Prototyping services provide low-volume conceptual or working models of a design. These designers create prototypes or models to engineers to explore design alternatives and test product performance prior to production.

Selecting prototyping services requires the developer to match their prototyping needs, including purpose and type, with the provisions of the service provider. Often, suppliers of high-volume part services will also provide prototype services for those products.

Purpose of Prototypes

Prototypes are designed for a number of purposes based on the needs of the engineer or developer.

Proof-of-principle, also known as proof-of-concept, prototypes are used solely to test certain aspects of an intended design without attempting to match all the conditions and properties of its use. These models are used to prove the feasibility of a potential design approach or process.

Form studyprototypes are used to represent the physical form, shape, and size of a design. These models do not attempt to match a design's functionality or the specific details of its appearance.

Visual prototypes are used to capture a design's aesthetic qualities and appearance, including color and texture. These models do not attempt to match a design's functionality.

Functional prototypes are used to simulate the final form of a design, encompassing to the extent possible its full functionality, form, and appearance. They are used as the final test of concept and as a final check for design flaws before being produced on a larger scale. These models may be reduced in size to reduce the costs.

Types of Prototyping Services

Prototyping services may create prototypes for a variety of different types of products.

Software prototypes are prototypes used to test various stages of computer software. Stages of prototypes for software development are described in the table below:

Table Credit: Craig Borysowich - Toolbox.com

Hardware prototype are prototypes used in the development of computer hardware.

Part prototypes include models for any type of individual product or for components of a larger system or piece of equipment.

Equipment prototypes include design models for machinery and industrial equipment.

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping is the fabrication of prototype models using CAD or other design software programs to provide the part data. These services can produce prototypes for designs with complex geometries in a relatively short amount of time. The table below describes the properties of some different rapid prototyping technologies:

Table Credit: Castle Island Co., Ferris State University

References

Toolbox - Types of Prototypes

Ferris University - Rapid Prototyping

Image credit:

Aztalan Engineering, Inc.