How to Make A Prototype: Process, Testing, and Advantages

A prototype is an early version of a product that is made to test and validate the product's functionality, performance, and design. It serves as a physical illustration of an idea that can be used to spot problems, enhance the design, and determine consumer demand. 

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This article will examine the steps involved in creating a prototype, from idea generation to design iteration. It will also explore techniques for producing a physical prototype, such as 3D printing and CNC prototyping. Additionally, we'll talk about what to think about before creating a prototype, how to make a prototype, and how to test and determine when your prototype is ready. Finally, we will highlight the advantages of creating a prototype, including the ways it can minimize risks, save time and money, and improve the product's marketability.

What Is a Product Prototype?

A product prototype is a preliminary model or sample of a product that is created to test and evaluate its design, functionality, and overall feasibility. It can also be referred to as a mock-up, a demo model, or a proof-of-concept. Common purposes for prototypes include: confirming that the item works as intended, identifying and fixing any design flaws or defects, gauging user experience, getting feedback from prospective customers, and showcasing the product's features and advantages to stakeholders.

Prototyping is valuable for several reasons: it reduces the risks and costs related to product development, improves teamwork and communication, and increases your chances of commercial success. Conceptualization, design, development, testing, and refinement are among the stages that typically go into making a product prototype. Depending on the product's nature and intended use, the prototype may be made using a variety of tools and methods.

What Is the Process of Developing a Prototype?

The following steps are typically involved in creating a product prototype:

1. Brainstorm

The brainstorming phase is your time to come up with a lot of ideas and assess them to find the most promising ones. The purpose of brainstorming is to produce as many ideas as you can, either individually or in a group. These concepts can then be improved and assessed for viability and potential efficacy. Once a good idea has been chosen, it can be developed further in the form of a prototype. Brainstorming encourages original thinking and creativity.

2. Create a Rough Draft

Making a preliminary version of the prototype is the task of the rough draft stage. Create a basic design, choose the materials to be used, and build a crude prototype. It's essential to test the design at this point to find any potential issues or problem areas. You may have to produce several rough drafts to perfect the design and make sure it adheres to the required specifications. 

3. Create a Physical Prototype

In the physical prototype stage of the process, you create an actual working model of the design. The physical prototype should be a close match to the finished item so that it can be tested and improved. If you were creating a new kind of smartphone case, for instance, you might produce a 3D-printed model of the case so you can test its functionality and make any necessary adjustments before moving on to the next stage of development. The following are some of the techniques used to create the prototype product:

3D Printing

The first step in 3D printing a physical prototype is to design a 3D model using specialized software such as CAD. The 3D model of the finalized design is then uploaded to a 3D printer, which uses melted plastic or other materials to build the object layer by layer. After the prototype is printed, it can be tested for usability, fit, and other crucial elements. Any necessary adjustments can then be made before moving on to the next development stage.

CNC Prototyping

Computer numerical control (or CNC) prototyping is a manufacturing technique that makes precise, superior physical prototypes using computer-controlled machinery. The process of CNC prototyping begins with the creation of a 3D CAD model of the object. The CAD model is then converted into a CNC machine-readable format. To shape an object, the CNC machine removes material from a block, sheet, or other stock of raw material using cutting tools. The CNC machine requires little assistance from a human to produce extremely accurate and detailed prototypes. Once the prototype is made, it can be improved, tested, and altered as necessary to produce the desired result. Figure 1 is an example of a CNC machining operation:

The Significance of Plastic Prototypes

Plastic Prototype Industrial Components

Prototyping is a resourceful design process for many entrepreneurs and manufacturing businesses. As such, plastic prototypes are used for various applications across industries. Product designers rely on plastic prototypes to physically assess plastic parts before initiating mass production. These plastic prototypes help you study your plastic parts’ physical representation without delay.

Besides, plastic prototype manufacturing allows manufacturers to engage potential investors and customers. They can test these prototypes themselves. As such, these plastic parts prototypes help you gauge your potential customer’s interest in the product before launching.

