What's the best way to prototype and test manufacturing engineering products?

If you are a manufacturing engineer, you know that prototyping and testing are essential steps in developing and improving products. But how do you choose the best methods and tools for your project? In this article, we will explore some of the most common and effective ways to prototype and test manufacturing engineering products, as well as some tips and best practices to optimize your results.

1 CAD and CAM

One of the most widely used tools for prototyping and testing manufacturing engineering products is computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. CAD and CAM allow you to create, modify, and simulate 3D models of your product, as well as generate instructions for machines to produce them. CAD and CAM can help you to reduce errors, save time and costs, and improve quality and performance. However, you also need to consider the limitations and challenges of CAD and CAM, such as compatibility, complexity, and security issues.

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2 3D Printing

Another popular tool for prototyping and testing manufacturing engineering products is 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing. 3D printing enables you to create physical prototypes of your product by depositing layers of material on top of each other, following the design from your CAD or CAM software. 3D printing can offer you many benefits, such as flexibility, speed, customization, and innovation. However, you also need to be aware of the drawbacks and risks of 3D printing, such as quality, durability, safety, and environmental impact.

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Kent Hall

Co-Founder at IPOceans AS
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The most interesting thing about 3D Printing is that it is not just for prototyping. That is more than 25 years since we only used it for that. Today it is called Additive Manufacturing or AM and it’s used for making end user products eg., Raptor Engine on falcon 9 from SpaceX or more than 30000 fuel nozzles on leap engine for Boing, just to mention a few. The AM technology is demanding a new paradigm when it comes to designing Classic CAD is to simple for utilizing the potential of AM.

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Hans Peter (Ferneke) Abrahams

Senior Design Engineer at DIS - CREADIS Engineering Solutions & Consulting
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Use of 3D print allow user to evaluate the visual aspect and in some cases also the functionality, but very often (own experience) the pression and material conditions diviate from production possibilities like size off details, fatigue, suspension ect. So often it is needed to use old fashion cutout later on.

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Sudhanshu Nahata

Mechatronic Systems Research at ASML | PhD, Carnegie Mellon
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Often, it is difficult to grasp the true scale of the parts/assemblies in CAD; 3D printing is an effective tool for visualizing and performing the assembly sequence early in the design process to identify any interferences. To easily examine fits and tolerances, I frequently use transparent or translucent 3D printed polymers.

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Ahmed AlQady

Lead Interface Engineer at EGIS | Founder of Q Manufacturing | RA at AUC
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3D printing is my number one go-to method when it comes to prototyping, thanks to its ease of manufacturing and the speed at which the first prototype is produced, and the relatively low cost. I see it as a perfect method for prototyping and demonstrating ideas. Every 3D Printed model starts as a CAD model, so the more time invested in designing the CAD model the better the 3D Printed result. The most important aspect of 3D Printing is that it accelerates the product design cycle by reducing production time between each iteration, it really is the 4th industrial revolution.

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Apoorva Tyagi

Sensor Development at Danfoss | RWTH Aachen
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3D printing is a great option to visualize your concepts quickly and further refine them. It accelerates your progress towards a minimum viable product and eventually towards the final, ideal version.

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3 Prototyping Kits

A third option for prototyping and testing manufacturing engineering products is using prototyping kits, which are sets of components and tools that you can use to build and test your product. Prototyping kits can vary in size, complexity, and functionality, depending on your needs and goals. Some examples of prototyping kits are Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Lego Mindstorms, and Makey Makey. Prototyping kits can help you to learn, experiment, and have fun with your product. However, you also need to consider the limitations and costs of prototyping kits, such as availability, compatibility, and scalability.

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4 Testing Methods

Once you have a prototype of your product, you need to test it to evaluate its performance, functionality, and reliability. Depending on your product and criteria, there are various testing methods you can use. For instance, functional testing checks if your product works as intended and meets the specifications and requirements. Usability testing assesses how easy and intuitive your product is to use by the end-users or customers. Stress testing exposes your product to extreme or abnormal conditions to see how it responds and handles failure. Lastly, quality testing measures the quality and consistency of your product against standards and benchmarks.

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Wahyudin P. Syam

Technical project manager in global navigation satellite system
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I think that is is very important to performe a GD&T tolerance stack-up analysis. by doing this analysis, we ca predict the part variations and the entire assembly before making any parts. of course, a prototype test should be performed on top of this on a later stage. with the tolerance stack up analysis, we can reduce iterative processes to find a good design and test it. saving cost and time.

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5 Testing Tools

To conduct the testing methods, you need to use testing tools that can help you to collect, analyze, and report data. Depending on your product and objectives, there are many testing tools you can use - such as sensors that detect physical properties, meters that display and record measurements, oscilloscopes that display and analyze waveforms of electrical signals, and software programs that simulate, monitor, and control your product. Examples of these tools include LabVIEW, MATLAB, Arduino IDE, as well as devices for measuring temperature, pressure, motion, light, voltage, current, resistance, and frequency.

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6 Tips and Best Practices

When prototyping and testing manufacturing engineering products, it's important to define your goals and criteria clearly and realistically. Choose the methods and tools that best suit your product, budget, and timeline. Experiment with different options and iterations to find the optimal solution. Document and communicate your process and results clearly and accurately, and don't forget to seek feedback and improvement from others. Doing so will help you to prototype and test more effectively and efficiently.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What's the best way to prototype and test manufacturing engineering products?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 CAD and CAM

2 3D Printing

3 Prototyping Kits

4 Testing Methods

5 Testing Tools

6 Tips and Best Practices

7 Here’s what else to consider

Manufacturing Engineering

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What's the best way to prototype and test manufacturing engineering products?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 CAD and CAM

2 3D Printing

3 Prototyping Kits

4 Testing Methods

5 Testing Tools

6 Tips and Best Practices

7 Here’s what else to consider

Manufacturing Engineering

Rate this article

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