Developing a prototype is easier than it used to be.
So you have a product idea that you would like to develop and you are ready to take that next step, creating an actual prototype. It may seem overwhelming or even impossible if you have never done anything like it before. At Arrival 3D we have used 3D scanning services to help many customers take that next step toward realizing their dreams. While it is nothing to sneeze at or trivialize, creating a physical prototype can often be done without too much effort with the help of a team that sometimes includes a 3D scanning service provider. Granted this is only true if your invention is a physical object or part. The more complex your invention, the harder it will be to prototype obviously. But 3D scanning services and 3D printing services bring a real advantage to those wanting to prototype physical objects. An example would be a popsicle stick, kids toy, a hand tool of some kind, a container or enclosure, etc.
The first thing you will need to do is communicate your idea. One way to do this is to actually create a hand-made prototype using any means necessary. It does not have to be pretty. You could by something at the store and cannibalize it or adapt it to make your invention. You could whittle it out of wood or plastic. You could glue things together or grind things down. We even had a customer use copper plates and solder. Sculpting it out of clay or using a plaster cast works as well. What ever it is that you have to do, if you can get some kind of hand-made prototype created you will have taken one more step toward your goal. 3D scanning services can then be used to capture the shape of your prototype. Using reverse engineering services, companies like Arrival 3D can use your 3D scanned object as a starting point to build properly formed objects in a CAD program.
You can also simply get your ideas down on paper. Describe them in paragraph form or draw them on a bar napkin; any way you can get it out of your head and into someone else’s will do. Now as a 3D scanning service company, it is usually beyond our scope to create engineering plans from drawings or descriptions; you will likely need an product development engineer for that unless it is really super simple. We can direct you to one that will be fair and not break the bank. But even if you don’t make a hand made prototype, there may be existing objects or products that you need to adapt yours to. In that situation 3D scanning services can help as well. We can scan the off-the-shelf item that you are adapting to and prepare a 3D CAD model so that your engineering consultant may make the necessary adaptations and your part will fit the first time.
Finally, once you have a CAD model of your design, we can produce a 3D-printed prototype. Imagine that magical moment when you open the box from Arrival 3D to reveal your very own invention, right there on the table. Well not to be a party pooper but quite frequently the first prototype is not the last and there will be something that is not quite right. But that is the purpose of prototyping to begin with, and is what makes 3D printing services worth it. You get to test your product out before having a Chinese factory make 1000’s of them. Finding a flaw or opportunity for improvement at this stage may be the key to success.
It is not an easy thing to bring a product to market. Youprobably already know you face steep odds, and the
battlefield is littered with bodies. Success brings it own challenges as well. But if you are determined to
do it, we’d like to help by offering professional 3D scanning services that are
worthy of your fine product idea.
