Coming up with your own innovative ideas can be exciting, especially when you’re on the verge of discovering a breakthrough that will streamline your company’s manufacturing or mechanical processes. Actually bringing your idea to fruition, however, is a whole other matter. This is especially true when you personally aren’t the one with the technical, machine building know-how. Contacting a machine shop can give you some insight into how they can make your concept a reality by building a custom prototype of your idea, and perhaps offer some suggestions and solutions you hadn’t even thought of.
What is a Prototype?
A prototype model is usually a smaller, scaled model of the final product. The prototype might actually be functional, to provide a demonstration of the process it’s designed to carry out. Or it could just be for display to show the parts and mechanisms involved and how they will eventually work in the finished product. A professional machine shop will have the materials and experience to build the most accurate and viable, if necessary for demonstration, prototype possible for your concept.
What Are the Benefits of a Custom Prototype?
When you have a custom prototype made, you’ll be able to predict quite a bit about the eventual finished machine. You’ll be able to see what it will look like, in 3-D, and see how the parts will move and function. You’ll be able to get outside opinions about your prototype, and receive feedback from colleagues and others who may be eventually involved with the machine, its design, and its usage. In some cases, the prototype may be able to actually carry out the functions that the finished machine will be used for. This makes a prototype an excellent choice to bring to trade shows or company meetings where the evolution of your mechanical needs will be discussed.
Another important benefit of the prototype is that it will save you money and time in the long run. Since the prototype will garner feedback, suggestions, and various tests, you’ll be able to spot problems or areas for improvement before the machine is in final production. Spotting troublesome areas in the design, or even realizing that the materials used might not be the best choice, are just some of the ways that a prototype from a machine shop will save you the expense of having to halt production and re-design a final model.
No matter what it is you have in mind, a machine shop in Minneapolis can develop a custom prototype based on your ideas and needs.