Additionally, plastic prototyping allows product designers to optimize or modify designs with prototyping companies before plastic machining. As a result, it mitigates risks of design errors and failed prototyping, ensuring the production of functional plastic prototypes.

Preparing for Plastic Prototype Development

Preparing for Plastic Prototype Development

The CAD model creation is a fundamental requirement in plastic prototype development. The Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model digitally represents your proposed plastic part. It portrays how the plastic parts should appear.

A CAD model illustrates how the plastic components assemble and function. Preparing a CAD model for your plastic prototypes helps you to make a physical prototype model that is either visual or functional.

• Visual Prototype: Visual prototypes offer the final representation of the plastic part. However, you don’t need the visual prototype to function as the final product. Consequently, 3D printing provides the cheapest and fastest means of developing them.
• Functional Prototypes: A functional prototype portrays the desired final product from material to mechanics. These prototypes are help test the product designs before mass production.

Popular Methods for Plastic Prototyping

Plastic prototyping is among the versatile methods of rapid prototyping. You can choose the ideal procedure to produce prototypes from the range of available manufacturing processes. Here are four of the effective plastic prototyping methods:

Vacuum Casting: Process and Benefits

Vacuum Casting Plastic Prototype

This plastic prototyping process allows you to imitate as many plastic prototypes as possible. It uses a master model to form parts that are perfect for testing. When you use the vacuum casting technique for your plastic prototypes, you must inject molten plastic (raw material) into a silicone mold to form the prototype. However, it would be best to make a master model before creating your silicone molds.

You can develop your master models for vacuum casting operations using CNC machining or 3D printing. Then, you have to create silicone-based cutting molds after completing the master model. You’ll have to inject the molten plastic/raw material into the mold cavity using a vacuum bell jar. The mold parts usually take 30-40 minutes to solidify to create a prototype replica.

The vacuum casting method works well with an extensive range of materials, ranging from opaque to transparent. Moreover, you can reuse the silicone-based casting molds to make about 25 plastic prototypes. This technique facilitates faster design actualization and ensures the close proximity of your product development and mass production.

Benefits of Using Vacuum Casting for Your Plastic Parts Prototyping

Below are some of the advantages of using Vacuum casting to make your prototypes:

• The silicone molds make detailed replicas of the master model within a short period.
• Vacuum casting helps manufacturers to create plastic prototypes with higher precision and fine details.
• This process is perfect for making plastic parts with complex shapes.
• The vacuum casting technique is compatible with several plastic materials with varying texture rigidity and flexibility.
• A standard mold material will offer a prototype with exact qualities as the intended final part.

3D Printing: Techniques and Advantages

Plastic Prototyping 3D Print

3D printing or additive manufacturing comprises various manufacturing technologies. It is one of the cutting-edge prototyping techniques following the advent of Industry 4.0 that revolutionized the manufacturing arena. 3D printing is an umbrella term, as stated earlier. Below are three of the most common techniques for 3D prototype plastic parts fabrication:

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

FDM 3D printing is the most common 3D printing technique used in plastic prototyping. It usually includes extrusion for a layer-by-layer plastic material deposition until it creates the final product.

Depending on the chosen materials, you can make plastic prototypes with greater strength and resolution with industrial-grade FDM printers. Additionally, FDM 3D is a flexible procedure well suited to various materials such as polycarbonate, PLA, Nylon, ABS, PETG, etc.

Stereolithography (SLA)

SLA 3D printing uses plastic resin materials to make 3D plastic prototypes. It employs a high-powered laser to solidify the model. This technique can be used for prototyping medical, dental, and general consumer electronics applications.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

SLS technique utilizes a high-powered laser like SLA 3D printing. However, it forges powdered materials together to create a 3D model. It offers a superior print quality compared to the FDM 3D technique. You’ll discover that plastic prototypes made using SLS 3D have higher resolutions and are more functional. As such, they are usually more durable and flexible compared to FDM prints.

