Using Rapid Manufacturing to Improve Product Development
Rapid manufacturing can drive immense value across the entire product development process.
Continuing innovation in fields like 3D printing and manufacturing software are opening up more and more cases where rapid manufacturing is an attractive option for not only prototyping and bridge production, but full-scale production as well.
In this blog, we explore how rapid manufacturing can:
dramatically shorten prototype and production timelines to get your products to market faster
serve as the perfect tool for iterative design and prototyping
support cost-competitive production for low- to mid-volume production and complex geometries
Rapid manufacturing describes a variety of technologies used to produce parts much faster than traditional methods. Time savings are rooted in both reduced tooling times and faster production cycles. This typically involves manufacturing methods such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing, CNC machining, RTV casting and even injection molding when combined with rapid tooling.
In the past, rapid manufacturing has primarily been reserved for prototyping and testing, as the various technologies were incapable of producing production-level volumes in a cost-effective way. But recent advancements in materials, dimensional control, cost and speed has made it a more viable option for production parts.
Not all rapid manufacturing technologies are created equal, however. New rapid manufacturing approaches are creating capabilities that simply weren’t available in the past. One of the most popular technologies is 3D printing and additive manufacturing. There have been a lot of false promises made over the last decade about 3D printing. Until recent breakthroughs, the technology just wasn’t cost-effective or fast enough for most rapid manufacturing applications. That is changing with the emergence of new materials, tighter dimensional controls and surface finishes that mirror machined parts. For example, Empire Group’s latest printing technology uses ceramic reinforced materials to create injection molding tooling that is tough enough to handle some of the most difficult injection molding materials, like Ultem and fiber-reinforced nylon. Using printed tools, Empire Group can build a tool and shoot parts in days, instead of the weeks it normally takes with aluminum tooling. This is a product development game-changer when parts made with 3D printed materials are not acceptable, such as when needed for mechanical or regulatory testing.
Rapid Prototyping Versus Rapid Manufacturing
Prototyping is typically time sensitive and involves relatively low volumes from one to a few hundred. This has made it a natural fit for rapid manufacturing techniques like 3D printing. Prototyping provides valuable support for fit checks, form and function checks, design verification and finalization of color and finish. It allows design engineers to iterate quickly, “fail fast,” and prove their design before proceeding to production.
While rapid manufacturing capabilities are an exceptional tool for prototyping, recent advances mean they can do much more. In many cases, rapid manufacturing can offer competitive costs for end-use production with greatly enhanced speed and flexibility.
Common Rapid Manufacturing Use Cases Beyond Prototyping
Bridge Production: Rapid manufacturing can be used early in the product life cycle, delaying the need for expensive tooling and allowing customer feedback to be incorporated prior to scaling up.
Lower Volume End-Use Production Runs: For many lower volume parts, rapid manufacturing can save money and provide more flexibility when compared to traditional manufacturing.
Out-of-Production Components: Rapid manufacturing is a great solution for older designs that no longer maintain active tooling. Empire Group can even rapidly manufacture a component using only an old drawing, part or CAD file.
Micro 3D Printing: Micro manufacturing of components as small as a grain of rice upends traditional assumptions about feasible scale for rapid manufacturing. These micro components are so small that they can rapidly be manufactured at even a large scale while offering significant cost advantages. Empire Group, for example, can launch production for a small fraction of the cost of traditional micro injection molding tooling, which can range upwards of $100,000.
Which Production Processes are Compatible with Rapid Manufacturing?
Rapid manufacturing provides the most value when it spans a variety of different manufacturing processes to deliver the greatest flexibility possible when moving from prototype to production.
Rapid manufacturing continues to mature and expand into a wider range of production processes than was possible in the past. For example, Empire Group offers rapid manufacturing across all of the following processes (see our page here for more detailed technical and lead time information):
Why is Rapid Manufacturing So Valuable for Product Development?
Rapid manufacturing can deliver significant value compared to traditional manufacturing methods:
Shorter Product Development Timelines: Rapid manufacturing accelerates the product development cycle by eliminating the need for long lead time tooling. A leading toy manufacturer was able to reduce time-to-market for new products by three months using rapid injection molding to accelerate design and testing.
Improved Flexibility in Design: Design choices no longer need to be constrained by tooling limitations. And lower volume, highly targeted products that were once not viable, now are. The freedom to cost-effectively produce components at a smaller scale allows for more design experimentation, more specialized product offerings and the ability to enter new markets more quickly.
Faster Ramp Up to Production: Eliminating tooling in the early stages of production gets product to market faster. And using rapid manufacturing methods for initial production runs provides valuable market feedback that can be used to modify products prior to investing in tooling needed for high-volume production runs.
Improved Financial Returns: Avoiding tooling costs is only the starting point in lowering costs and improving a project’s financial impact. Having the flexibility to iterate faster and make design changes early in the product launch phase translates into significant savings in rework and potential product recalls.
The Value of a One-Stop-Shop for Product Development and Rapid Manufacturing
Empire Group offers end-to-end product development support, allowing our client’s projects to move seamlessly from design to prototype to production under the same roof.
The combined value of Empire Group’s expertise in prototyping, product development and rapid manufacturing is more than the sum of its parts. This unique combination of capabilities and expertise allows us to offer clients a one-stop-shop designed to provide rapid manufacturing as a true turnkey solution.
Our experts work hand-in-hand with clients through ideation, design and prototyping to optimize cost, function, appearance, usability and manufacturability. If you’re interested in learning more about harnessing rapid manufacturing for your organization, click the button below to start a conversation!