Prototyping Brian Nettleton This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF). (Sept,06)

Terms Product: Anything produced by human or mechanical effort or by a natural process.

Terms Projects: A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projects

Terms Prototypes: A physical model of the new product concept. Depending upon the purpose, prototypes may be non-working, functionally working or both functionally and aesthetically complete.

What is Prototyping? Prototyping is an important step in the design process. It is sometimes necessary for a prototype to be constructed so the product can be visualized by interested parties. Prototypes are also created for testing and evaluating. During the testing and evaluating process, problems are detected so that changes and improvements can be made before the product is manufactured and sold to the public. The types of Prototyping include:

Types of Prototypes Mechanical

Types of Prototypes Graphic Design

Types of Prototypes Architectural

Types of Prototypes Electronic

Types of Prototypes Combination

3-D Modeling 3-D modeling enables designers to create a virtual representation of a product or system that is being developed. The models can be rotated and viewed from all angles. Many design problems can be found in the 3-D modeling phase. Changes can be made easily before expensive prototypes are built.

Rapid Prototyping 3-D modeling files can be sent to a rapid prototyping machines. There are a variety of rapid prototyping machines as well as a variety of materials used in the process. Some machines use powders and others use lasers and liquids. The 3-D model is sliced into thin layers and each layer is then “printed” or built up on top of one another. The result is a prototype that can be tested or used to make molds and dies for production.