The progression of a
product design includes many steps. These steps can change somewhat depending
on the customer’s final intent. A typical progression might start with a patent
search followed by brainstorming of ideas for a solution to the customer’s
idea. The next step involves the engineering and creation of a “virtual
prototype” using CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. Once we believe that we
have arrived at a successful virtual design, a rapid prototype is usually
recommended.
There are many factors to consider when pursuing a product idea. One of them is what is the size of the market
or how many of these widgets do I think I can sell?There are several aspects of the development
of the product that are influenced by this number.
When someone thinks of 3 Dimensional Printing, Rapid Prototyping or Additive Manufacturing (so named because generally material is “added” together to create objects) they think of the process that just creates the part.
