Invention Prototyping

An Invention Prototype is a sample of a future or existing design concept or other idea. Physical Inventions are typically perceeded by physical prototypes for the purpose of visual and functional testing.

Stages of Prototyping:

1. Concept Model
Fabricated from quite simple and commonly available materials. It's purpose is to communicate a concept such as needed for any concept selection. It may only focus on a subset of specific design features.

2. Industrial Design Prototype
Demonstrates the "look and feel" of a specific product and is generally used to obtain customer feedback.

3. Developmental Model
Used for "proof of concept" and also in house or outsourced developmental testing. Further testing is performed on the prototype to develop the design and gather data to optimize the design. It is also used to determine the reliability and functional operation under specified operating conditions. Little if any emphasis is placed on the "look and feel" of the part or assembly.

4. Alpha Prototype
This prototype contains most of the full features, but may have some scaling in size. It is primarily ssed for in house testing and evaluation.

5. Beta Prototype
This prototype contains the full features and scale of the production part or assembly and is used primarily for internal and external evaluation and testing. Beta prototypes are typically final production processes.

6. Pre-production Prototype
The final prototype prior to release is a full pilot production prototype which is produced in small volumes. It is used to finalize the manufacturing processes, assembly assessment analysis and final production tooling. It may be used for limited release to priority customers.

Related Terminology

Concept Design
Invention Drawings
Package Design
Proof of Concept
Marketing Analysis
Invention Prototyping
Digital Presentation
Computer Aided Design
Computer Aided Engineering
Computer Aided Manufacturing
Finite Element Analysis
Motion Simulation
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Advertising
Technology Lifecyle