5 Ways 3D Printing Can Benefit Product Development and Rapid Prototyping

Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine the product development process without 3D printing. Traditionally, developing prototypes that match the look and feel of the final product has been a bottleneck. With traditional technologies like CNC machining or injection moulding requiring expensive tooling and set up, companies are increasingly leveraging the benefits of 3D printing for rapid prototyping. From accelerating the prototyping process to reducing manufacturing costs, 3D printing brings a host of benefits to product development teams. In this article, we take a look at some of the ways 3D printing is transforming the product development process.

What is Rapid Prototyping?

Rapid prototyping refers to a way to quickly produce models of a final product using computer-aided (CAD) design software. In a highly competitive and ever-changing market landscape, bringing new products to market faster is one of the keys to success. Rapid prototyping is a key part of this process.The evolution of 3D printing for rapid prototyping has seen product designers not just able to create form and fit prototypes, but also fully functional models that match the properties of the final product. The fact that this can be done in-house, without the need to outsource to third parties, has a significant impact across the lifecycle of a product.

The Benefits of 3D Printing for Product Development

There are several ways product designers and developers can use 3D printing to enhance the product development stage. Below are just some of the key benefits:

1. It saves time

When it comes to product development, the faster you can create prototypes, the faster a product can be brought to market. Outsourcing prototyping jobs can take up a significant amount of time. Being able to 3D print prototypes in-house helps to reduce the time needed for production, by bypassing the need to wait. When done correctly, a 3D-printed model can be produced and tested in as little as 24 hours. Using digital CAD files, prototypes can be directly 3D printed in a matter of hours or days. Without the need for hard tooling, prototypes get in the hands of a product development team much faster, substantially shrinking product development timelines and leading to faster speed-to-market for new products.

2. It reduces costs

Using 3D printing for product development can make the process significantly cheaper, in part thanks to the lack of expensive tooling equipment required. Spotlight: Volvo Construction EquipmentA case in point is Volvo Construction Equipment, a large manufacturer of construction equipment. The company used 3D printing as part of a project to design and produce a new water pump housing. Prior to using 3D printing, tooling would have been used, the cost of which was approximated to be around $9,000. With 3D printing, however, Volvo Construction Equipment was able to cut lead time by 90%, from 20 weeks down to 2, and significantly reduce costs by over 90%. This use case, and others, demonstrate the significant time and cost savings that can be achieved by integrating 3D printing into existing product development processes.

3. It allows for more iterations

Another way 3D printing saves costs is by enabling multiple design iterations cost-effectively. Testing and iteration designs is a key element of the product development process. Since 3D printing is based on digitial CAD files, updating designs is a much easier and quicker process. This opens up the possiblitly for for more frequent and cost-effective design iteration cycles during the development stage. Spotlight: Adidas Futurecraft 4D sneakersThere are many benefits to being able to produce multiple iterations quickly. For example, fine-tuning a concept and design can help to create a final product with superior quality and functionality. Furthermore, making it easier for designers to experiment with more radical designs and solve complex design problems will only serve to drive product innovation.

4. It enables validation and testing

3D printing enables the production of prototypes at every stage of the product development process. Whether it is visual or functional aspects of a product that need to be assessed, current 3D printing technologies are capable of a high level of detail as well as high strength. 3D printing prototypes with a final product look has become a vital step for product development. Not only can product engineers and designers communicate ideas internally, prototype models can be demostrated to consumers, so feedback can be gathered early on in the process. ExampleWhat’s more, there are currently a wide range of durable materials that can be used to create functional prototypes. Such prototypes can withstand the same rigours of the final part, including loading and exposure to chemicals. Today, product development departments can choose from 3D printing materials like nylon and carbon fibre to quickly iterate, print, test and modify high-strength functional prototypes.

• Models can be produced for a range of testing options, e.g. visual prototypes to quickly test design iterations, develop proofs of concept/functional prototypes that match the final part.

5. It facilitates design for manufacturability

When developing a new product, it’s important to to take into account the principles of design for manufacturability: in other words, ensuring that products are designed to be easy to manufacture. The more emphasis placed on design for manufacturability, the more likely the chances of developing a product that can feasibly be produced. Thanks to the ability to create functional prototypes, 3D printing enables product designers to take design manufacturability into account early in the design process. The technology helps to assess specific functional aspects of design before committing to manufacturing. This approach helps to avoid costly production complications and mistakes, ultimately resulting in better-designed products.

• Agile manufacturing:

Choosing the right 3D printing technology

As we’ve seen, 3D printing offers unparalleled cost-efficiency and versatility for prototyping. However, choosing the right technology to achieve your prototyping needs will be essential to fully take advantage of the technology. For example, when looking for prototypes that closely resemble the final product, Material Jetting or Stereolithography could be ideal technologies. With Material Jetting, for example, it’s possible to create full-colour prototypes combining different material properties — such as rigidity and flexibility or opaqueness and transparency. One example that illustrates the capabilities of material jetting is prototyping taillight covers for cars and other vehicles. Traditionally, to model taillight covers automakers would need to use milling and moulding to enable multi-coloured components. These components would then need to be subsequently assembled into a single assembly — a time-consuming process. More recently, technologies like FDM can be used to create these prototypes - but are limited when it comes to material and colour capabilities. Material Jetting, in contrast, can produce single parts in different colour combinations and a range of physical properties, including the transparency necessary for taillight prototyping.Audi is one company using Stratasys’ Material Jetting technology (PolyJet machines) to produce and test prototypes for its taillight prototypes. The automaker is said to have reduced the design verification process by up to 50%. While Material Jetting and SLA are typically the go-to technologies for visual prototypes, there are also solutions for those looking for more robust prototypes that can survive functional tests in harsh environments. With the availability of the engineering-grade thermoplastics, FDM and SLS technologies are ideal for creating durable parts. These parts are generally suitable for extensive testing, offering high stability and robustness.

Desktop 3D printing: A boon for in-house prototyping

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One factor in the rise of in-house prototyping lies in the evolution of desktop 3D printers. When first introduced, desktop 3D printers were primarily targeted towards hobbyists and DIY makerspaces. However, early desktop machines produced lower-quality parts, lacked consistency had had a limited material selection. Unsurprisingly they were, on the whole, unsuitable for industrial applications. However, the burst of the consumer 3D printing bubble has seen 3D printing becoming recognised as an industrial solution. Taking note of this rising trend, desktop 3D printer manufacturers, like Ultimaker, Formlabs and Makerbot, have begun to produce desktop systems with industrial capabilities.It’s now becoming increasingly cost-efficient for companies to produce prototypes in-house - and have full control over the development process. Priced around $5000 on average, these desktop 3D printers are aimed at companies in need of a reliable in-house rapid prototyping solution. Product development teams can now have an office-friendly, affordable and easy-to-use prototyping solution. The most recent example comes from Makerbot, which was one of the first to introduce lower-cost desktop 3D printers back in 2009. At the end of 2018, the company unveiled its new machine - the Method - “aimed at professionals to enable testing and validation of accurate prototypes early on.”

Product Development and 3D Printing: a Perfect Match

Product designers and developers can greatly benefit from using 3D printing in their product development process. From reduced time-to-market to more efficient product designs - reliable and affordable 3D printing solutions are there to help your company design the next winning product and successfully bring it to life.