The transition from prototype to production is a crucial phase in the product development process as it facilitates the production of high-quality, marketable products. In general, manufacturing companies must meet various quality standards as they work to achieve their goals and reduce production costs.
An excellent program from prototype to finished product will help you better implement the design ideas in your head. This article will guide you from the prototype to the production process and provide practical tips for a smooth process. Let's start!
Why do you need a prototype before production?
Prototypes are the ideal representation of a design created before the final product is completed. They are crucial for production as they allow easy understanding of the product. Prototyping remains one of the crucial phases of the product development cycle. Other advantages of prototype production include:
- Test design features and develop additional functionality;
- confirmation of design functionality;
- Detect design defects and correct them before production;
- collect user feedback;
- Creating a physical model for further verification and closer examination.
Steps from prototype to production
Each manufacturing process has its peculiarities, just like the products. It's helpful to know that a method that worked for a product you launched may not necessarily work for your new project or products. The standard processing steps when moving from prototype to manufacturing final products are as follows.
1. Creating a digital prototype model
Creating digital prototype models helps you turn your unique idea into a physical product. However, this includes a series of procedures such as:
1.1 Conceptual prototyping
Conceptual prototyping is about communicating your ideas and exploring similar concepts. It is one of the most economical prototyping processes. Through this communication, basic product requirements, features and potential challenges are quickly identified. Sketching and cutting Styrofoam helps illustrate and communicate ideas in conceptual prototyping.
1.2 Evolutionary Prototyping
Evolutionary prototyping is ideal for further analysis and modification of a conceptual prototype. Cost, performance and material availability influence this type of prototyping. Furthermore, this process is progressive, as the original design is repeatedly tested and studied before being manufactured in large quantities and placed on the market.
1.3 General schedule for creating prototypes
The estimated time frame for creating a prototype depends on the stage of prototyping you are at. Depending on how quickly your project is approved, it could take anywhere from a week to a month if you are in the ideation and ideation phase. However, once the design is complete, prototyping can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the design.
2. From prototype to production: market research and product testing
Once your prototype is ready, it is important to test its acceptance and demand before production. How do you get that?
2.2 Investigate demand for the product
One of the easiest ways to test demand for your product is through crowdfunding projects. When people are interested in crowdfunding, it shows that your product will be in high demand once it is produced.
2.3 Tools, samples and non-productive release
The tools involve transforming prototypes of a digital product into a physical sample with multiple replications. In sampling, products are evaluated based on their performance and functionality. It helps to make necessary changes to a product before mass production.
The tooling and sampling processes represent the release phase of production. After that, the data is crucial for other forms of production, such as 3D printed prototypes and CNC milled prototypes.
2.4 Ensure the prototype is suitable for production
After development, you can modify your prototype design to improve its quality and eliminate errors. Eliminating errors or defects in the prototype phase would optimize production time and costs in the long term.
3. Shift to small series production
Once you have successfully designed your prototypes and ensured that they meet the required standards of form, function, aesthetics and fit, the next step is to begin small-scale production.
In small batch manufacturing, products are manufactured in small batches. These batches can range from 50 to a few thousand pieces to meet market demand. Furthermore, depending on the project, small series production is a first step towards large series production. However, here are some factors you need to consider before proceeding with small batch manufacturing.
3.1 Prepare the necessary documents
The following list of documents will help with small batch production:
- 3D files : These are files that contain the prototype product design files. These files must be detailed, high quality, and identify all parts of the system.
- Product requirements document : The RPD helps you clearly identify the purpose, features, and value of your product.
- Material, color, and finish : Include details about color, material type, and preferred finish for each area of your prototype.
- Confidentiality Agreement : NDA is a contract that keeps prototype and production details confidential. Your manufacturing partner signs the contract, confirming that your designs will not be shared with third parties.
- Costed parts list : also called CBOM. Includes material costs for all parts used in your prototype.
- Final prototype review : This document records the progress of the prototype and defines its main setbacks and problems.
3.2 Optimal delivery time
The delivery time is usually short when you outsource your project from the prototype phase to the final product phase. The complexity of the product and the scale of production are other factors that determine the delivery time for your prototyping. Products with complex designs and large quantities require a longer lead time than simple, small-scale products.
