When the rapid
prototyping techniques are combined with the old school tooling techniques the
resultant is rapid tooling. The rapid tooling solutionsare the ones that help to
construct a mold quickly to keep with the design progress over a short span
timeline. This process of rapid tooling, therefore, works upon the fundamentals
of prepping the functional models of CAD in the time span that is extremely
slim and a cost that is pretty pocket effective. In conclusion, it can be said
that rapid tooling is a channel that is formed from the mixture of the rapid
prototyping and traditional tooling techniques and this channel in return
serves as a gateway to one of the most popularly emerging designing techniques
the injection molds.
The efficiency of rapid tooling in
respect to order size
This technique of
rapid tooling is either to use the technique of rapid prototyping in a way that
makes the prototyping technique serve as the initial pattern that would be used
to program the tooling process or the prototypes are directly used to make the
tooling solutions work. However, though the second method is believed to be easier
to proceed with the method which produces better results is certainly the first
one. As far as the more standardized or conventional methods of tooling are
considered they come out to be effective on the pocket only if the order that
is placed is wholesale or bulk but if the order placed is small and the
capacity to afford high costs is not in the hands of the person then rapid
tooling solutionsis just something one needs.
Mostly this type
of tooling technique is used to create smaller quantities of the initial
prototypes or programs in order to come out with certain samples of productive
designs that can be marketed or showed to the audience while the developmental
process about the big launches is still inside the curtains. The small volumes
hence produced can then be used for promotions and marketing of the product.
Types of rapid tooling
There are mainly
two types of rapid tooling methods present that design the impeccable looking
marketable products. These two types of rapid tooling
solutions are:
·
Soft tooling
method: this
type of rapid tooling method uses urethane or silicon to make the designing
molds. When the prototype number required is less than 100 pieces to be
manufactured this type of prototyping is then used for product formation. The
products hence manufactured using the soft tooling techniques are very cost-effective
and easy to make.
·
Hard tooling
method: this
type of rapid prototyping is done using the molds of steel or aluminum. This
type can produce a larger batch of the prototype as per the needs of the
customer. Their product range is from hundreds to thousands of pieces per cycle
which is very effective if one has a short span of time to come up with the
prototype product. However, this tooling type is a little expensive but at the
same time lasts way longer than the products as an outcome of soft tooling.
To conclude it can be said that rapid tooling is
an effective technique to pursue if one has a short span of time to come up
with the prototype and the order range or the amount of the product needed is
low. Moreover, not only this technique is fast it is also very cost-effective
than other tooling measures therefore definitely worth a go.