Benefits of Using 3D Printing for Your Plastic Prototype

Below are some of the reasons why 3D printing is the ideal technique for your plastic prototypes:

• 3D printing lets you upload your CAD files directly into the 3D printer software while the machine reads it effectively, permitting a seamless workflow.
• 3D printing processes can produce plastic prototypes faster while lowering the overall costs of the production process.
• The 3D printing techniques offer flexible material choices that allow you to test various materials when creating prototype plastic parts.
• This additive manufacturing process helps to create a perfect plastic prototype from product designs in about 24 hours or less.
• You can easily make changes to the CAD file of your products before uploading it to the printer in 3D printing. Therefore, you can create multiple design iterations within a shorter time.

CNC Machining: Process and Benefits

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CNC machining is an effective and fast-paced plastic prototyping method. It utilizes multiple tools to create 3D models of your design from solid blocks of materials. It uses a subtractive process to create prototypes. That is, this technique operates conversely to 3D printing. It removes material from the solid block, unlike the additive 3D printing process. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean you cannot create plastic prototypes with varied materials.

Digital milling machines ensure the effectiveness of the CNC machining process. Hence, you must provide the proper process automation with a computer available to control the CNC milling machine using uploaded 3D files. Moreover, you do not need molds to create prototype CNC plastic parts. As a result, it is more cost-effective and requires CAD rendering to begin CNC plastic prototyping.

Benefits of Using CNC Machining for Your Plastic Prototype

CNC machining is another effective and viable rapid prototyping technique with the following benefits:

• CNC machining allows the use of various materials, which makes it easier for you to choose a preferred material for your prototypes.
• It facilitates faster turnaround times considering the plastic prototype model complexity.
• This plastic prototyping technique allows you to test the plastic prototype parts’ fit, form, and function without necessarily making injection mold tooling.
• CNC machining aids the creation of various surface finishes on the prototype, including polishing, painting, powder coating, anodizing, and more.
• CNC machining offers greater potential for tight tolerances, threads and undercuts, and size limitations.
• The resulting plastic prototypes possess close mechanical properties to the injected part with varying outcomes depending on the desired functionality and appearance.

Injection Molding: Process and Benefits

Plastic Injection Molding

Injection molding is the ideal fabrication method whenever you need limited plastic parts prototype production runs. It offers valuable ways of manufacturing prototypes despite being a popular method for full-scale production. The injection molding technique includes the creation of a metal die. You must mix the plastic resin into a heated barrel and forcefully inject it into the metal die.

Rapid cooling of the plastic injection molds into a solid component is the last step of the injection molding process. It offers a prototype with outstanding mechanical properties and a high-quality surface finish. Injection molding is compatible with common thermoplastic materials like Nylon, ABS, Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, etc.

Prototype plastic injection molding forms the base for subsequent molds needed to complete your production runs. Industries such as medical, consumer goods, automobiles, electronics, and packaging utilize injection molded parts.

Benefits of Using Injection Molding for Your Plastic Prototypes

Here are reasons why injection molding is perfect for your plastic parts prototypes:

• Injection molding aids fast and cost-effective product concept testing without sacrificing quality.
• It aids the fabrication of functional prototypes and complex parts with varying shapes and weights.
• This technique helps to achieve quick insights into the plastic prototypes’ operational capabilities by making real-life, near-perfect replicas of final products.
• Prototype injection molding is the most effective process for minimal production runs.
• Injection molded parts and prototypes are perfect for industries like the medical sector that require product considerable testing and certification.

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Key Considerations for Effective Plastic Prototyping

PEI (Ultem) Plastic CNC Machined Prototype

Since prototypes have varied quality requirements, choosing the ideal plastic prototyping method for your applications is essential. Although your prototypes and production parts can have an approximate resemblance in the early stages, both must match closely when development approaches launching. As such, here are critical considerations for effective plastic prototype production:

Purpose and Application of the Prototype

Your plastic prototype’s application should be your initial consideration when producing plastic prototypes. Product developers usually use plastic parts in various industries and for varying purposes. Your plastic parts prototype might be for functional testing with prospective consumers. Conversely, you might need the prototype for non-functional testing for marketing or sales.

Therefore, ensure you choose a method that offers prototype parts with the final product’s exact colors, geometry, and surface finishing.

