Ask anyone what they envisage by the word prototype and they will generally respond with different interpretations. Many will state that a prototype is the first and early creation of a physical example or version, whilst others will say it’s way before that, holding a view that its birth starts as a pure visionary concept. Philosophically it’s the similar question as when does a journey first start? In your head or when you take the physical first step?
Whichever of these versions you wish to adopt or agree upon, from a prototype manufacturing perspective, we have it covered here at Freeform Technology.
So, from a conceptual prototype point of view, we are able to engage our team in firstly defining your prototype manufacturing requirements. This is through the creative use of technology and our expertise, where we are able to capture and digitise the concept in 2D or 3D, using our latest state of the art software. This facilitates the ability to initially not use any physical material, resulting in a more friendly eco approach. It also means that changes are simple to make with the use of a keypad rather than machine tools. It’s rapidly able to adapt to show potential changes and alterations, innovation often in many cases being accomplished by the simple study of the virtualised version on the screen. Importantly, it’s shown to be an extremely cost-effective investment when measured against both time and potential material costs.
A hybrid of this prototype analogy could be considered where you may already have a digitised file version, which we can then import directly into our systems. This will then facilitate our team to go into immediate manufacturing production using those file versions, or alternatively could provide a head start towards making any agreed digitised changes or improvements prior to committing to the actual physical manufacture.
Finally, a prototype in its physical form, is one that would be first in actual production. It’s one we can feel and touch. Here we are looking at what may be the finished mould, right through to the manufactured component part derived from it. We are experts in mould creation and design. We work closely with each of our customers to achieve the finished result recognising that mould manufacture is only one element in the chain – but the most important! We work predominantly in aluminium but with other mediums as well, dependent upon use case and requirement. All of which will form part of our early consultations towards creating a formal statement of work and quotation.
Whatever stage you may be at, we would be delighted to discuss your prototype manufacturing requirements by engaging you with one of our experienced members of the team. Get in touch today.
