If a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words a Real World Sample is Worth a Million.

Anyone involved in package design and production knows the benefits of 3D printing. It provides a hands-on examination of a design. You can examine the feel, the look, the tactile experience and many other attributes of the design.

And it’s fast. You can quickly get consumer feedback and incorporate changes in short order. The design freedom 3D printing allows is huge. You can output multiple design options for evaluation and testing.

But 3D printing has limitations. While it provides a hands-on examination, it does not allow for a man-handling examination. Only an actual prototype can give that real-world look at your proposed design.

Fourmark can produce a Real-World Prototype without incurring costs of building final moulds. That’s because Fourmark builds temporary moulds to produce the Real-World Prototypes. That way, customers get exactly the intended specifications of the final product to test. This allows the customer be certain the design works in the real world before they invest in the costs of building final moulds. A Real-World Prototype has many advantages. Certainly there is the handing of the product. Drop it, throw it against a wall, do whatever stress test you can imagine and see how your design holds up.

It can be extremely helpful in tweaking designs and can inspire innovation.

Let other people man-handle it. A 3D print is a delicate sample and passing it from person to person, department to department can damage or destroy it. What then? Print more?

Researching a proposed design is essential. How do primary users of the product react to it? If it’s a consumer product package design you will most likely want to get the design in the hands of your target audience. Focus groups allow you to see how real consumers react to your design. And you can include your competitors’ packages to gain insights based on real-world comparisons.

If you are dealing with a consumer, retail product, you have other audiences to consider. You may have an incredibly creative, new design but how does the trade react to it? Are there issues with storage and/or display?

Almost always, there will something no one has thought of. That’s just part of the design process.

Does it cost more to produce a Real-World Prototype than it does to generate a 3D print sample? Yes. But it might surprise how little the increment might be. Have your packaging company cost it for you. By developing a prototype, you are far more likely to be going to market with a proven design.

Functional prototyping is very helpful in determining assembly line compatibility and optimization as well as in cost projections.

There is no better way to evaluate the performance and specifications of a design and avoiding costly mistakes than prototyping. This allows you to optimize the fit, ensuring that all the parts fit together and flow properly through the production line.

Want to explore the possibility of creating a prototype of your design? Contact us to discuss.