Remember, no two parts or projects are identical. Therefore, can a part be prototype cast in two days? Absolutely! Does that mean your part can be cast in the shortest possible time? Not necessarily. To avoid unforeseen complications that can derail a well-designed part, it is best if you work in concert with a trusted prototyper early in your design process.
Alumacast is able to begin prototyping work before a part design is completely finalized. Due to our uniquely flexible mold making process we can begin work on your prototype while you are completing some minor revisions in one area of your part design. This type of flexibility gives the designer more time to tweak the part design in what may be a critical area without seriously delaying the start of the prototyping process and running the risk of becoming the key factor in delaying the launch of a new product.
It is not uncommon for a part to be designed for fabrication only to find that it is more economical to cast the part, especially when quantities are needed.
“A designer’s primary objective is to design a functioning product within given economic and schedule constraints. However, research has shown that decisions made during the design period determine 70% of the product’s costs while decisions made during production only account for 20% of the product’s costs.
The very purpose for producing a prototype is to uncover potential problems in the product being prototyped. But what happens when problems you did not anticipate occur in the prototyping process?
That is the nagging question, especially when it comes down to crunch time. Every prototyper has a story about speedy turn-around of a prototype casting project and he may assure you that record turn-around of your casting is not a problem. But be careful about accepting this kind of promotional bravado at face value, especially if you are banking the success of your project on a record turn-around because you have run out of time.
Here are some of the advantages of releasing your part files to the prototype supplier before you complete the design.
Having your part fail in prototype testing may seem like a minor catastrophe, but in reality it is a blessing in disguise. It is better to discover part weaknesses in the prototype process than in the production process, with hundreds, if not thousands of parts out in the marketplace. After all, prototyping is done to test the design.
Well, that’s a good question and the answer you get will vary. Some folks will tell you it will take four to six or maybe even eight weeks to deliver prototype castings. They could be right. Some jobs are more challenging than others. But what you, as a designer, need to know is that when someone tells you, “I can have this prototype casting for you in about four to six weeks..” I would suggest you make a few more phone calls.
If this seems like a silly question, it’s not. We all know that prototypes are created to accomplish a variety of things such as testing the mechanical strength of a part, measuring heat dissipation characteristics, fit and whatever else may be required to ensure the success of the design before it goes into production.
