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Tag: Design

Three Phases of prototyping

Prototyping involves more than just the creation of a tactile mockup. It’s both a proof of concept using off the shelf hardware mixed with DIY materials and a fully-functional product constructed of precision-crafted components.

For that reason, new product designs generally go through several prototype iterations before they are deemed ready for the production line. Whereas it’s common to think in terms of a single prototype, the process, in fact, typically results in the creation of multiple iterations.

Indeed, the design process can usually see as many as three to five different prototype phases, with a multitude of test units put through their paces.

To that end, we have partitioned the prototyping process into three classifications: what we’ll call the Alpha, Beta, and Pilot. While different product developers may use alternative terminology such as minimum viable product (MVP) and proof of concept (POC), these phases are fairly universal. Each phase represents a step forward along a product roadmap and corresponds to an increasing score along the Technology Readiness Level scale.

It should be noted, however, that the process itself is usually nonlinear in nature, as developers will occasionally use lessons learned in various test phases to go back and revisit earlier iterations. Depending on what stage along the process you are, the tools, methods, decisions and challenges will be different.

For the sake of clarity we’ve listed prototypes in succession; however, in some cases, prototypes may be developed anywhere along the product development timeline. It’s important to realize that developers design prototypes to match the manufacturing method, so depending on changes and differences it may be necessary to push forward prototypes concurrently.

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How Rapid prototyping helps you Design and Develop Products quickly

Product design failure in the development stage is a huge loss for the organization in terms of man-hours and the money invested in the development process. A tangible prototype of the product makes the complex product design looks simple. It helps product designer and engineers in visualizing and analyzing the actual part of the product before the development stage. This drastically reduces the chances of product failure to a great extent.

It helps you to develop every component of the complicated product in stages and compare every part of it with the prototype prepared. Any deviation from the prototype can give you a clear indication of the design failure of the part and it helps the development team to rectify the error immediately.

Why Rapid Prototyping?

  1. Clear understanding and visualization of the Design Concepts
    It acts like a POC for the client and it’s easier to understand the design rather than struggling to visualize by looking the design on the screen or paper. It helps the designer to understand the look and feel of the design rather than having a virtual design through CAD model.
  2. Quick changes or modification
    Having a visible and tangible model provides manufacturers with the better understanding of how the product may look like. It helps them analyze the actual design and suggest correction or modifications quickly which can be incorporated to make the product design perfect before advancing to the manufacturing stage.
  3. Reduction in monetary investment and time consumption for Designing
    Rapid prototyping creates a model very similar to what an actual product can look like. This eliminates a need for preparing molds and use of other software to create a model. The existing CAD software and printing equipment are sufficient to create a rapid prototype which gives you a feel of an actual model. This not only result in saving of time and cost invested in creating the actual models but also results in overall reduction of your time to market.
  4. Product Customizations
    Rapid prototyping empowers you in developing the customized products with ease. A small modification in CAD model is sufficient to create a modification in the existing design without the need for any special tool or process.
  5. Higher Accuracy level in designing
    The material used for the prototyping has similar properties of the actual product. This makes it easier to perform the physical tests and identify the flaws and errors prior to the actual manufacturing process. This helps manufacturers to avoid the risk of halting the manufacturing process at a later stage.

Nowadays, manufacturers are more inclined towards rapid prototyping while initiating their new product development and manufacturing process. These revolutionary techniques are making things easier for product development companies, and product manufacturers in developing innovative products cost-effectively.

If you are struggling to hold the market share due to continuous innovative products being pumped by the competitors, there is a time to look into your product design and development process. Probably you require an expert who can boost your product development team to enable them to develop products at a faster pace.

At JOULEHUB, we carry out a systematic study of your concept and existing product line to redesign of systems and components successfully. We can partner with you to innovate, design and develop products rapidly to gain the first mover advantage.

JOULEHUB offers custom engineering design solutions and services to our global clients leveraging a team of experienced engineers and designers. Our diverse services span all aspects of engineering from legacy conversions, to designing and detailing, to FEA/CFD analysis. JOULEHUB has domain expertise in many industry verticals including automotive, off-highway vehicles, heavy machinery, consumer equipment, packaging and medical devices.

