Key Differences between Rapid Tooling and Conventional ...

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In today&#;s manufacturing technology, rapid tooling has become a more popular way for companies to create tools, molds, or prototypes for their products. But, is it better than the conventional tooling method?

In this guide, you will learn about the key differences between rapid tooling and conventional tooling and how rapid tooling can be better than conventional tooling.

What is Rapid Tooling and What is Conventional Tooling?

Rapid tooling is a modern manufacturing process that allows you to produce multiple tools or molds at the same time and at a rapid pace, whereas conventional tooling is a traditional manufacturing process that allows you to create molds or tools using the conventional manufacturing method. Both are still in active use in today&#;s manufacturing industry, and each has their own advantages and limitations.

Rapid tooling is a more recent invention in the manufacturing scene, which allows you to speed up your manufacturing process for various molds, prototypes, tools, and final products using computerized programming.

The Reasons Rapid Tooling is Better than Conventional Tooling

In various aspects, rapid tooling can be better than conventional tooling. This is the reason many companies prefer to use rapid tooling rather than conventional tooling, especially if they are working on simple projects or projects that don&#;t require complicated requirements.

Here are the reasons rapid tooling is better than conventional tooling:

• Faster manufacturing. With rapid tooling, you can perform any manufacturing production activity faster than the conventional method. The conventional manufacturing method requires you to take detailed steps in each manufacturing process, making it slower for you to complete your manufacturing goals. Rapid tooling, on the other hand, can simplify the manufacturing process and eliminate unnecessary manufacturing steps, allowing you to complete your manufacturing goals faster.
• It can build multiple prototypes at the same time. With rapid prototype tooling, you can build the prototypes for your products faster, and this method also allows you to create multiple prototypes at the same time. You can&#;t do this with the conventional prototyping or manufacturing method, as it will require you to go through some complicated steps just to create one prototype for your product.
• More cost effective. Rapid tooling can also minimize the costs of your manufacturing production, allowing you to maximize the profits you can get from your manufacturing activities. In contrast, conventional tooling will require you to spend a lot of money from the start, and you will need to keep on spending money during every stage of your manufacturing activities. With rapid tooling, you only need a few thousand dollars to complete your manufacturing project, whereas with conventional tooling, you might need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to achieve the same thing.
• More efficient manufacturing. Another reason rapid tooling is better than conventional tooling is the more efficient manufacturing process it uses. Rapid tooling will bypass various unnecessary steps in manufacturing, and it also uses unified and multi-purpose manufacturing equipment to ensure the best efficiency in your production.
• Simple steps. With conventional tooling, you will need to use different manufacturing equipment for each manufacturing step, which can be very complicated for you to go through from start to finish. Rapid tooling offers a simpler manufacturing process you can complete in just a few steps.
• Computerized process. Rapid tooling uses a computerized and programmable process that allows you to produce prototypes, tools, or molds by using the CAD software. You can program every aspect of your design and manufacturing process via computer programs to automate the manufacturing process and ensure zero to minimal errors during production. Meanwhile, conventional tooling uses very little computerization and often still uses manual methods to create your prototypes, tools, or molds.
• It is multi-purpose. The equipment used in the rapid tooling process is multi-purpose, meaning you can use it to create prototypes, molds, tools, or even produce the final products. Meanwhile, with conventional tooling, there will be different equipment you need to use to create prototypes, tools, molds, or final products. So, it can give you a lot of hassles during your production activities.

Key Differences between Rapid Tooling and Conventional Tooling

Rapid tooling has revolutionized how manufacturers can produce prototypes, molds, tools, and final products at a rapid pace. This method has replaced the need for manufacturers to use the conventional tooling method in most of their production activities.

Here are some key differences between rapid tooling and conventional tooling:

• Product quality. Because of the nature of the rapid tooling process, you will often get less durable products when compared to the conventional tooling process. Conventional tooling will allow you to produce more durable products that can last for a long time.
• Accuracy and precision. The computerized and programmable process of rapid tooling allows you to create products with more accuracy and precision, even when you build products with complex geometric designs. Meanwhile, conventional tooling might not be able to provide the best accuracy and precision for the products you are building, which is the reason it&#;s only best for products with simple designs.
• Manufacturing time completion. As a rapid manufacturing process, rapid tooling can provide faster manufacturing time completion compared to conventional tooling. You can use rapid tooling if you are on a tight deadline. Meanwhile, conventional tooling will require you to wait for weeks and months just to get your products ready.
• Number of equipment. Rapid tooling uses the integrated manufacturing equipment that allows you to make multiple tools or prototypes at the same time using the same equipment. Meanwhile, conventional tooling uses separate equipment for each tooling or prototyping step you will need to go through in your manufacturing production.
• Automation vs manual method. Rapid tooling uses semi-automation or even full automation in its production process, meaning that you can automate this process fully using computerized programs. Meanwhile, conventional tooling relies on manual labor to complete each prototyping or tooling process, which means you need to pay for more workers if you intend to use conventional tooling in your production.
• Modern vs. traditional manufacturing production. Rapid tooling is a modern manufacturing method, whereas conventional tooling is a traditional manufacturing method. They both work to achieve the same goals, but they use different manufacturing processes to do so.

