Rapid prototype as design, an effective product development methodology

Design teams are usually expected to produce physical prototypes that demonstrate the working principles of the products they are designing within tight time-frames. The use of true concurrent engineering and the ‘rapid prototype as design’ (RPaD) methodology, combined with the ability to effectively integrate the many existing and emerging virtual and physical rapid prototyping technologies into the development process increases the potential of producing new high technology products in shorter timeframes. The paper presents a case study of the Spengler Cardiovascular Lab, a complex project involving a variety of technologies, including electronic, physical, mechanical, and software prototyping. This product was developed by a collaborative team working concurrently in three countries, in less than five months through the tightly integrated use of RPaD, concurrent engineering and virtual and physical rapid prototyping that allowed for a fast reiterative design approach and a short product development cycle.