Rapid Prototyping for Product Design

Course details

Rapid prototyping takes your designs out of the computer and into the real world, but choosing the right process is critical to success. Join product designer Gabriel Corbett for a tour of the most popular rapid-prototyping methods, straight from the workshop floor. This course includes first-hand looks at the machinery and techniques behind 3D printing, machining, resin casting, injection molding, 2D prototyping, and laser scanning. After you watch this course, you'll have a solid understanding of the available prototyping processes, and knowledge of the machinery and tools to bring your product through the prototyping stage and into the real world.

Learning objectives
3D printing parts, using fused deposition modeling, stereolithography, and selective laser sintering (FDM, SLA, and SLS)
Working with CNC mills and lathes
Building a silicon mold and resin casting a part
Injection molding a plastic part
Creating quick 2D models
Using laser and touch-probe scanners

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - Using the exercise files

1. The Prototyping Process

03 - Understanding design software and web resources
04 - Designing parts for prototyping
05 - Exploring the prototyping workflow
06 - Choosing a prototyping process

2. 3D Printing

07 - Using 3D printing software
08 - Using an FDM-style 3D printer
09 - Printing with a PolyJet printer
10 - Working with stereolithographic (SLA) parts
11 - Working with powder-printed parts

3. Machining

12 - Understanding the prototype machining process
13 - Understanding how a computer-numerical-control (CNC) mill is set up
14 - Exploring how a CNC lathe is run
15 - Working with computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software for part programming
16 - Exploring CNC prototyping services
17 - Understanding makes and types of CNC machines

4. Resin Casting

18 - Understanding resin-casting basics
19 - Building a silicone mold
20 - Exploring materials and equipment for molding
21 - Molding a part
22 - Reviewing resources for resin casting

5. Injection Molding

23 - Understanding injection molding
24 - Setting up an injection-molding machine
25 - Injection molding a plastic part
26 - Building an injection mold

6. 2D Prototypes

27 - Printing full-sized 2D patterns
28 - Introducing 2D prototyping techniques
29 - Shape checking with 2D prototyping

7. 3D Scanning

30 - Understanding 3D scanning
31 - Using a laser scanner
32 - Using a touch-probe scanner

Conclusion

33 - Wrapping up