Prototyping in Custom Manufacturing

Prototyping is important because it allows engineers and designers to validate their designs and ensure the launched product matches their vision. By addressing potential issues early in the development cycle, engineers can save valuable time and resources.

Imagine discovering flaws in a product already manufactured in large quantities—you must avoid that chaos at all costs!

Prototyping in Custom Manufacturing

Prototyping in custom manufacturing involves creating preliminary versions of custom parts, panels or enclosures. These prototypes are used to test and revise designs before mass production. This ensures that the final products meet all necessary specifications and regulatory standards.

This process is essential for various industries, including automotive, aerospace, electronics and consumer products. By creating accurate and functional prototypes, organizations can ensure their products will perform as intended and meet all regulatory requirements.

The Prototyping Process

Let’s walk through a typical prototyping process using an example. Consider you require a custom electronic enclosure for a new device you’re building.

• Design Phase: You create a CAD model of the enclosure, detailing all necessary dimensions, features and materials.
• Manufacturing: Once the design is finalized, the process moves to the manufacturing stage.
• Assembly and Testing: You then assemble the various components and test the prototype for fit, function and durability.
• Iteration: If you discover any issues during testing, you need to address them and modify the design accordingly.

You keep repeating these steps until the prototype meets all of the requirements.

Rapid Prototyping

While precision is crucial, speed is also key—the faster you can prototype, the sooner you can achieve your goals. An accelerated timeline not only helps you meet your project deadlines, but you can also stay ahead of the competition and capitalize on market opportunities more effectively.

On that note, here are some tips on how you can speed up this process.

• Materials: Consider the properties of various materials for strength, weight, corrosion resistance, and more. Carefully evaluating these factors early on will save you from unnecessary costs and delays.
• Measurements: Ensure your custom parts, panels, or enclosures fit perfectly in your overall product. Getting the dimensions right from the start can lead to fewer revisions.
• Manufacturing Constraints: Confirm your design can actually be made. A software like Protocase Designer can help here, as it comes with live manufacturability checks.
• Sketching: Do not discount the importance of a quick sketch. Before you start the design process, it’s highly recommended to draw your ideas on paper.
• CNC Machining: CNC machining produces highly accurate and complex parts with tight tolerances, helping ensure your prototype matches the desired result faster.
• Documentation: Maintain details of your designs and specifications at each stage and note all modifications you make.
• Experienced Manufacturers: Partner with manufacturers who have extensive experience in fast sheet metal prototyping.

How Protocase Can Help

When it comes to experienced and fast manufacturing, Protocase has got you covered. We offer lead times of just 2-3 days for fully-finished custom parts, panels and enclosures. Therefore, partnering with us ensures you can move through your prototype iterations much faster.

Conclusion

Prototyping is a crucial part of product development for engineers. By following best practices and working with experienced manufacturers, you can speed up the prototyping process, ensuring your product reaches the market quickly and efficiently.

For rapid prototyping with Protocase, get in touch with an Account Manager to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your project goals.

If you have a design for a prototype ready, get a quote within one business day.