Rapid prototyping authorises quick iteration, reduced time to market and also allows cost-effective production. This method is popular among the designers because it has a lot of advantages. But regardless of having numerous advantages, there are a number of disadvantages of rapid prototyping which cannot be ignored.
Though rapid prototyping takes the responsibility of innovation in the new era of industrial landscape with a promise of speedy iteration along with faster development of product designing, still there are enormous disadvantages of rapid prototyping that come to our attention.
A professionally good designer is one who has the knowledge of advantages and disadvantages of the working process(rapid prototyping here) that he is using for completing his designing task. So those who are thinking of working on the design process through rapid prototyping must be aware of its disadvantages so that they can complete their designing task carefully.
As it is a very sensitive topic for designers they often search about the disadvantages of rapid prototyping. That’s why , here we will explore every complexity related to rapid prototyping together with each and every disadvantage point. Let’s start :
Disadvantages of rapid prototyping–
Primary funding and tools cost :
In the primary level it is in need of special tools like as – CNC machines, software tools and 3D printers. One has to acquire and maintain the financial amount of the technologies which can cause a daunting pressure specially for the small businesses or startups. Again the fee of software licence and the maintenance costs can be added to the overall expenses as another disadvantage of rapid prototyping.
Limitation of Accuracy and Precision :
The techniques that are used in rapid prototyping sometimes fail to achieve the same level of accuracy and precision in comparison to the techniques of traditional manufacturing . The result of this type’s limitations evince the functional mismatch as well as issues related to reliability and the undermining of the integrity of the testing phase.
Time Limitations :
Even though it is called “rapid prototyping “, the procedure of prototyping can nevertheless be time devouring in particular for the large and complex design task . Also for doing adjustments and reiterative variation it consumes additional time that becomes the reason for delay in the development process. This disadvantage of rapid prototyping can not be ignored and as it can be a reason for delaying the development process ,the designer will be unable to complete work if they have tight deadlines.
Materials Limitations :
The field of rapid prototyping is binded by the limitations of materials in many cases. It also confined the variety of utilising substances. The common materials may be managed for initial work but the materials for the final production is very difficult to get managed. Moreover the features like durability , strength may not be correctly recounted as the materials of rapid prototyping as it can lead to discrepancies and divergence.
Limited design :
Creating design features together with geometries sounds very challenging for rapid prototyping and sometimes it gets impracticable to perform designing work which is a major disadvantage of rapid prototyping. The structures are unsupported and to do the working assignment with it may need extra support and effort which can be the prime reason for increasing the cost.
Unsuitable Cost Efficiency for large Production :
Though rapid prototyping is cost-effective for small production, it is not a compatible option for large Production. Large amount of production process can be done quickly by rapid prototyping but it is excessively expensive and ignores the benefits of cost-saving .
Disturbance in intellectual property and security :
The spreading of digital design files in this method promotes the risks in intellectual property. It also reveals the possible theft or unofficial copy. Again the expansion of 3D scanning technologies can boost the vulnerabilities of IP contravention and to defend it , it is necessary to measure the security and safeguard proprietary information. In simple words it can be said that rapid prototyping creates disturbance in intellectual property and security.
Negative impact on environment :
Rapid prototyping creates a long lasting negative footprint on the environment as it comes with waste materials together with energy consumption. With the use of waste materials the disposal challenges must be faced and structural support is a must to face the challenges.Moreover , rapid prototyping can cause carbon emissions which is a reason for negative impact on the environment.
To conclude ,though rapid prototyping offers numerous benefits in terms of accelerated product development and innovation, it is essential to recognize and address its inherent disadvantages. After cognition of disadvantages of rapid prototyping which are : Primary funding and tools cost, Disturbance in intellectual property and security ,Time Limitations, Limited design and materials , Unsuitable Cost ,Negative impact on environment , Limitation of Accuracy and Precision – the business organisation can take decisions related to optimising designs, costs controlling, and will be able to manage risks. In a word, individuals as well as organisations can decide their right approaches according to their needs. With the help of this information businesses can be empowered.