Design Form and Complexity

The design form and complexity may include intricate internal features and tight tolerances. As such, these factors help to decide the ideal prototyping technique for your prototypes. It would be best to note that the geometry of designs often limits some manufacturing options. They may require high-level Design for Manufacturing (DFM) optimization to be cost-effective or economical at best. The ideal choice is to choose technologies that can effectively match the intended geometry of your plastic prototype.

Volume, Cost, and Lead Time Considerations

The plastic parts’ size and volume significantly influence the product’s final cost and lead time of the prototyping process. The intended prototype’s total volume significantly influences the choice of the ideal prototyping technique.

Certain processes may have higher initial setup and tooling costs while they make inexpensive parts. Conversely, other techniques may require lower startup costs but higher part costs due to lesser automation, slower cycle times, and labor costs. The costs of such processes only reduce marginally, even with increased volumes.

However, how soon you need your plastic prototype may determine your choice of a rapid prototyping technique. Some methods use cutting-edge tooling with automation to achieve plastic prototypes within 24 hours or less. Unfortunately, the tooling and setups for some methods could result in weeks as lead time. Therefore, choosing the process that creates parts quickly is advisable if you need to test your plastic prototype quickly.

Material Selection for Prototyping

The specific stresses or stains that a part will be exposed to determine the perfect plastic prototype material. You must balance cost with your prototype’s functional requirements and aesthetics before picking the ideal material. Therefore, before concluding, you must compare the available plastic prototyping techniques with the ideal application characteristics.

Understanding the Costs of Plastic Prototyping

Custom Plastic Prototype Components

Several factors can influence plastic parts’ prototyping costs. These factors include the preferred material, the part’s complexity, and the chosen fabrication technique. Although 3D printing is often less costly than CNC machining, injection molding is relatively more expensive than the 3D printing processes and CNC machining due to mold milling costs.

3D printing techniques have low fixed costs, ensuring zero economies of scale. Moreover, the first imitation has the exact cost as the last copy. Likewise, CNC machining has low fixed costs, with total costs increasing steadily. So, the cost of each part will be a little higher than the similar parts created with 3D printing. The cost of the first few parts is relatively high, as in the case of prototype plastic injection molding. However, the cost reduces gradually as the volume increases.

Therefore, it is evident that these plastic prototyping techniques have comparable costs, which depend majorly on the method used and the required volume.

Conclusion

Plastic prototyping is essential to developing high-quality plastic components that meet the intended purposes. Also, choosing the appropriate prototyping method helps to ensure the cost-effective and flexible manufacturing of high-quality plastic prototypes and parts. Hence, it is essential to understand everything about prototyping technologies. However, AT-Machining is your best bet if you need professional help with your plastic prototyping and rapid tooling!

AT-Machining Plastic CNC Machining Services

AT-Machining is the right manufacturing service provider capable of offering the solution for your plastic machining needs. We have good years of experience and a team of expert designers and engineers that allow us to handle your project best and deliver superior-quality plastic prototypes.

We leverage our broad network of partners in several industries to bring your design ideas to reality in the best possible ways. As you submit your design file today, experience our professional feedback and recommendations for effective plastic part prototyping. Contact us now, and let professionals handle your plastic prototyping projects!

FAQs

What Are the Common Plastic Materials Used for Plastic Prototyping?

Due to their strength, durability, and functionality, plastic product designers often make prototypes using nylon, ABS, acrylic, polycarbonate, and polyphenylsulfone.

Which Plastic Is Best for 3D Printing of Plastic Prototypes?

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is an easy-to-use thermoplastic commonly used in filament form. It exists in powder form for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) processes. More importantly, it is one of the most cost-effective and accessible materials for 3D printing.

Is Plastic Prototype Important to Product Development?

Plastic prototyping is beneficial to plastic product development because it facilitates the stimulation of the final product features. Therefore, it is easier to test the product’s functionality and the design’s correctness before mass producing the product.

What Is Rapid Prototyping for Plastic Parts?

Plastic parts rapid prototyping is helpful in the quick development of plastic parts for initial design verification and validation. It reduces the overall product development time and costs. Unlike injection molded parts, rapid prototyping for plastic parts offer lower tool modification cost.

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