Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
How to Make Manufacturing Process More Effective?
Making errors in manufacturing process can be a disaster to a factory. Substantial re-work will increase the cost and that can kill your factory, especially for small factory. To avoid making fatal errors, manufacturers should construct a conceptual design. The most effective way to construct a conceptual design is rapid prototyping (RP). This method allows you to build a prototype with minimal cost in a short time period. Unluckily, there is only 10% small companies have adopted rapid prototyping (RP). The following presents advantages of adoption of RP in depth.
What is RP?
RP makes virtual designs from CAD software, processes them by transforming them into cross sections, still virtual, and then forms or manufactures each cross section in physical space, one after the next until the model is finished. The appearance of prototypes is almost identical to the actual product.
Stereolithography is one of the more commonly used RP technologies. It is considered to provide high accuracy and good surface finish. It involves building plastic parts a layer at a time by tracing a laser beam on the surface of a vat of liquid photo-polymer. The photopolymer is solidified by the laser light. Once one layer is completely traced, it is lowered a small distance into the liquid and a subsequent layer is traced, adhering to the previous layer.
Benefits of RP
Time Reduction
In most cases, firms using RP technologies have gained time reductions in the production of prototype tooling and parts.
The figures for time reductions on prototyping vary greatly, ranging from 60 to 90%. On the whole this range is likely to be realistic given that the estimation of time savings, when compared to the conventional methods of prototyping, is a fairly straightforward matter.
Cost ReductionRP allows firms to identify mistakes before commitments are made to expensive tooling, machines, and large scale manufacturing process. It is widely known that correcting errors at initial stage is much cost effective than correcting errors at later stages.
InnovationFor the reasons of short production cycle and relatively low cost, some firms are using RP in more innovative ways. Some examples include:
Development of new analysis and testing procedures
Manufacturing conceptual design of production tooling
Improving communications across product divisions
Supporting customised manufacturing
Conclusion:RP provides designers, model makers, manufacturers and others with highly accurate prototype parts. Rapid prototype turnaround time is a proven way to reduce time to market. It can even reduce direct development costs.
The only drawback is the initial high capital investment for RP machines. One of the ways to eliminate this disadvantage is to employ a RP manufacturing service provider.
Prototype Patterns
Posted in 
Promotional Product
Promotional Product ODMasia :
Rapid Prototyping in China :
Rapid prototyping and model making are an essential step in the product design and development process, whether to demonstrate form, function or manufacturability. It will ensure clients, designers and all development partners have a clear understanding of the design intent and can effectively contribute in design validation.
Print and screen based presentations are effective tools, but only a prototype that you can both see and touch can ensure everyone sees the same thing, and to avoid the misunderstandings all too often seen in product development.
Product Development :
Advantages of China product development and manufacture extend to a well-established base of local prototyping expertise, matching services and quality offered by western prototyping firms but with advantages of time and cost savings and flexible vendors able to respond quickly to changes and updates.
Whether you need CNC machined hard block presentation models, SLA/SLS parts for functional evaluation or silicone tools for multiple prototypes, ODMasia offers prototyping services to meet your highest standards to ensure true Rapid Product Development.
Mold making in China is generally much more affordable then in the West. ODMasia will devise the appropriate tooling and mold making strategy for you. All tooling is done in China and within a close distance to our main office for observation. We can closely monitor the progress of projects through strategic scheduling of all processes along the way.
ODMasia’s designers work in close cooperation with local engineers and tool makers. We have extensive experience in working with local manufacturers, and tool makers and we have the “know how” to get things done right.
Of course ODMasia ‘s designers recognize the need for an attractive design. But by being fully aware of the tooling and manufacturing costs in Asia , we are capable of making more informed judgments: when a certain design feature is valuable, and when it’s just not worth the extra cost.
When you’re on budget restrictions, our team of experienced local designers, working under western management can get it done.
Product development, production, marketing & sales.
Positioned to offer cost effective solutions in Asia, and to develop new or patented products, we provide a complete service encompassing all aspects of the product development.
* Factory selection
* Price negotiation
* Product Design
* Sample making
* Production set up & moulds
* Production management
* Quality control before shipment
* Logistics support
Rapid Prototyping Revolution
The newest trend is called rapid prototyping. Advancements in machining speed and flexibility combined with sophisticated electronic computer interfaces allow for cost-effective, exact metal sample parts or molds for plastic injection parts.
Technical and application engineers at Makino, a global provider of advanced machining technology, say that such advanced machining technology permits companies to cut manufacturing steps. These eliminated steps are primarily created because steel can now be milled as quickly and cost-effectively as aluminum or other lighter materials.
Such progress allows mold builders and other manufacturers to actually develop applications which can be utilized immediately to make more products. This allows their customers to get new products to market faster.
