Prototype Tooling with Production Grade Silicone | KAD Models

Why Use Production Grade Silicone in Prototype Tooling?

The two most common ways to get silicone parts are by 3D printing or injection molding. Each has its own distinct advantage: 3D printing is fast, and injection molding is highly accurate. But both methods have major pitfalls, too.

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If you’re building a silicone prototype using 3D printing, your prototype may be a different material than what you’ll actually use for production (assuming you’ll use injection molding once you’re at scale). While the two materials may be similar, the function, rigidity, thickness, cure time, and post-cure are all potential points of differentiation. That means that any testing done on your prototype may not yield the same results as your production parts.

The drawback of injection molding is that it’s incredibly costly and doesn’t always make sense in the prototyping phase. Silicone prototypes often need lots of iteration to get right, so the cost of revision is an especially important consideration. With an injection mold, you get one shot at a design. If you need to update the design to improve part functionality, you’ve got to order yet another custom tool—and wait weeks to months for it to be delivered.

But have no fear! At KAD, we’ve developed an innovative way to build custom silicone rubber parts at much lower price points using production grade material.

Using silicones like NuSil and Elkem (formerly Bluestar), we can custom-build production-grade silicone prototypes without the constraints of standard industrial equipment. These capabilities allow us to provide clients with functional silicone prototypes at a great price.

The Process: Creating Custom Silicone Rubber Parts

We create custom silicone rubber parts for cardiovascular medical devices and a range of consumer products, including water bottles, thumb rests on handheld game controllers, gaskets, and seals. Here’s how we do it:

We developed a system that relies on aluminum tooling instead of the rigid constraints of traditional steel tooling associated with standard injection molding. In standard injection molding, a steel tool can take weeks or months to design and manufacture.

KAD has created a method of manufacturing aluminum tooling that allows a wide variety of options and is not limited to a standard mold base. This allows us to design tooling and manufacture silicone parts much faster than typical molding houses.

Why Tool with Production Grade Silicone?

You can’t go wrong with a process that’s faster, less expensive, and uses the right material for full verification of your silicone prototype. It’s always best to build a prototype with the exact material used in production.

Recently, we prototyped a rubber handle cover to be used for function and safety. The original prototype our customer brought in was made from a rigid urethane that produced a tough-as-nails exterior. However, the production grade material as specified by the manufacturer was much more flexible. The solid prototype material used didn’t provide an accurate feel or functionality of the part. With our silicone tooling, we were able to prototype using the actual material that will be used in the production run.

If you need full qualification of a part, you won’t be able to obtain accurate information about properties like strength or flexibility unless your prototype is made with the end use material.

That’s why using production grade silicone in prototyping is so important. Your prototype should provide a valuable assessment of the physical properties in your production tool.

Beyond function, there are many other practical benefits of using production grade silicone:

• Faster turnaround. Depending on the complexity of the project, our tooling typically takes only 5-15 business days.
• Lower average cost. Our method costs a couple thousand dollars, whereas complete injection molding can easily cost you tens of thousands!
• Ease of use. We can make quick changes and iterations at a low cost depending on the results of each run-through.

We recently worked on a neat design for the bite valve of a water bottle that required several rounds of iteration: it needed to function properly for all people regardless of their bite strength. So even though our client only needed a few parts for proof of concept, they needed them to be constructed out of a specific production-grade material.

Projects like the bite valve that require a lot of iteration are likely to cost much, much more with standard tooling. But with our method, the process was less expensive, faster, and easier when it came to making changes.

If speed is what you need, 3D printing will give you your prototype quickly. But you’ll have to compromise on functionality because the physical properties of the material will be inaccurate.

And if you’d rather stick to standard tooling, injection molding may be your answer, but you’ll need to pay up for it.

Our method for creating custom silicone rubber parts offers a better alternative to 3D printing and injection molding, all at a reasonable cost.

Every product that has become commercialized began as a concept. As the concept evolves, it passes through a series of stages that transform the concept into a fully functional product that fulfills a need and achieves an objective.

While releasing a fully developed, finalized product that meets your objectives is the goal, taking your idea from concept to this end goal is a detailed process. An important first step is to create a prototype.

What Is a Prototype?

We can define “prototype” as an original model serving as a product template. A prototype provides a physical representation of your concept and allows for testing the concept and functionality. Part design renderings, computer models, or mockups are great tools for explaining and envisioning the design, but a prototype provides an actual physical representation of your product.

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Why Is It Important to Create a Prototype?

Perhaps you have a simple, easy-to-construct idea, or maybe you have a complex concept in mind and a clear vision of its design and functionality. In either situation, you may wonder why a prototype is necessary. While a prototype may accurately represent all the knowledge and skill behind the concept, it also acts as a vehicle for discovery.

