A novel integrated system for rapid product development

This paper presents a novel integrated system of rapid product development for reducing the time and cost of product development. The system is composed of four building blocks -digital prototype, virtual prototype, physical prototype and rapid tooling manufacturing system. It can aid effectively in product design, analysis, prototype, mould, and manufacturing process development by integrating closely the various advanced manufacturing technologies which involve the 3D CAD, CAE, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and rapid tooling. Furthermore, two actual examples are provided to illustrate the application of this integrated system. The results indicate that the system has a high potential to reduce further the cycle and cost of product development.