Are You Overengineering Your Prototype?
Are you overengineering your prototype? If the answer is “yes,” chances are you’re overspending, too.
Prototyping is by nature an iterative process. It’s an opportunity to test, scrap, and redesign a part until you get it right for production. When you design an overly complex prototype, you risk wasting valuable time and money on expensive tooling, machinery, and programming that may not be necessary.
Many machine shops are more than happy to build an overengineered prototype to print and charge their customers astronomical prices. But at Armstrong Machining, we like to help our customers save money on high-quality machined parts.
That’s why we encourage you to simplify your prototype design as much as possible. This is your chance to work out all the bugs at a reasonable price while still getting a well-designed part that functions as intended. Plus, you may identify opportunities to save money during production as well.
Simplify Your Prototype to Save Time and Money
Ready to simplify your prototype for the most cost savings? Here’s what we recommend:
Loosen tolerances. Designing non-critical tolerances extremely tight is one of the major ways customers get crushed on cost and lead time. We recommend loosening tolerances whenever possible. In most cases, tolerances measuring less than +/- .0005” are overkill for a 5-run prototype.
Limit non-critical features. It’s tempting to add cool features to a prototype design, but stop and ask yourself if those features are critical to the function of the part. Complex features like tight concentricity or vacuum surfaces are difficult to machine, which increases—yep—cost and lead time.
Avoid unnecessary flatness callouts. Maintaining flatness over large parts measuring up to 48” corner to corner can be complicated and costly—especially when tight tolerances are involved. Inspecting and verifying flatness on these large parts is also challenging. If you don’t need flatness on a certain plate, there’s no need to call it out on your drawings.
Select cost-effective materials. Choosing cost-effective materials is important in prototype machining. If you need stainless steel, consider 303 instead of 17-4 because it’s cheaper and easier to cut. If you need plastic, use Delrin rather than PEEK. Aluminum can also be a good alternative to some more expensive materials. Keep in mind that you can always switch to your preferred material when it comes time for production.
Skip finishing operations. Extensive finishing processes may not be necessary for a prototype. Operations like hard anodize, for example, are best suited for industrial components in corrosive environments. If your prototype won’t be subject to high levels of wear and tear, hold off on this and other similar processes until production.
We always like to remind customers that just because you can design your prototype a certain way doesn’t mean you should. The most impressive CAD model won’t always translate well to the manufacturing floor.
When in doubt, start a conversation with your machine shop to determine the best way forward for prototype machining services. At Armstrong Machining, we’re always here to help you find cost-effective solutions for high-quality parts. Request a quote and let’s work together!