Contact us today to find out more.

Why Choose CNC Rapid Prototyping

When it comes to rapid prototyping, there are several different options. These include 3-D printing, sand casting, selective laser sintering, investment casting, fabrication, and CNC rapid prototyping. While they all offer unique advantages, there are some unique advantages to CNC prototype machining.

What Is CNC Prototype Machining?

CNC prototyping involves utilization of 3D solid model CAD designs as the input, and correspondingly fabricating the part directly from solid material through a computer controlled cutting and milling process. Some have used the term, “subtractive” rapid prototyping to describe this process, to contrast it with 3D printing, which is sometimes referred to as “additive” manufacturing. The subtractive aspect is that the CNC machine removes material from a starting material block to create the final part precisely to the CAD model specifications. With modern CNC machines, this material removal process is efficient, quick, and accurate to demanding specifications. Because of this subtractive nature, CNC prototyping allows for parts made from literally any material that is machinable and commercially available in cast or extruded stock. This provides material versatility and permits prototyping in materials that are often identical or very similar to those specified in production use. CNC prototyping suppliers offer an outstanding option for low volume customized products and prototypes with precision results!

While prototyping offers many benefits, two stand out. First, by creating a model before producing hundreds or thousands of finished products, engineering teams can identify potential problems, often times minor geometry or functional issues that by human nature are inherently difficult to catch in a computer model alone. This can allow the manufacturer to make the necessary corrections before going into full production, which saves a significant amount of money. Secondly, human factors, or how humans interact with the product are most often best assessed on the prototype. Issues such as color, texture, feel, light, shadows, temperature to touch, resistance to motion, etc. can be assessed with prototypes made to high craftsmanship, quality, and proper materials.

A Broad Reach

Prototyping and CNC Prototyping in particular can benefit any industry, whether aviation, automotive, architecture, aerospace, construction, medical, or something else that requires a finished product with precision and detail. Investing in the prototype process with CNC machining reduces the risk of time-consuming and costly mistakes.

Likewise, CNC is a viable option for many lower volume production projects. Depending on the geometry and material, whether a customer needs 100 or 1,000 units, CNC machining may be an excellent option as it eliminates the need for upfront tooling and molds due to its “on-demand” manufacturing methodology. Whenever a customer needs a plastic or metal prototype or multiple pieces in low volume manufacturing, CNC machining can be an outstanding process.

Enjoy Stellar Results

If you need a rapid-prototyped part or component, our team at JouleHub can help. As a leader in the industry, we maintain state-of-the-art CNC machines and have a dedicated team of professionals eager to assist you. Visit our website or call for more information.

JouleHub is born!

Welcome to JOULEHUB and first of all thanks for connecting with us.

Today we want to introduce the basic principles and the idea behind JOULEHUB but before we do, we would like to answer the most common question:

What is the meaning of the name JOULEHUB?


Joule stands for the unit of energy named after James Prescott Joule.

Hub simply stands for network or environment, which is usually used for locations with many innovations.

JOULEHUB is a place where energy is shared with people.

And now the main question remains: What is JOULEHUB?

JOULEHUB is a laboratory, located in Lucerne e in Switzerland, where people and companies work together on creating projects in the field of electronics and prototypes.

It is meant as a training and exchange environment for different technologies. JOULEHUB’s basic principles are:

  1. Innovation: in JOULEHUB we have work on many innovative projects.
  2. Information exchange: The information, patents and projects will be shared to be available to all and to enrich each other’s work.
  3. Training: With JOULEHUB’s people,you can build and enlarge your know-how to improve your knowledge

Our main idea is based on the principle to give all companies the possibility to outsource their ‘research & development’ departments, avoiding any business risks.

Like we said before, there are some bigger projects which we are working on already:

  1. The ‘World Solar Challenge’
  2. ‘Formula-E’, we want to create the first team composed not only by experts but also by students.

Now that’s just the beginning of it all and a small part of what JOULEHUB is looking to accomplish.To be continued…