Insider Special Edition

INSIDER Special Edition - Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing 06/18/09

In this edition, sponsored by : Choosing the Best Prototyping Process for Your Project Rapid Injection Molding Helps Drive Fuel Cell Commercialization Fast Part Prototyping Speeds Bike Meter to Market Choosing the Best Prototyping Process for Your Project Being able to obtain prototype parts quickly to test for component fit and function can help get your product to market faster than your competition. Some prototyping processes utilize traditional manufacturing methods to produce prototypes. Other technologies have emerged and have been improved upon over a relatively short period of time. There are dozens of ways prototypes can be made. As prototyping processes continue to evolve, the product designer is constantly trying to determine what process or technology is best for their unique application. A white paper, available from Proto Labs, explores the advantages and shortcomings of the major prototyping processes available to today's designer. You'll find detailed process descriptions and material properties of parts produced by each prototyping process. In addition, a helpful decision tree highlights key questions designers must consider when choosing a prototyping process. Ultimately, it will help you select the best prototyping process for your product development process. If your prototype can faithfully represent the attributes of the end product, it is by definition functional. These requirements often include such things as material properties (e.g. flame resistance), dimensional accuracy for fit-up with mating parts and cosmetic surface finishes for appearance. If your prototype design can be repeatedly and economically produced in a manner that supports the requirements of the end product, it is by definition manufacturable. These requirements include the ability to maintain the functionality of the design, keep the piece-part cost below the required level, and support the production schedule. No matter how great a design is, it will go nowhere if it can't be manufactured. Finally, even if your design is functional and manufacturable, it doesn't mean anyone will want to use it. Prototypes are the only true way to verify the viability of the design in this sense. If your design can also pass the challenges associated with market trials and regulatory testing, you're well on your way to a successful product launch. Click here to download your free copy of the white paper. About Proto Labs Proto Labs is the world's fastest source for custom CNC machined and injection molded parts. With Proto Labs' First Cut and Protomold services, you get real materials, real functionality, and real value - in as little as one business day. Really. Click here to learn more about prototyping and short-run production services from Proto Labs. Rapid Injection Molding Helps Drive Fuel Cell Commercialization A generator converts fuel to electricity by burning the fuel and using machinery to convert the resulting thermal energy to mechanical and then electrical energy. A fuel cell, on the other hand, is a clean, quiet, electrochemical device that converts hydrogen into electricity with zero emissions. Ballard Power Systems in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, designs, develops, and manufactures zero-emission proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The technology is already powering a number of products and applications, including buses, cars, forklift trucks, and residential cogeneration systems. Engineers at Ballard turned to Protomold of Maple Plain, MN, which offers a high-quality, low-cost method for making injection-molded plastic parts for prototyping and low-volume production. Recently, Protomold produced a part for Ballard's 35-amp, liquid-cooled Mark 1030 fuel cell stack, designed for integration into a Ballard partner's system for the residential cogeneration market. The Mark1030 fuel cell is a number of fuel cells stacked together. Belleville springs are used to compress graphitic plates in the stack into a single unit to maintain contact and sealing. To keep the stacked cells aligned during compression, a machined metal rod was fed through the holes in the middle of the washers and then the stack of springs was shrink-wrapped. The obvious way to align the washers would be a tube running through the centers of the stack. But to prevent the tube from sticking out past the end of the stack once the springs were compressed, the engineers wanted one that would shorten along with the stack of springs. The solution was two opposing bases with walls and flexible locking arms. The walls support the spring while the flexible arms lock the two bases together. Under compression, both walls and arms slide past each other towards the opposing bases. To control costs, a single part was made that could be used for both components. Ballard first tried standard rapid prototyping to test the fit, but the resin was too brittle and broke easily. For functional testing, they needed a process that used real production resin to evaluate impact resistance and durability. The aluminum tooling for injection-molded prototypes was made for under $2,000. For their prototype parts, Ballard specified PA66 nylon resin. At the quantity ordered, Protomold's injection-molded prototypes cost less than a similar number of rapid prototype parts would have. Using the nylon parts for functional testing, they verified their design and moved ahead into limited production. Click here for the full story. Fast Part Prototyping Speeds Bike Meter to Market Small, bicycle-mounted computers measure power and performance, allowing the rider to see and manage his output in real time, both in training and in competition. Typical power meters cost between $1,600 and $5,000. The iBike® Pro power meter from Velocomp LLP, sells for between $400 and $700. "The iBike isn't just measuring time and velocity and power like other computers, it actually measures the incline of a hill, the wind speed, aerodynamic drag, and friction in the drive train of the bike," according to Velocomp CEO John Hamann. The idea was to measure opposing forces using two inexpensive solid-state sensors: an accelerometer and a wind speed sensor. By measuring opposing forces, the iBike would get the same power numbers as other meters, but would move easily from bike to bike. Velocomp used SolidWorks to generate product shapes and drawings, enabling them to design the plastics and check clearances without using an industrial design house. Protomold was chosen for final prototypes and, eventually, production parts. After getting first sample parts in March 2006, Velocomp turned again to Protomold two months later, this time for production parts. "With just two people and two personal computers, we went from product concept to production in just over a year," said Hamann. Velocomp sells the iBike through Web stores, brick-and-mortar dealers, and distributors in the U.S. and abroad. They have been in volume production since September of 2006, and Hamann estimates annual sales growth at about 50 percent. Protomold has been an important part not just of the iBike's success, but of the business venture as well. "With a partner like Protomold, we don't just offer a better product; we can also change the way we do business as well. We could wait 12 weeks for large orders of parts to ship from China, but instead, we keep a very small inventory and get parts as we need them from Protomold and our other U.S. suppliers, which lets us be both fast to market and cash-flow-positive at a very early stage." Click here for the full story. To read more real customer case studies from Protomold, click here.