Are Prototypes Good for the Budget

Abstract

As concurrent engineering helps to reduce project lead times, tools are also required to control risk. Centres on a case study of a telephone, ultimately for British Telecom that was developed during 1993. Stereolithography and rapid prototyping were accessed via Formation Engineering on a bureau basis to provide a dramatic reduction in the product development cycle while simultaneously reducing risk. The justification for prototyping being sustainable on time, risk or financial grounds. It is, however, usually the economics debate that rages for longest as the justification of prototypes is frequently sought within the design phase and not the project as a whole. Incorporating loss of profits due to delayed sales will introduce at least an order of magnitude difference, making the real decision a “no brainer”.