CNC Prototyping: Transforming Ideas into Reality with Yumei’s CNC Expertise

The role of CNC prototypes in the product development lifecycle

Help the team understand product requirements and design ideas.

In the early stages of product development, requirements are often vague, and team members have different understandings of the specific requirements and design goals of the product. Through prototyping, team members can intuitively understand the function and interaction flow of the product, reducing communication costs and the possibility of misunderstanding. At the same time, prototyping can also allow team members to better participate in product design and discussion, provide their own opinions and suggestions, and jointly improve the design of the product.

Verify the feasibility and usability of the product.

Through prototype design, the use scenario and interaction mode of the product can be simulated, so that users can participate in it and provide feedback. In this way, the problems and shortcomings of the product can be found early, and large-scale modifications and adjustments can be avoided in later development. Prototyping can also be used to evaluate the usability of the product, including the ease of use of the user interface, the rationality of the interaction process, and so on. If the prototype design can meet the needs and expectations of users, then the success rate of the product will also be greatly improved.
The role of prototype design in product development is to improve development efficiency and reduce risks.
In the early stage of product development, prototype design can quickly realize the prototype of the product, functional testing and user feedback. In this way, problems can be detected early and appropriate measures can be taken to adjust and optimize. At the same time, prototyping can also help development teams better understand product design, pre-plan development tasks, and improve development efficiency. Through prototype design, unnecessary development work and resource investment can be reduced, and the risk in the development process can be reduced.

Prototyping process

The prototyping process generally consists of the following four steps:

• Design stage: In the design stage, it is necessary to complete the initial design of the product by hand drawing, CAD design software or other auxiliary tools. The focus of this stage is to determine the size, shape and function of the product requirements.

• Manufacturing stage: In the manufacturing stage, it is necessary to process according to the design drawings or 3D models. The focus of this stage is to select the right materials and manufacturing methods, such as CNC machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, etc., and ensure that the produced prototype meets the design requirements.

• Test phase: In the test phase, it is necessary to detect and test the manufactured prototype to ensure that it meets the design requirements and functional requirements. The focus of this stage is to test various indicators, such as strength, wear resistance, service life, etc.

• Correction and improvement stage: After problems are found in the testing process, the prototype needs to be corrected and improved to achieve better results. The focus of this phase is to understand the test results and make adjustments and improvements based on experimental data to improve the quality and performance of the prototype.

• In short, in the prototyping process, from design to manufacturing to testing and improvement, every stage is very important and needs to be considered comprehensively and operated strictly in accordance with the process to achieve the best results.

The advantages of CNC prototyping

CNC prototype refers to the concrete embodiment made in the product design process in order to check and verify the feasibility of the design scheme. It is an intermediate product that transitions from conceptual design to mass production, aiming to perfect and optimize product design and improve product quality.
Numerical control prototype has great benefits in many applications, as follows:

• Product design and development: The prototype plays a very important role in the design and development of new products, and ensures the optimization of the final product design scheme through continuous proofing, modification, testing and adjustment.

• Marketing: The prototypes used in marketing include samples, display models and resin models, etc., which can not only allow customers to better understand the characteristics and advantages of the products, but also increase the sales volume of the products.

The advantages of CNC prototyping in speed, cost effectiveness and accuracy are analyzed

• Speed: The speed of CNC prototyping benefits from the high-speed working ability of CNC machine tools and the ability to work around the clock, significantly increasing the speed of manufacturing facilities to produce parts. In addition, the tasks of large assembly lines can be completed on small CNC machines, further improving production efficiency and shortening the production cycle.

• Cost effectiveness :CNC machining reduces manual operation and reduces labor costs through automated operation. At the same time, CNC machining reduces a variety of costs, such as labor and resource costs, and brings higher profit margins for manufacturers. In addition, by improving accuracy and consistency, CNC machining processes can exponentially reduce scrap rates, further improving cost effectiveness.

• Accuracy :CNC machining can achieve very high precision and accuracy, through programming and control, can be processed on a few decimal places or even more accurate reticuli, suitable for areas requiring high-precision parts. The precision of CNC machining is very high, and the machining accuracy of micron level can be achieved, thus ensuring the quality and stability of the workpiece. Because CNC machining is digitally controlled processing, it will not be affected by human factors and avoid errors.
• In summary, the advantages of CNC prototyping in terms of speed, cost effectiveness and accuracy have made it one of the indispensable technologies in modern manufacturing.

