested and tweaked until all functions work together smoothly.

THE FINAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROTOTYPE

Finally, after all these prototypes have been tested to ensure optimal functionality and appearance, it’s time to put it together.

The last phase in this process is the engineering prototype, where a minimum viable version is created to head to manufacturing. The goal of this phase is to combine the finalized looks-like prototype with the finalized works-like prototype into something that truly represents your vision.

This is the stage of the engineering process where details become very important. But rapid prototyping can still be the best option here. 3D printing has progressed so much in the last three decades that even minute details can be faithfully rendered. The prototypes that can be 3D printed today can be nearly identical to the look and feel of traditionally manufactured products.

For example, 3D printing has now progressed so much that prototypes can simulate smooth textures, soft-touch textures, rigid housing, low-friction textures, and other fine details. 3D printing uses materials that can be sanded, painted, threaded, electroplated, or polished as well. These secondary processes make it even easier to have a realistic model of your product. Finally, 3D printing can be put through mechanical, chemical, and thermal stress tests to ensure the viability of your design.

Again thanks to the benefits of rapid prototyping, it’s easy and affordable to continue testing and tweaking even at this stage. This makes it very easy to verify your final design, including the functionality, appearance, and its ability to be affordably manufactured — all without having to invest in pricey prototyping methods.

VALIDATION TESTING THE PROTOTYPE

The final phase of the rapid prototyping process that you may wish to perform in-house is validation testing. It is very easy and cost-effective to manufacture a small batch of the finalized design with rapid prototyping.

This small-batch can then be used to comprehensively test both in-house and in the field. At this stage, you may wish to consider a small batch run of traditionally manufactured prototypes to ensure that every aspect is precisely the way it would be on the shelf.

But rapid prototyping can still be a helpful tool. Should anything need to be tweaked during the validation testing phase, a new prototype addressing the issue can be in hand exceptionally quickly so that the rest of the design process doesn’t have to come to a halt.

It’s during this stage that another critical benefit of rapid prototyping becomes clear: the ability for ongoing design evolution. Continuous improvement of mechanical and product design is achievable because rapid prototyping is a responsive means of manufacturing a new iteration.

The Tools and Methods Jaycon Systems Uses

There are many different tools and methods that can be used for rapid prototyping. Here are some of the methods available:

FUSED FILAMENT FABRICATION, OR FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING

This is a 3D printing option that involves melting thermoplastic filament layer by layer into the final design. This is the most used method of 3D printing by consumers. Considerable advancements in this type of 3D printing have made it accessible to hobbyists, but there are professional-grade 3D printers that use this method.

This type of prototyping does have drawbacks. Compared to other forms of 3D printing, fused deposition modeling is not as accurate. It would not be the first choice for highly detailed mechanical engineering with intricate functions.

However, there are benefits to this type of modeling as well. For example, there is a broader range of thermoplastic materials that can be used with fused deposition modeling, which may make it ideal for the looks-like prototyping stage. FDM 3D printing can even use composites rather than thermoplastics. Simple parts that are meant to show a beautiful design may be best for this type of prototyping.

SLA 3D PRINTING, OR STEREOLITHOGRAPHY

The following method for 3D printing prototyping is stereolithography or SLA. This type of printer uses a laser to hard cure liquid resin. This creates a hardened plastic material, and this is by far one of the most used methods in professional prototyping. This method allows for more precision with fine details and is highly versatile.

If you need a prototype to look and function exactly as the final product would, this is the type of 3D printing that many professionals would suggest. It offers the smoothest finish and most precise details for a looks-like prototype and offers the highest accuracy of function for a works-like prototype.

The secret behind the SLA product design is the versatility of resin. This material comes in a massive array of thermal properties, mechanical properties, and optical properties. These materials can be exact matches to industrial and engineering thermoplastics.

Another advantage of SLA printing is that it can also be faster than FDM printing. When it comes to the rapid prototype process, speed is always essential. If you want the scale model in your hand right away, this is a good choice.

SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING, OR SLS

Another form of 3D printing that can be used for rapid prototyping is selective laser sintering. This is another dependable choice for professionals because it is known for producing robust functionality in final products.

If your product design is more about functionality than design, this could be the right option. SLS printers work via lasers that fuse together particles of a polymer powder. The exciting thing about this process is that there is no need for a dedicated support structure in the product design. The powder supports itself during the printing process, which makes selective laser sintering very good for intricate things like negative features or undercuts.

Mechanical engineering is the strong suit of SLS printing. If you need the prototype to have the equivalent strength and function of injection-molded parts, this is what many professionals would recommend. This is also an excellent choice for the final function test of work-likes prototypes to ensure the rigorous field testing holds up.

Computer Numerical Control Tools

Unlike the previous tools, computer numerical control tools, or CNC tools, are a subtractive process similar to traditional manufacturing.

This process begins with a solid block of a material, which may be plastic, metal, or another material. Then, the machine uses a laser or a water jet cutter that cuts, drills, grinds, or bores the material, shaping it into the final design.

The main reason to choose this type of prototyping is that it can create far more complex designs than other forms of prototyping. However, this process can take longer than 3D printing.

CNC tools start with machining, which will first remove material from the block, bar, or rod. Then, laser or water jet cutters will begin to shape the material into the design. Finally, lathes and milling parts will create the complex features of the design. This is a far more complicated setup and does add cost to the prototyping process.

CNC tools are not ideal for rapid prototyping unless you genuinely need a highly complex design from the start. Jaycon Systems does use CNC machining for extreme accuracy and can recommend this process for its more delicate detail work when that is needed.

A BRIEF COMPARISON OF TOOLS AND METHODS

For rapid prototyping, there are several tools and methods available. In addition to those listed above, Jaycon Systems also uses resin casting for faster and even more affordable prototypes and PCB fabrication when appropriate.

Here is a comparison of the main types of rapid prototyping available today:

Fused deposition modeling is fast and affordable and is ideal for looks-like prototyping. Best for: proof-of-concept models and low-cost rapid prototypes.

Stereolithography has a higher level of accuracy for functioning works-like prototyping.

Best for: functioning works-like prototypes that can be produced quickly.

Selective laser sintering offers more complexity and accuracy in product design.

Best for: engineering prototypes that are ready for rigorous field testing.

Best for: engineering prototypes that are ready for rigorous field testing. CNC tools are best used when extremely complicated designs must be modeled.

Best for complex designs that need to be highly accurate.

Jaycon Systems can help you choose the right type of rapid prototyping method for your project.

Jaycon Systems Rapid Prototyping Work

Rapid prototyping is used across nearly every industry where product design or mechanical design is necessary. From Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, there is a place for this affordable and fast process. Rapid prototyping is the best method if you want better communication with stakeholders, speedy product development, and a thoroughly tested design that didn’t break the budget.

The Jaycon Systems prototyping process has three steps:

First, we will work with you to optimize your file. We ensure that the type of fabrication you’ve chosen works best with your design and take into consideration the size, complexity, and other factors to create the best product design for your needs.

Then, we go through the rapid prototyping process. From a basic proof-of-concept model all the way to a field-test-ready model, we oversee the process to ensure it is as smooth as possible.

Finally, there is a post-processing step. Our team of specialists ensures that the prototype looks and performs exactly as the mass-produced product would.

Jaycon Systems’ prototyping work includes:

Collapsible VR glasses

General aviation flight data logger

Water-saving showerheads

Circuit board designs

There are many other industries we have worked with to produce results with rapid prototyping.

Get Started with Rapid Prototyping Today

While 3D printing may have been out of reach in the past, advancements in technology have completely changed the field of prototyping. Now, affordable options are available on the professional level. These technologies have made rapid prototyping available to all industries and all business sizes. Ultimately, this means you can create better products for your audience.

We offer a variety of engineering and prototyping services that allow you to get one step closer to manufacturing. Request a 24h quote today — submit your STEP files through our contact form, and an engineer will be in touch with you. Don’t worry; all your files are safe with us — we also offer you the ability to sign a mutual NDA prior to your submission.