An engineering prototype, also known as a breadboard, is used in the early development of mechanisms to prove or disprove concepts and compare performance.
FUNCTION OVER FORM
The creation of engineering models is a low cost investment. However, they are critical to developing designs and testing functionality. By focusing on creating something that works, appearance is of lesser concern and is held off until the design becomes more solidified. As a result, an engineering prototype provides confidence in the engineering foundation of your project quickly after brainstorming concepts.
PROVING OUT MECHANISMS QUICK AND EFFICIENTLY
We often use low cost and readily available materials such as sheet plastic, plywood or MDF to build an engineering prototype. Others may require close tolerance CNC, or manual machining of aluminum, steel or plastic. A laser cutter can prove to be extremely valuable for making engineering prototypes. Using DXF files to laser cut the shapes needed for the mechanism, a variety of mechanisms are able to be mocked-up in minutes.
Our team evaluates the concept and chooses materials to fit the application. The discovery of mechanical solutions and dimensional realities in early mock-ups can reduce the time needed for CAD development and speed up overall development time significantly.
