A prototype, in layman’s terms, is one or several functional samples made based on product appearance drawings or structural drawings without opening a mold, used to check the rationality of appearance or structure. The prototype is currently referred to as the head board in different places.
The processing and production of prototype models requires the project manager to first review the customer’s 3D drawings, confirm with the customer repeatedly that there are no errors in the drawings, and then propose a processing plan. Handing over the planning of equipment travel to the programming department, placing the raw materials used on the CNC machine for processing and shaping, and then handing them over to colleagues in the manual department for polishing and detail processing, including some appearance decoration, all require professional manual craftsmen to spend time and attention to detail, which is an important intermediate step. The main reason why the product quality of some small factories does not meet the standards is that it is poor, which is closely related to the experience and level of the on-site processing masters. After completing the above steps, we will enter the coloring stage, where the fuel injection department technician will compare the customer’s rendering requirements for coloring. The production is basically completed here, and finally, colleagues from the quality department will conduct subsequent quality inspections to ensure that it is qualified for shipment.
The prototype model can be freely assembled. We can easily understand the rationality of the model structure and the difficulty of manufacturing the model through prototyping. Making prototype models can help us detect and solve problems as early as possible. Compared to practical products, the prototype model has a time advantage. When the product has not been launched, we can use the prototype model to promote the product in advance, formulate a comprehensive pre-sales strategy and implement it, and seize the market faster. The prototype model was introduced from Taiwan in the mid-1990s to Chinese Mainland. After more than 20 years of development, there are hundreds of prototype factories in China, but most of them are still in the workshop type small-scale, and there are no more than 10 prototype factories with hundreds of people. Among numerous prototype factories, Sino American titanium prototype factories are in a leading position in the same industry, and are generally superior to other prototype factories in terms of prototype production scale, management standards, and prototype quality.