Some customers of product design companies have a tough time understanding the differences between prototyping and modeling, and we completely understand why. They sound like the exact same process, but the reality is, they are not.
As a matter of fact, when product design companies do a web search on the ‘reasons for prototyping?’, more than often, phrases such as ‘to validate your idea’ or ‘gather user feedback’ come up. Although both of these statements are on the right track, they are also so broad that they provide very little understanding.
At the end of the day, the reason for a product design and development company to carry out prototyping depends on what stage of the product development process you are at. For example, when product design services are at the beginning of the process, which is when a client usually has just come up with their product idea and completed a few rough sketches when a product mockup is completed to visualize the idea, then this is referred to as model-making, not prototyping.
Product design companies define prototyping as a means of developing the functionality, assembly, chosen material, and mechanics of a design; to look at the technical aspects of your product idea.
At Designstein Studios, we provide both model-making & prototyping services; however, prototyping is a more worthwhile effort in the long run.
Model-Making
When a product development process takes place, sketch modeling is the first physical design mockup stage. Normally people use foam to find a product designs’ shape. A marker is usually used to help show the products’ contours and form along as show where the buttons, dials, and everything else will be located.
Design Development or Junk Model
Once you have decided on your rough product form, the next stage is to begin analyzing how various components could go together. This is supposed to be a brief, explorative tool, so it is usually a good idea to construct the model with things you’d find around the house, such as cardboard, buttons, plastic, etc.
Functional or Operational Model
Functional or operational model-making is when you start integrating the product’s electronics (if it has any) or mechanisms such as hinges, latches, clips, and so on. At Designstein Studios, many of our clients come to us with concepts they’ve already thought about; it’s natural that when we first meet, they have by that time done some model-making of the above three mentioned types. We use model-making to help us when developing a product.
Appearance or Film Model
This is the last type of model-making that we have to mention. This is a highly accurate, refined, and frequently non-operational or solid model. The making of appearance models is to showcase what you want the final exterior of the product to appear like. So, the mechanical performance of the design and the material utilized to make the model don’t have to be the same as the final manufactured product. Many times, customers don’t have the ability to make appearance models on their own.
Most of the time, clients request appearance models so that they can use them in marketing materials such as for photoshoots for crowdfunding campaigns such as Kickstarter or for promotional videos. Appearance models are commonly manufactured using prototyping processes such as CNC machining, SLS printing, or vac-casting so that correct color, texture, and finish can be accomplished. However, CAD data is needed for this because designing for manufacture (DFM) or considering product internals is not vital, as the modeling is done for it takes less time. Appearance models and the CAD generated for them are not then useful when carrying on to prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing.
Prototyping
Experimental Prototype or Prototype Zero
Once you have done all of your sketching and model-making of the CAD designs for your product and you feel they are ready, your product has many moving parts and is probably being equipped with electronics that you have had developed by a software and electronics engineering company. This usually happens when you manufacture a prototype before the initial/alpha prototype. You only go forward with this when you haven’t got a clue on how to proceed. Therefore, if you are uncertain if you have to alter the electronics design, change the product housing design, swap around the moving parts you’ve used such as change the living hinge to amortize hinge, or you are just unsure if the product will get consumer support.
For some projects, the electronics help to decide on the housing, and for others, the housing and product aesthetic determines the electronics. For a project where the housing is the fundamentals, you’d focus on prototyping it and then not worry so much about the appearance of the electronics and more about their functionality; or the other way around. Experimental prototypes are only a fast way to test and see if everything is coming together properly.
Alpha/Initial Prototype
An alpha/initial prototype is the first time you bring what you wish to be the final elements of aesthetics and functionality together. You make this prototype with the intention that everything you’ve designed is completely flawless and ready to be manufactured. Obviously, that is rarely the case. An alpha prototype is the first time you get to test your assembled product design tangibly – you actually make an initial prototype with the expectation that you do come across problems because if there are any, the sooner you find them, the less money you will have to fork out.
Beta Prototype (& Onwards)
If alterations are made after the initial prototype to fix problems or enhance the design a second or beta prototype is needed. This is necessary to double-check that the changes are correct. You carry on with this process and continue to manufacture prototypes until you’re completely satisfied with the design. Although this may seem costly, it is still cheaper than going to tooling or manufacturing and then needing to make massive changes. When it comes to injection-molded parts, this would require expensive tool modifications or having to build a completely new tool.
DesignStein Studios, LLC 