If you’re anything like the inventors we know, you don’t want to spend valuable time and money on producing parts that don’t lead to more innovation and advances in your design.
Prototypes are important and so is the ability to produce short runs in an inexpensive way.
CAD!
Rapid prototyping with the help of a skilled expert in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is your strongest ally. If you can build, study and refine prototypes without actually producing a hard prototype, you can speed your way through an intricate design and watch it progress without the material cost and time spent on physically producing the piece.
You can gain knowledge of how much the part will cost to produce, build in functionality and run a wide range of durability tests without launching into full production.
Building the mold
Once you’re satisfied with a prototype using a CAD model, you can move forward to the mold. Silicone molds using an RTV process are a very low-cost method for developing the initial prototype, as well as for short runs. Silicone molds are less expensive and much faster to construct than their metal counterparts. They stand up to temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and can still produce reliable copies.
You can’t produce as many perfect reproductions as with a metal mold, but we’re talking about a short run here. Spending resources on pricey metal molds only to toss it away after a few repetitions doesn’t make any sense.
Work with the experts
There are many companies that can take your design (even online) and give you a quick quote on productions, but it’s beneficial to even the most independent designer to enlist the assistance of an expert in the field. Work with a company or manufacturer that has the ability to partner with you from concept to production.
Product Development Solutions is one such provider. Call us and let us show you how a true partnership will benefit your project.