CNC prototyping techniques for a variety of materials and applications.

First,Engineering materials suitable for rapid prototyping include many types, as follows:
Plastics: Materials such as ABS, polycarbonate and nylon are commonly used in 3D printing and injection molding.
Metals: Aluminum, steel and titanium alloys are used for more durable prototypes.
Resin: Used in stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing technologies.
Composite materials: Carbon fiber reinforced materials provide additional strength and lightness.
Special materials: Biocompatible materials for medical prototypes or conductive materials for electronic prototypes.
Second, the main technical parameters are as follows:

• Table cutting type rapid prototyping system, supporting the production of large single pieces and mass production of small pieces.

• Processing non-metal such as ABS, POM, PVC, nylon, plastic foam, acetal plastic, etc

• Maximum load >4kg.

• The processing size is at least 400300100mm.

• The maximum feed speed of XY axis is not less than 3600mm/min, and the maximum feed speed of 2-axis is not less than 3000mm/min.

• Software resolution RML-1: no more than 0.001mm/ step, NC code: no more than 0.001mm/ step.

• The mechanical resolution is not more than 0.01mm/ step.

• Spindle motor: DC brushless motor.

• Spindle speed :4500-15000 RPM.

• Set simple clip knife, can automatically change the knife.

• ATC clip capacity is not less than

• Transmission mode :USB

• Rated voltage 100-240V 10%, voltage frequency 50/60Hz, current 1.2A, power consumption 95W.

• No-load noise does not exceed 60 dB, standby noise does not exceed 45 dB.

• The overall size does not exceed 760900750.

• Rotating shaft loading size: thickness 12-40mm, length >130mm.

• Load weight of rotating shaft is greater than 0.5kg.

Real-world use cases of CNC prototyping, covering industries and application areas

• Medical industry :CNC machining is widely used in the medical field, including but not limited to joint replacement and manufacturing of knee implants. These implants require a high level of precision and accuracy to ensure that patients’ lives and well-being are not affected. The CNC machining center enables precise fabrication of patient-specific parts with tolerances as small as 4um. In addition, CNC machining is used to produce surgical tools such as scalpels, scissors, and complex robotic arms for minimally invasive surgery, which must be manufactured with high precision to ensure that surgeons can perform complex operations with greater precision and fewer complications.

• Electronic medical devices: Many medical devices, such as MRI scanners, heart rate monitors, and X-ray machines, are equipped with thousands of CNC-machined electronic components. These parts include switches, buttons, controls, and electronic housings. While these medical devices do not come into direct contact with patients’ internal systems, their manufacture is still tightly supervised and controlled by multiple regulatory agencies.

• Custom prosthetics: CNC machining is changing the field of prosthetics in the healthcare sector where the need for personalization is growing. The production of customized devices based on the unique physiological characteristics of each patient ensures that the prosthetic limb fits perfectly to the patient’s body and improves the quality of life. These use cases demonstrate the important role CNC prototyping can play in improving product accuracy, adapting to individual needs, and responding to stringent regulatory requirements.

The impact of CNC prototyping on innovation and product development

• Innovation-driven: The intelligence and adaptability of CNC technology makes it possible to rapidly prototype new products and designs, thus accelerating the transformation process from concept to product and promoting the development of innovation.

• Improve development efficiency: Through fully automated manufacturing, manual intervention is reduced, manufacturing efficiency and accuracy are improved, the product development cycle is shortened, and the speed of response to market changes is accelerated.

• Enhance product competitiveness :CNC prototyping can achieve complex structure and high-precision parts production, improve production,The performance and appearance of the product enhance the market competitiveness of the product.

• Cost reduction: By optimizing the manufacturing process, reducing material waste, reducing the cost of product development, making new products easier to market.

• Humanized design: The combination of artificial intelligence and CNC manufacturing technology makes the manufacturing process more intelligent and humanized, which not only meets the user’s personalized needs for products, but also improves the user experience.