The Benefits of Rapid Prototyping

What is rapid prototyping?

Rapid prototyping is the process of making a physical cast part, but without the time commitment and expense of investing in the full tooling process.  Product prototypes are fully functional early versions of a product that are used to test the design, technology and function of a part before it is sent into full production. Prototyping is an essential part of the product development process and allows designers and engineers to identify any defects before the final product specification is signed off.

Using CAD model data, Precision Investment Castings can produce a product prototype that looks, acts and feels exactly the same as a final finished part, but in a fraction of the time.

Rapid prototyping can be used at any stage of the product development process and is a crucial aspect of the manufacturing process for a wide range of industries including medical, aerospace and defence. 

The rapid prototyping process.

3D printing and additive manufacturing are often thought of as being the latest advance in technology to burst onto the manufacturing scene. However, at Precision Investment Castings, we have been using this technology for over 30 years.

We adopted 3D printing when the first stereolithography machine arrived in Europe. Even today, we are still one of only a few investment casting manufacturers in the UK to have our own in-house 3D printing equipment.

Using the product or part’s CAD model, a wax pattern that is an exact replica of the desired casting is produced using our wax thermojet printer. In some instances, this pattern is created using additive manufacturing technologies such as Stereolithography, Quickcast or Selective Laser Sintering.

After the patterns have been cleaned, feeders are attached and the patterns are assembled onto a grid. At this point, the patterns then follow the same process as our production castings.

Benefits of rapid prototyping.

Gets your product to market quickly.

As the name suggests, rapid prototyping is fast. It can help you to realise your component design quickly and efficiently, meaning you can get your final product to market sooner rather than later. It can also be a cost-effective solution for small scale product runs.

Validate your design.

Rapid prototyping allows you to identify any potential problems with your design before mass production starts. Changes and improvements can be made as the product evolves, often producing a better product at the end of the process. We can carry out various tests on your prototype, so that you can validate its performance during the prototyping stage.

Cost-effective.

Rapid prototyping eliminates the need for investment in special tooling to create new product prototypes. Being able to act quickly and solve any problems also reduces the risk of costly errors during the manufacturing stage. Finding problems with a prototype is much better than finding problems further down the line. 

Proof of R&D concept.

Rapid prototyping technology allows your research and development team to establish proof of concept with any ground-breaking product designs that they may be working on. If you have a few designs that need to be evaluated, you can use rapid prototyping to compare the designs side-by-side in a real-world situation. Rapid prototyping makes it much easier to get feedback from key stakeholders too, providing investors, directors, marketing teams and customers with a hands-on experience.

Reduced wastage.

Investment casting mistakes are costly in lots of ways, particularly if the mistakes result in the investment casting process needing to be carried out multiple times. By creating a rapid prototype, any issues can be ironed out before investing in the final investment casing process. 

Deliver the same accuracy.

A significant final benefit is that your prototypes are produced by using the same robust and reliable process as you would find in full scale manufacture, producing a product that is as true to the final result as you will ever get. It is not compromised on quality or output in any way.

Why choose Precision Investment Castings for your rapid prototyping?

With over 70+ years of experience in a wide range of industries, Precision Investment Castings are able to work with customers from a wide range of industries to develop the optimum product for the optimum price.

Our services are backed by rigorous processes, testing and accreditations from the world leading quality organisations such as BSI and NADCAP.

Contact us today

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us today and we can discuss your rapid prototyping requirements. You can either call us on 0161 925 5160 or use our online contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.