Many other kinds of prototypes don’t carry the real properties that the customer is trying to simulate. Most rapid prototypes are made from the raw material intended for the final product, which makes it identical to what is actually going to be put in production.
Customers can get a hardened steel or prehardened steel part or mold in five or six weeks versus 10 or 12 weeks from previous processes. This is a timesavings they appreciate in an effort to get their product to market faster and less expensively.
Technological advancements like CAD and other sophisticated computer interfaces can positively combine with state-of-the-art machine tools that are accurate, rigid and stable in order to achieve maximum results. Customers can save up to two-thirds of the total time originally required by more traditional mold building processes.
Prototype Patterns
Selective Laser Sintering (sls)
WHAT IS SLS?
Rapid Prototyping refers to the creation of quick representations of final products from an initial idea and taking it through successive iterations until the final form is developed without tooling or molds. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is one of the most popular Rapid Prototyping mechanisms in which a laser beam selectively fuses or sinters powder materials, nylon, elastomer etc. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) can provide your manufacturing business with a leading edge by producing rapid plastic or metal prototypes that closely match their molded counterparts.
SLA vs SLS
The primary advantage of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) over Stereolithography is that it builds prototypes in nylon material. It is possible to make structurally functional parts such as living hinges, functioning springs, snap fit components with nylon material using Selective Laser Sintering. The process in itself is very simple and there is no molds or tooling involved. The nylon material used in SLS can be easily machined, drilled and tapped unlike those used in SLA, which are brittle as they are built with liquid photopolymers and cured with UV light. They continue to cure once complete and as a result become more brittle as time goes on.
Since being patented by Dr. Carl Deckard in 1989, the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology has become one of the most popularly utilized processes for rapid prototyping and product development in manufacturing industries. Selective Laser Sintering has become a very reliable and trusted form of rapid prototyping due to its structural properties. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is particularly useful when the design is complex, customized, needs to be functional or requires short run production.
PROCESS
In the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process, 3D parts are created when an infrared laser beam sinters and fuses powdered materials. The final object is created by repeatedly fusing thin layers using the laser beam. This process also known as additive manufacturing producing parts that gradually increase in size until they reach the prescribed size. These prototypes are created directly from the STL file obtained from 3D CAD models.
The most beneficial characteristic of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is how durable and functional the materials are. These materials include versions of the original DuraForm and DuraForm glass-filled (GF), which are nylon-based materials that create highly durable and functional plastic prototypes. Other Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) materials available are Flex Plastic for elastomeric, rubber-like parts, and LaserForm, which makes metal prototypes.
ADVANTAGES
Research and development has been progressing to bring newer selective laser sintering (SLS) materials to the market. These materials are such that they require no post processing steps whatsoever after building and this offers a distinct advantage over stereolithography (SLA). This however does not mean that these materials cannot be processed. All of the selective laser sintering (SLS) materials can be finished in multiple ways. They can be painted, plated, drilled, tapped, or even machined. This allows for a higher grade of appearance to these parts thus giving users an unlimited potential to use them.
Rapid Prototyping
Rapid Prototyping (RP) is currently the most advanced method for quickly creating a prototype. This is achieved by using a Rapid Prototyping machine. Rapid Prototyping machines can produce prototypes in a very short time. Depending on the complexity of the prototype, it may take anywhere from a matter of hours to a few days for its completion. Rapid prototyping is also commonly called solid free-form fabrication, layered manufacturing, or computer automated manufacturing.
Rapid Prototyping helps in the following areas:
• Help to visualize models better and thereby increase communication
• Help you to test and verify your design for fit & function
• Decrease development time and hence time to market
• Help avoid costly manufacturing mistakes
In addition to parts for testing and verifying, Rapid Prototyping can be used for the production of ‘short run’ parts where multiples are produced without traditional tooling and molds being required. This is also known as Rapid Manufacturing.
Rapid Prototyping grows a part using a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model and a Rapid Prototyping machine to create a physical model using an additive method, layer by layer. A variety of materials are available depending on the specific method of Rapid Prototyping equipment used. These materials can include plastic, resin, metal and wax. Machining processes, such as CNC milling use a subtractive technique, where the material is removed from a solid block to create the part.
Here’s a brief explanation of how Rapid Prototyping works:
Step 1: A computer-aided (CAD) model is constructed and then converted to STL (Standard Tessellation Language which is native to CAD software) file format. The STL file is the standard interface between the CAD software and the Rapid Prototyping machine.
Step 2: The Rapid Prototyping machine reads the STL file and creates cross-section layers of the model.
Step 3: The first layer of the model is created. The next layer is added at the thickness determined by the Rapid Prototyping machine and the process is iterated until the complete model is built.
Step 4: Selected users from the stakeholder groups participate in a brainstorming session to test the prototype.
Step 5: User observations are summarized and evaluated.
Step 6: The prototype is refined where necessary and the above processes are repeated. If necessary.
