Digital prototyping
Digital prototyping is an American term from the field of mechanical engineering; it describes a procedure in technical development. With digital prototyping development time shortened to new products, the costs of development reduced and the quality of the products are improved.
The basic idea of the process is to test the prototypes or test samples necessary for the functional testing of new developments less as physical prototypes, but rather as “virtual” or “digital prototypes”, i.e. as computer models.
The basis for digital prototyping is a 3D CAD model of the product. Based on this 3D model, computational processes such as multi-body simulation (kinematic and dynamic simulation), finite element method , visualization, installation and Assembly simulation, etc., different aspects of a product can be examined that would otherwise have to be checked in complex series of tests with physical models.
The advantages of digital prototyping include:
- Digital prototypes usually cost less than physical prototypes.
- Numerous design variants can be easily tested and optimized on the computer.
- Digital prototypes facilitate and enable joint development across department, company or geographic boundaries. The best specialists and partners worldwide can be integrated into a digital development network.
- Tests of prototypes can be carried out faster on the computer than with physical models.
- The design changes that inevitably occur during the development process can be postponed to an early phase of development, where they cause significantly lower costs than later.
An important prerequisite for digital prototyping is the consistency of the data through all phases of product development, i.e. from conception through construction to production and assembly. Systems for product data management support this .
The process of digital prototyping is now standard in the development of automobiles, airplanes and many durable consumer goods. Mechanical engineering and medium-sized industries are increasingly using digital prototyping . One reason for this is the fact that the costs for 3D CAD systems and other solution components for implementing digital prototyping have steadily fallen in recent years.
Specialist literature
- Philipp Grieb: " Digital Prototyping - Virtual Product Development in Mechanical Engineering "; 287 pages, 2010 by HANSER-Verlag; ISBN 978-3-446-42318-3