It’s All About Rapid….

By Steve Robbins

A few weeks ago, while traveling through the Minneapolis area with DE Publisher Brian Vaillancourt, I had an epiphany of sorts as we visited the many rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RP&M), and reverse engineering companies clustered in the region. In every encounter, we met people excited by the advances their companies were making in their respective areas of expertise. Costs are dropping and accuracy and reliability are increasing.

The hurdle most RP&M companies seem to be facing is helping engineers at manufacturing companies convince executives to invest in RP&M and reverse engineering hardware and software. In fact, we were told by one marketing executive at an RP&M company that the individuals in control of the pursestrings at potential client companies often associate his product with alchemy. Explaining the benefits of RP&M remained troublesome for many.

But at the very end of the three days of meetings, we had an interesting dialogue with the CEO of one of these companies. This meeting was the highlight of our trip.

Now, I don't know how many of you have walked into a meeting and faced four very serious, knowledgeable experts in an area you only superficially understand — who are looking to you for answers. Don't get me wrong, I understand the technologies involved, but I am not an engineer.

When the CEO turned to me and asked, “What are rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing?” I had to pause to collect my thoughts. Vaillancourt jumped in and started answering the question, but the executive cut him off: “I don't want you to answer,” he said, and, pointing to me, “I want him to answer.”

> Perhaps most importantly, rapid really means a higher return on investment.

So, I launched into what I thought was a pretty good description of how rapid prototyping entailed not only the additive and subtractive processes that lead to physical prototypes and parts, but really entailed every aspect of the latest design engineering platforms available in the MCAD universe; how the lines are blurring between prototyping and manufacturing; that it really provides the end-of-chain link for design program success; and how rapid manufacturing is becoming the answer for short-run high-quality parts.

Never at a loss for words this took about five minutes. When I was done the CEO looked at me and there was silence in the room. “It's all about rapid,” he said.

Right then, it became crystal clear that he was right, and that rapid means different things to different people in design and manufacturing. Often rapid means not waiting for weeks for a part to be prototyped by manufacturing, only to find a defect and start the process over again. Rapid might mean that a designer can create a useable jig for aligning headlights on a production line, right on his desktop. Rapid might mean an artist can have a sculpture reproduced economically, in time to meet an opening deadline. Rapid might mean redesigning a failed system on the Boeing 737 and having the part ready for installation in days as opposed to weeks. Or, rapid might mean from design-to-part in one business day for a manufacturing run of 400,000.

It also means increases in creativity and productivity, and perhaps most importantly, rapid really means a higher return on investment. When we can prove this to the executives, RP&M will no longer be considered black magic. It will become as common in engineering offices as multi-core computers or large-format printers.

That's the message we all need to send upstairs.

Steve Robbins is the CEO of Level 5 Communications, publisher of DE. Send comments about this subject to DE-Editorsmailto:[email protected].