Everyone has heard at least once. It is no news that rapid tooling is among the services you get when you request prototyping services.
It is also a popular notion that rapid tooling is one of the best ways to get a prototype and test it. A lot of small businesses will agree with that notion.
For small business owners who are actively searching for a way to break into the market, they should be particularly interested in how rapid tooling will benefit their businesses.
Even though there are other tooling processes like conventional tooling, it is clear the rapid tooling remains the best form of rapid prototyping.
There are striking differences between conventional tooling and rapid tooling. This article will explain the advantages of rapid tooling over conventional tooling.
The reason why you need to know about the advantages of rapid tooling over other tooling processes is that it will help you make better choices of prototyping tooling when the time comes.
How Is Rapid Tooling Different?
Rapid tooling deals with creating parts or molds in a very short time. This a very broad topic, causing the styes and patterns to differ from project to project.
Unlike conventional tooling, rapid tooling involves fewer steps. And so, it may seem to be the best choice because it comes off as relatively easier.
For what other reason do small businesses and other individuals prefer to use rapid tooling instead of conventional tooling?
This is because conventional tooling may take weeks or months to be finalized meanwhile rapid tooling takes days and, on some occasions, a few hours.
Conventional tooling makes use of many manufacturing processes. It does not rely on automation and requires engineers and developers to physically design and develop prototypes manually.
This is why many small businesses and individuals prefer to use rapid tooling as their choice of prototyping tooling.
To further stress the point, take a look at a few advantages of rapid tooling
Advantages of Rapid Tooling
There are numerous advantages of rapid tooling. Here are some of the most compelling advantages.
1· Cost of Product Development
Hiring a contract manufacturer costs less. The provision of a tooling service is way cheaper than hiring some staff to make molds manually for you.
Using rapid tooling also saves money over a period. You get o spend less time in the prototyping stage and enter the market quicker.
2· Design Testing
Rapid tooling makes it possible for you to create multiple prototypes of the same design in very little time. With this, you can make the needed adjustments to your design and try out new ideas.
3· Market Time
Since you spend less time in the prototyping stage, you get to flow into the market sooner than someone who uses the conventional tooling process.
4· Material
Rapid tooling uses injection-molded parts. Rapid tooling is used to create any dimension at all. Even though some dimensions are more difficult to create, it is fit for the job.
Conclusion
Even when you choose to use the conventional tooling system, contract manufacturers can still make out a detailed work plan for the job.