Critical discussion on rapid prototyping in the designprocess Essay

Critical discussion on rapid prototyping in the designprocess - Essay Example Rapid prototyping enables them to do just that by reducing the time needed to design and implement a product. In some cases RP techniques can reduce the prototyping time by 2X to 10X when compared to the older methods used for this purpose (Smith 1999). Companies ready to cope up with the customer demands and take lead to market their product prior than their competitors are inclined to survive in this competitive age. Therefore there are several companies who reduced their product development life cycle quite significantly as shown in following fig 1 (Smith 1990). History of rapid prototyping: Since the beginning of the industrial age prototypes have been considered a vital part of the designing of tools as well as structures. A prototype enables the manufacturer to test the functionality, out put, performance and optimality of the various design features that can be introduced into the actual product without risking additional manufacturing costs that may occur in case of an untest ed product. The concept of rapid prototyping originated in the late sixties, when Herbert Voelcker who was an engineering professor, decided to explore the possibilities of a computer controlled automatic tool that could design and manufacture a prototype using new and innovative methods. During the seventies, he proposed theories related to solid modeling, these theories then went on to become the basis of the algorithms and methods that are used for rapid prototyping today. In 1987 Carl Deckard who was a researcher in the University of Texas, developed a technique called selective laser sintering. Voelcker and Deckard made revolutionary developments as well as others after them, however Charles Hull is considered to be the father of rapid prototyping as he holds the patent for the instruments used in the development of 3D objects from 2D diagrams using Stereolithography. Nowadays a prototype can be produced fairly easily and efficiently as compared to the time when rapid prototypi ng hadn’t replaced subtractive manufacturing. Where has RP come from and where is it going: Rapid prototyping has been a valuable tool in the designer’s perspective for over a decade now, and the techniques involved have come a long way from since the time they were introduced. The main impact of this technology is in the replacement of traditional techniques in the final stages of product development. However,the greatest prospective for 3D modeling lies prior to the prototyping stage i.e. in the design process where better designs are envisioned. Over the last 20 to 25 years, products in the market have seen a tremendous increase in geometrical complexity. A typical example can be the automotive industry in which products have evolved from straight forward cars to custom built and even custom designed cars that some times look like some thing out of a science fiction movie. Initially in the 1970s car designs took 4 weeks at an average, later in the 1980s this time in creased to 16 weeks, however during the 1990s CAD/CAM and CNC technologies helped to shave down the time to 8 weeks and last but not the least RP techniques eventually enabled designers to complete the task in 3 weeks instead. Rapid prototyping has helped engineers and designers shorten the design cycle by enabling them to create in 2 hr a prototype that