Automotive Rapid Prototyping & Automotive Prototype Services
New product development and innovation is much more difficult and time consuming than most other business activities. Automotive rapid prototyping greatly enhances learning speed and reduces the risk of new automotive parts development.
Historically, the automotive industry has been using rapid prototyping as an important tool in the automotive parts design process. The extremely fast-paced automotive design cycles require an extremely fast prototyping system which can produce car parts fast and inexpensively.
The main objective of automotive prototyping is to learn quickly: how a new automotive product behaves in its natural working environment, before transferring the prototype to the production line. Many times, mistakes are learned only after a new automotive part is launched. This is the main explanation for poor automotive parts design, from product mismatch, poor engineering and function or finish, and overpriced production. In order to accelerate the learning curve, before these costly automotive prototyping mistakes are made, one must accelerate and facilitate feedback loops from tests in the lab and market trials.
Automotive Manufacturing Technologies
Working with an assortment of rapid prototyping equipment, automotive prototyping engineers utilize the most advanced 3D printers, in their quest for perfect form, function and utility. Working in advanced manufacturing centers, the automotive engineers use the technology to verify what they are doing, and, equally important, to save tremendous amounts of time, and money.
Automotive Rapid Prototyping Compresses Development Time
The advantages of using 3D rapid prototyping model creation versus viewing a cad/cam model on a computer screen are palpable. Automotive parts engineers get together discuss the pros and cons of a rapidly produced automotive parts model and discuss the pros and cons of the design, as they pass it around, twisting and viewing the prototype, and decide if that is what they had in mind. This way, problems get solved up front, before going to the assembly line! Once determined that the automotive prototype design is a go, the model can then be sent to a die maker.
Automotive Prototyping and the Die Maker Process
The die maker cannot use model to make the die, but because they have it in their hand and can look at it and feel it, they can determine where the parting lines will be and exactly how much steel they will need to produce it. The timing of the die process is greatly compressed.
Examples of Automotive Rapid Prototype Parts
· Car Engine parts
· Engine castings and parts
· Auto Body Components
· Auto Mechanical parts
· Car Dashboards
· Car Handles and Knobs
· Car Trim parts
Fail first Paradox in Automotive Rapid Prototyping
The automotive rapid prototyping paradox is to fail earlier rather than later. By failing earlier, the design engineers surprisingly succeed in accelerating the project; this greatly reduces development cost risk. By considering all automotive prototype failures as learning experiments, the engineer has much less stress, knowing that they are practicing the old adage, that success comes from ninety-nine percent failure and introspection.
About Author
Dan P. is a writer for Objet Geometries Ltd, an automotive prototyping 3D printer manufacturer.
Tags: 3D, auto mechanical parts, automotive industry, automotive innovation, car handles and knobs, prototyping
By shiningwizard327, November 14, 2009 @ 5:58 am
“There’s a cliff!” LOL Hilarious! Love Chris Farley.
By autocadpro, November 14, 2009 @ 6:01 am
That would fall under Mechanical Engineering.
By RaizingArizona, November 14, 2009 @ 6:03 am
We don’t take “NO” for an answer
NO Oky Doky
NO Got’cha thanks
MM MM Terrific thanks for your time
Gotta love Chris. LOL
By Mitchell P, November 14, 2009 @ 6:43 am
By M1, November 14, 2009 @ 9:30 am
for oil: Valvoline, Castrol, Mobil
oil filters, Wix, Purolator, Baldwin, (Napa, motorcraft, ac delco are reboxed and made by wix and purolator)
air filters: Wix, Purolator, K&N
spark plugs.. NGK, AC Delco, Motorcraft, Champions for dodge and jeeps only, denso's are ok, but NGK's are better.
best air filter for performane, K&N.. Airraid is very good too, and costs less.
best oil.. all a matter of opinion. mobil 1 is good, factory fill for a lot of cars. I prefer Valvoline Synpower though.
ALWAYS AVOID FRAM! Avoid pennzoil and quaker state.
any cheapo filter is probably a fram.
why? fram oil filters have a cardboard backing plate that breaks off under higher pressure, and it never fails to break off, the filter then becomes an obstruction and the pump has to work harder to push oil through it. during this time, can take 30 seconds to 20 minutes, the valves will click and clack.
when they stop, the oil is finally pushing past the filter.
fram is just low quality. their air filters are ok, but if their oil filters have shortcuts in them, why waste time with them as a company for?
on the Ford trucks that use the cone style filter, there's a plastic nose cone that's glued to the tip, well I've seen that break off and plug the air filter hole. Go fram!
Oh.. there is NO GOOD FRAM FILTER. If you must use fram, at least use the tough guard, it's made differently and isn't jacked up like the others.
pennzoil and quaker state used to put parrafin (a form of wax) in their oils. you can see damage that wax can do if you tear an engine down.
Nice huh? but today, I simply don't want to waste time buying an oil that took a shortcut.
Valvoline for life!
By Miken, November 14, 2009 @ 10:27 am
yes, and 7 years is the correct time. all mechanical companies must do this…motorcycles, boat motors, even chainsaw manufacturers are held to this standard in order to protect a consumers investment.
By Annya, November 14, 2009 @ 10:33 pm
enter those on your yahoo search bar
By remember me?, November 15, 2009 @ 9:45 am
sorry to ask a stupid q, what is an OEM?
One way you can increase the business is to focus on selling items that are not fast selling that you can ship to rural areas.
It seems that you are not in a populated area, so focus on the needs of those companies. Sell and ship, it might be a little slow but you can start and get bigger and bigger volumes.
By imbrittany91, November 15, 2009 @ 11:52 am
LOL what my associate’s trying to say is…our new break pads or REALLY cool. XDDD
By qualitycheckssortingofky, November 16, 2009 @ 1:58 am
email me. I might be able to help.
purrs@charter.net
By J Corry, November 17, 2009 @ 6:44 am
summit.com
By ! -- !, November 17, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
You are going about this backwards……..
FIRST, you need to have solid deals with SUPPLIERS, who will sell to you, at wholesale prices, so you can make a profit .
Second, WHERE are you going to keep all that automotive product, that you want to sell ? How much secure, dry and heated warehouse space do you have, now ?
OR are you going to use a "drop shipper ' ? A what ?
If you don't know what that is, you are NOT ready to start a business.
Before you build a house, you need to put a solid foundation under it. In this case the foundation does not appear to be in place, at all.
Finally, have you done any research , about this type of business, to find out of it is NEEDED, or is the field all ready flooded with them ?
Do you think that you can compete with the big boys?/ On price, or service, or inventory ?
Lots to think about, isn't there ?
Jim b. Toronto. Ontario. Canada.