A prototype is developed to demonstrate what you know and to uncover any obstacles, complications, or flaws you haven’t yet encountered. Every concept has limitations and opportunities for improvement that may not become apparent until the product is made. Creating a prototype before entering full production allows you to conclude proof of concept, test, and uncover what design revisions are needed to improve the part geometry and performance of the product.

A prototype helps ensure the production mold is built to the exact part design specifications, before you start making your final product. During prototyping, you’ll have opportunities to modify your part design before going into final production. Without a prototype, you could find the parts produced from the production mold do not perform as needed, requiring changes to the final mold that can prove to be costly and cause delays to the launch of your new product.

Benefits of Creating a Prototype

Creating a prototype of you product is a responsible first step in the production process that can benefit the long-term success of your product. A prototype brings your vision to life for the first time and allows you to creatively expand your concept. There are many advantages to making prototypes in the early stages of production:

• Opportunities for refinement: For many reasons, your physical prototype may not align with the concept, and this early stage of development is the perfect time to rework your ideas. Examine the concept from all angles — figuratively and literally — and determine whether this prototype can fully achieve its goal as swiftly as possible.
• Functionality testing: No matter how revolutionary the product is, it needs to function properly. Before you allow others to view and use the product, you can spend an ample amount of time testing the prototype. You can easily gather information like failure rates, changes in production, and mechanical issues that obstruct performance.
• Enhancement opportunities: Even if the prototype you are testing is performing successfully, you may realize you could enhance it by changing the material. Using quality, reliable parts for the prototype will ensure it achieves the desired goal.
• Accurate product demonstration: You may have the next million-dollar idea, but if those you pitch it to don’t understand the concept, you may have difficulty in getting the prototype into production. Pitching a prototype that encapsulates an idea, rather than pitching the idea alone, allows you to showcase your concept, explain how to use it, and provide a tangible experience. A working prototype provides the ability to demo the product to users and provide a first-hand understanding of its purpose and function.
• Investor assurance and idea protection: A working prototype is a symbol of your commitment — which you demonstrate through the time, patience, resources, financing, and energy you spend to succeed in bringing a concept into form. Without execution and follow-through, potential investors or decision-makers may not take you seriously. A prototype may also help protect the idea by decreasing the chances of having your intellectual property stolen.

Different Types of Prototypes

The type of prototype you choose to create is important to the success of a product. You want a prototype that accurately represents the product’s appearance and function. The closer your prototype reflects the product, the easier your audience will grasp the concept and correctly use the product. Depending on the size, complexity, materials, and real-world application of the product, you may need to select a specific prototype that can sufficiently represent the product’s design and functionality.

The following prototypes have inherent advantages that make them ideal for capturing the essence of a concept, portraying the product’s potential, or executing the actual product’s functions.

• Functional prototype: A functional prototype focuses on the product’s utility. Used to demonstrate the execution of the actual product as accurately as possible. The type of functional prototype can vary — it may not represent the final product in appearance but will successfully mimic the functionality of the actual product. If the prototypes will be used to test performance or endurance under actual usage conditions, the material and fabrication process should be as close as possible to mirror what can be expected from the final product.
• Display prototype: The display prototype intends to showcase the aesthetics of a product without serious regard to expressing its functionality. These prototypes exist to elicit emotion and consumer reaction via colors, shapes, textures, or patterns.
• Concept prototype: The concept prototype is the big picture of the idea — a high-level overview that describes the essence of the idea in physical form, often rendered on paper or digitally. It includes aspects of the concept’s design, structure, functionality, and operational characteristics. Concept prototypes allow you to determine the viability of the idea. You may also garner useful feedback and advice by allowing others to provide insight into the concept.
• Scale model: Commonly used for large structures, a scale model is a model of your product however on a much smaller scale. This form of a prototype brings a sizeable concept down to easily observable dimensions. While the scale model may not perform the actual functions of the actual final product, its design can illustrate its components and how they fit together, method of operation, and how it will conceivably accomplish its purpose.
• Disposable prototype: This prototype gets developed quickly to meet a limited number of goals. These throwaway prototypes aren’t a final draft of the product, but rather a tool to gather information that will influence the final product’s success and reduce the risks involved in developing the product. You can discard these prototypes after accomplishing your goal, as the value of these prototypes is the information collected.
• Evolutionary prototype: Opposite of a disposable prototype, the evolutionary prototype is something you will want to keep for continued progression and refinement. As users interact with your prototype, their feedback will influence changes to the prototype. These responses will allow you to continually address and eliminate concerns in the prototype through refining, modifying or removing components or functions. The prototype will continue to evolve in response to these concerns, retaining some or all of the components of the previous prototype.

What Are Tips to Consider for Your Prototype?

As you determine which type of prototype would best reflect your concept, you must also be aware of other factors that will influence the production and success of the prototype.

