5 Ways Tough PolyJet™ Materials Will Transform Your Prototyping
Too often we make unnecessary compromises.
Life is full of choices, often leading to tradeoffs or pros and cons. We can learn to accept that nothing’s perfect, but sometimes this mentality leads to unnecessary compromises. Sometimes there’s a better way.
When it comes to product design and development, there are several compromises companies make, leading to sub-par prototypes.
Functional testing of prototypes can be done using various additive manufacturing methods. If the primary purpose of the prototype is to test functionality, it follows that the top criterion is the strength and performance properties of the material used. This tends to preclude the ability to print with high detail, color, and precision.
If you want to show this functional prototype to a client or customer, it might be difficult to convey what the finished product will look and feel like. Furthermore, low detail or accuracy can cause critical features to become distorted or misrepresented.
Uniform (single material) products can be prototyped relatively easily. But most products are more complex than that. How do you 3D print a cordless drill for example? It has hard plastic sections, complex geometries, as well as soft rubbery parts. One approach is to just print with a “good enough” material to estimate how the cordless drill will look and feel. Again, this shows some aspects of the product but can’t really test it for functionality. Another option is to insist on an accurate representation of the product by printing each material separately and assembling it afterward. This slows down the prototyping process, making each iteration longer and more costly. What if the cordless drill prototype could be printed all at once, with multiple materials in a single print?