3.3 Estimate the production budget
How quickly your design goes from prototype to production depends on your manufacturing budget. You can achieve smooth, low-volume manufacturing on a significant budget. It gives the manufacturer enough resources to design, develop molds and use the ideal material for their project.
Practical tips for a smooth process, from prototype to production
Here are the factors you need to consider to achieve a seamless transition from prototype to production.
1. Choose a reliable manufacturing partner
To get the best results when machining your prototype, you need to work with a reliable and experienced manufacturing partner. Even when you consider other factors such as cost, quality assurance and control, production schedules, and material availability, you should not neglect choosing a reliable manufacturer.
Be sure to carefully research potential manufacturing partners. Request and compare quotes before choosing the right partner for your project.
2. Use Proof Concept to validate product design
It is wrong to assume a product is ready for production without testing it. A rule of thumb is that a manufacturer who understands the manufacturing methods and materials required to produce a product should not produce it without examining the design.
Therefore, it is important to contact parts suppliers and request a “proof of concept”. This evidence confirms the parts supplier's claims and ensures that you do not waste effort in manufacturing your product.
3. Choose the right materials and manufacturing process
Selecting the appropriate manufacturing process and materials for your project is an important first step in the prototype and production phases. There are different production processes, each with advantages and disadvantages. However, budget, type of material, delivery time and quality often determine the manufacturing process used.
However, you need to choose the ideal material and production process. You should know that the material significantly affects the production cost and quality of your project. Therefore, when choosing a material, examine its cost, manufacturability, mechanical properties and availability.
4. Develop a working prototype
Developing a product from prototype to production-ready requires a functional proof of concept. This allows you to test and modify the design until it meets your requirements and use it for illustrations.
You must update the 3D CAD files to ensure that all tool parts match the prototypes. Most importantly, test all components and apply all key features such as: B. Assembly diagrams and guidance systems.
5. Quality assurance and control
Testing is one of the most important aspects of quality assurance for a prototype or series product. It helps identify potential defects or errors early and correct them before mass production and product launch.
Depending on the prototype development phase and the type of product, it is possible to carry out various tests to look for possible errors. For example, usability helps evaluate the user experience of a product, while functional testing helps test its functionality.
How to successfully develop prototypes for mass production?
Some errors affect the successful migration from prototyping to mass production. It's best to avoid these mistakes as much as possible. Here are some of them.
1. Tools before completing the project
Manufacturing a product before completing the design process is a costly mistake that negatively impacts the tooling produced when design changes occur. In some cases, the design change has drastic effects that result in the discarded tools manufactured. As a result, you would have to manufacture new ones, increasing production costs.
2. Avoid releasing an untested product into production
It is important that your product design is reviewed by experts who understand the appropriate manufacturing process for your project before releasing it for manufacturing. It is advisable to submit your design to a reputable manufacturer to obtain a “proof of concept” that ensures the viability of the project.
3. Confirm reliability and performance test plan
It is not a good idea to produce products for sale without having an adequate reliability and performance testing plan. If these products underperform, you will face competition and negative reviews.
Therefore, you need to take your time and write down all the product requirements and the consumer's response to them. You can then plan a reliability and performance test for that product to evaluate its performance and bring it to market.
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Common questions
Is a prototype expensive?
Creating a professional prototype can be expensive, with costs ranging from 10 to 100 times the actual price of the final product, depending on the production process, the effort required, and the complexity of the design. However, the use of inexpensive materials, manufacturing methods, and a simple design help minimize prototype costs.
What steps do you take to go from prototype to production?
Typical manufacturing processes that pave the way from prototype to production include design creation, prototyping, product development, and documentation.
What is a production prototype?
A production prototype is a product created after the technical prototype has been tested and released. This prototype is the final confirmation that a product design is error-free before moving into mass production.
Why is developing a prototype idea before mass production tools so important?
Prototype production gives engineers and product designers a comprehensive view of the material needed for mass production. This helps determine the unit cost to mass produce the product.