Rapid Tooling

For today&#;s manufacturing standards, rapid tooling can be a more preferable way for businesses to get their projects done faster. However, it doesn&#;t mean that conventional tooling becomes obsolete or unusable.

Conventional tooling can still provide various advantages in certain projects, such as the manufacturing of larger products with larger dimensions.

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In product development, testing is a critical factor. In some cases engineers need to demonstrate how a new design will perform as part of management approval for investment into production. In other cases, regulatory requirements require testing of products from representative materials and processes that correspond to those intended. As part of its prototyping methodology, manufacturers often use different strategies for executing prototypes depending on the purpose of the parts. Injection Molding Prototyping: When prototype injection molding is involved in the final product, the use of specially engineered polymers in the product specification may result in the need to injection mold the parts being used in testing in order to get reliable results. Depending on the circumstances, the final production injection molds may be used or separate prototype tooling may be utilized. The goal is to ensure a superior prototype and timely testing, which helps identify design changes before taking a product into full production.

There are a number of key decisions, which go into the prototype tooling process, which enables a design team to select the appropriate build strategy. A key element to consider is the degree of uncertainty or uniqueness of a particular design. The more unique a given design is from a company&#;s previous manufacturing experience, the more critical it is to test process and product early. Likewise, overall program schedule plays a big factor. The component in need of testing may just be one part of an overall system being developed. Final production tooling timing may be aligned more with the overall system&#;s development schedule. If so, waiting for production tooling may be a costly risk delaying valuable testing time. In those cases, a simple prototype tool to allow early evaluation of the component or sub-system may be a great investment. Finally, the likelihood a product may change should also be a factor in considering if separate prototype tooling should be used. If a design change is likely or probable, it is better to identify this early rather than executing the change to final production tooling which could require welding on the tool steel or other changes which might compromise the integrity of the mold for long run use.

Prototype vs Final Product: In tooling manufacturing, the development process typically involves creating both a prototype and a final product. These two stages play crucial roles in ensuring the success of the manufacturing process.

A production prototype is an early version of the final product that is created to test and validate its design, functionality, and performance. It allows manufacturers to identify any potential issues or improvements before moving forward with mass production. This stage helps in refining the design, making necessary adjustments, and ensuring that the final product meets all requirements and specifications.

On the other hand, the final product is the end result of the tooling manufacturing process. It is produced at scale and meets all quality standards set by manufacturers. The final product undergoes rigorous testing to ensure its durability, functionality, and overall performance.

Both prototypes and final products are essential in tooling manufacturing as they serve different purposes. Prototypes help in identifying design flaws or areas for improvement before investing in mass production. They allow manufacturers to make necessary adjustments to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. On the other hand, final products are manufactured on a larger scale for commercial use.

In summary, prototypes are crucial for testing and refining designs while final products are produced at scale for commercial use in tooling manufacturing processes.

For tooling production and prototyping, every tool is different. Two factors, which strongly influence the distinction between the two, are as follows:

• Production Quantity &#; The degree of automation in a tool is often correlated with the production quantity intended. High production molds often are highly automated with wear maintenance provisions, sensing and process control capability built into the design. These factors add to the time and cost of the tooling but provide cost and processing efficiencies in the actual volume molding itself. Likewise high production molds are often multi-cavity allowing several parts of the same design to be molded simultaneously. Prototype molding by contrast, typically have limited automation and cavities, saving time and cost in fabrication and thus are suited to low volume molding with quicker development time.
• Hard vs. Soft Tooling &#; Another difference between the prototype tooling process and production tooling process has to do with tooling materials. Production tooling is often made from hardened P20, H13 or other tool steel suitable for repeated use and long tool life. Heat-treating and surface hardening or plating are also often utilized. Prototype tools are often called soft tools based on the fact that aluminum and or mild steel are often used. This tooling material can be cut quicker in the machining process allowing for faster and more cost effective prototype tools. The tradeoff however is that tool life may be limited depending on the plastic intended to be molded and processing is not optimized for shortest cycle time. Soft tooling can offer affordability for both production and prototyping. However, because it allows for quick turnarounds of samples, it is often the preferred choice for prototypes.

Tooling is a big investment and cost is always an important deciding factor. Therefore, a prototype manufacturing company will determine which type of tooling makes the most sense from a financial perspective and any product based factors necessary to make the right choice.

Innovative Prototyping and Production Services

The Globaltech Ventures team of experts can assist your team in the process of making critical decisions about machines, material, and prototype tooling and providing the support services needed regardless of choice. For a superior quality prototype or product, we would love the opportunity to help. Visit us online or call to speak with a company representative regarding your project.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of high volume machining. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.