What is it used for?
Inventors and product development teams easily use rapid prototypes to help communicate their invention to customers, supervisors, manufacturers without communication barriers that can sometimes occur with 2D drawings and words. Prototypes are now an integral part of the design-to-market process as they help ensure projects run as quickly and cost efficiently as possible.
Rapid Prototypes may also be used for communicating with manufacturers (especially over seas), to attract investors, customers and in consumer marketing focus groups. As you can imagine, it is much easier to communicate an invention or design using a 3-D prototype than with a drawing or blueprint.
What does it cost?
Costs vary widely based on the complexity and size of the invention, the type of process used and quantities required. You can gain a quote by contacting companies who offer Rapid Prototyping services or requesting a quote on-line.
Promotional Product Odmasia
Wel – Come To ODMasia
Promotional Product ODMasia :
Rapid Prototyping in China :
Rapid prototyping and model making are an essential step in the product design and development process, whether to demonstrate form, function or manufacturability. It will ensure clients, designers and all development partners have a clear understanding of the design intent and can effectively contribute in design validation.
Print and screen based presentations are effective tools, but only a prototype that you can both see and touch can ensure everyone sees the same thing, and to avoid the misunderstandings all too often seen in product development.
Product Development :
Advantages of China product development and manufacture extend to a well-established base of local prototyping expertise, matching services and quality offered by western prototyping firms but with advantages of time and cost savings and flexible vendors able to respond quickly to changes and updates.
Whether you need CNC machined hard block presentation models, SLA/SLS parts for functional evaluation or silicone tools for multiple prototypes, ODMasia offers prototyping services to meet your highest standards to ensure true Rapid Product Development.
Mold making in China is generally much more affordable then in the West. ODMasia will devise the appropriate tooling and mold making strategy for you. All tooling is done in China and within a close distance to our main office for observation. We can closely monitor the progress of projects through strategic scheduling of all processes along the way.
ODMasia’s designers work in close cooperation with local engineers and tool makers. We have extensive experience in working with local manufacturers, and tool makers and we have the “know how” to get things done right.
Of course ODMasia ‘s designers recognize the need for an attractive design. But by being fully aware of the tooling and manufacturing costs in Asia, we are capable of making more informed judgments: when a certain design feature is valuable, and when it’s just not worth the extra cost.
When you’re on budget restrictions, our team of experienced local designers, working under western management can get it done.
Product Development, Production, Marketing & Sales.
Positioned to offer cost effective solutions in Asia, and to develop new or patented products, we provide a complete service encompassing all aspects of the product development .
* Factory selection
* Price negotiation
* Product Design
* Sample making
* Production set up & moulds
* Production management
* Quality control before shipment
* Logistics support
For More Information: http://www.odmasia.com/
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus
A prototype is a model of something that is to be developed further. Rapid Prototyping refers to the creation quick representations from an initial idea and taking it through successive iterations until the final form is developed all without the cost and need for tooling or molds.
If you are designing or developing a product and would like to visualize and test your products and reduce time to market, then Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus are worth considering.
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus are those companies, which are dedicated to providing help in quickly fabricating a scale model using a three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data and rapid prototyping technology.
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus help in the following areas:
1) Help to visualize models better and thereby increase communication
2) Help you to test and verify your design for fit & function
3) Decrease development time and hence time to market
4) Help avoid costly manufacturing mistakes
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus help to decrease development time by verifying designs and/or detecting error, allowing corrections to be made to a product early in the process. When mistakes are identified and corrections are made so early in the development process the costs are greatly reduced. By making the process available to all the stakeholders (research, purchasing, design, manufacturing, sales & marketing departments, customers, etc.), the end product that hits the market shall be one that meets everyone’s expectations.
Manufacturing Industries continue to lay emphasis on increasing product features and increased complexity along with an increase in the number of product variants and decreased development time. Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus address exactly these needs of manufacturing industries. The basic methodology adopted by Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus can be summarized as:
Step 1: A computer-aided (CAD) model is constructed and then converted to STL (Standard Tessellation Language which is native to CAD software) file format. The STL file is the standard interface between the CAD software and the Rapid Prototyping machine.
Step 2: The Rapid Prototyping machine reads the STL file and creates cross-section layers of the model.
Step 3: The first layer of the model is created. The next layer is added at the thickness determined by the Rapid Prototyping machine and the process is iterated until the complete model is built.
Step 4: Selected users from the stakeholder groups participate in a brainstorming session to test the prototype.
Step 5: User observations are summarized and evaluated.
Step 6: The prototype is refined where necessary and the above processes are repeated.
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus advocate using rapid prototype models as an opportunity to physically show concepts to all parties involved with the development process as well as to verify designs.
Rapid Prototyping Service Bureaus thus help in ensuring accuracy in design, reducing costs and time to market.