• What is the goal of the product? Before you turn your concept into a product, you need to have a target in mind. First, you must determine the ultimate purpose of the prototype. At its core, what need does the prototype fill, or what objective does it adequately accomplish? After you define the purpose, you must consider whether an alternate product already exists, and why your prototype will outperform a product with similar functionality.
• How much time will it take to create a suitable prototype? Determine how long it will take to construct your desired prototype. Depending on the type of prototype you make, you may need to augment it or create a completely new variation from scratch. Gather information regarding timetables for potential modifications to the existing prototype or for creating a new alternate prototype.
• Which materials will you use to manufacture the prototype? Although you’re not in the final design stage for the actual product, you want your prototype to perform as accurately as the product will. If you are constructing the prototype yourself, consider which materials you plan on using and whether a better substitute exists. If you’re entrusting certain parts or the product’s full development to a professional prototype manufacturer, research the materials used in their prototype manufacturing process to ensure the material, process, and manufacturer will deliver the level of quality, appearance, and quantity of parts needed for your prototype parts.
• What are the total costs associated with creating a product prototype? These include the combined costs of the raw materials, manufacturing, and any refining, modifications, or enhancements you need to make to the prototype throughout its journey to achieve product development. The type of prototype you wish to create, the method used to manufacture it, and whether you employ the help of a professional prototype manufacturing service will also impact the overall prototype cost.

You can begin to determine which type of prototype will accurately depict your concept and meet your prototype objectives, by applying these questions to each prototype form. For instance, if you choose to design a scale model or evolutionary prototype, you’ll need to be aware of how much time and financing it will take to modify the existing prototype as your needs change.

What Are the Keys to Creating a Successful Product Prototype?

Prototype creation requires careful thought, planning, and execution. You can use the following steps to help you create a successful prototype to ensure your final product is the best it can be:

1. Plan

Planning is critical to ensure the highest chance of success. You’ll want to determine early on what’s important to your prototype, such as your product’s most exciting or notable features. You’ll also want to acknowledge the limitations of prototyping. Costs can run high if you have a lot of runs, so you’ll want to set specific goals for each prototype run.

Product prototyping can help you develop a strong return on your investment, so it’s essential to use the right strategy to create a successful prototype.

2. Document

Having your product concept documented can help you be more effective through the prototyping process. A chronicle detailing your concept will help you better understand the ins and outs of your product design, helping you determine what works and what doesn’t. It will be easier to keep track of your product design as you go through the stages of prototyping so you know where to make improvements and what you’ve already tried.

3. Find the Right Prototype

There are many different methods for creating a prototype, and some work better for certain products than others. You’ll want to conduct sufficient research into the different types of prototypes, what’s common in your industry, and what would give you the best results before you start prototype production.

4. Keep It Simple

Even if you have a complex design, keeping your prototype simple is best. It’s easier to spot flaws in simple designs, and something too complex can cause you to overlook crucial components of your design. As you get closer to official product production, you can always build up to a more complex design.

5. Revisit and Rework

Most prototypes aren’t perfect after the first parts are made. In fact, many products go through several prototyping runs before the design is finalized and ready for full scale production. The prototyping process is your opportunity to revisit and rework your design, and to apply what has been learned from each iteration to ensure your product is the best possible.

6. Work With a Professional

While you can detail the prototype process yourself, consulting with a professional is always a good idea. The expertise and knowledge of a professional can help you create prototypes that are as close to the final product as possible. Professional prototype manufacturers can walk you through the process, make suggestions for improvements and help you through each run.

What Are Some Common Mistakes When Creating a Prototype?

Mistakes are possible during prototype creation and processing, but many are avoidable. Two common mistakes can occur when creating a prototype — not modifying or refining the design during each iteration and losing sight of the big picture.

If you create a prototype that doesn’t turn out as expected, it doesn’t mean the entire design is a failure. Prototypes are used to identify what works and what doesn’t, so rather than discarding them, you should consider what improvements can be made to the product. You should also consider how the design can be modified and simplified to improve manufacturability and functionality.

Additionally, if you’re focused on the smallest details, it can detract from the big picture required to create a successful prototype and final product. While it can be easy to become fixated on the smaller details, it can hinder you from concentrating on the overall design and slow the overall process. As you’re creating new prototypes, you should have people outside your team test the product to ensure it sustains its functionality and purpose.

SIMTEC Prototype and Full-Scale Manufacturing

If the final product will be in LSR, a liquid silicone rubber injection mold will provide prototype parts that are very close to final production parts. This is the ideal prototyping methodology for testing part functionality — how your parts will work in the application and the tactile and ergonomic features.

SIMTEC is proud to offer prototype manufacturing, in advance of full-scale production for our customers who are seeking early parts needed for clinical and functional testing. We support our customers during these important early design and prototyping stages, guiding and working closely together to optimize the part’s design and manufacturing process to ensure final parts are exact and will perform as needed.