Fruth wrote:
> I´ve no idea why anyone of our customers should need color parts.
Dear Charly Fruth and list,
I define rapid prototyping as a communications media. It communicates
important qualities of a design that cannot be communicated any other
way. THis goes for experts and non-experts alike. Typically, it is the
non-experts that are hardest to sell.
My main industrial experience has been in model shops servicing
"industrial designers". These have been product designers rather than
hard "engineering" applications. I've prototyped modem cases, and cell
phones, housings for wood working routers, and toasters, etc.,. These
are presentation models as well as functional prototypes.
One pertinent example comes to mind. A client wanted to put logos and
other product information on their part with the appropriate model color
etc.,. It cost almost 60% of the prototype cost to do this finish work.
The client balked, but to make my billable, thats what I had to do to
make it work. Eventually they agreed because they needed the part as a
sales tool, to get a feel for the final product as it would look.
In the above case, if color rp cost 20% more (and all I had to do to
post process was the normal and a couple of clear coats), That same
client gets the same results with some substantial savings(about %25 in
this case). And they have an excellent sales tool. In the current
"product design" world, sales is what its all about, yes? If you got a
better mouse trap and cannot communicate that properly in the sales or
marketing prototype, its not going to get off the ground.
Perhaps your prototypes don't communicate to non-experts. But
non-experts typically need a wysiwig model--a what you see is what you
get prototype.
Full resolution color can communicate without translation. That seems
valueable to me.
Color can be a "value added" product. A machine that can do full res
color would also be able to print color-less models. Giving you or your
customers greater choice will make more profit.
RP is a communications media. THere is no major mainstream
communications media that does not use full color.
best,
-- michael rees SCULPTOR http://www.sound.net/~zedand00/ 1212 w 8th St. Bldg B #2, 816 753 3020 voice zedand00@sound.net KC, Mo 64101 816 753 1542 faxFor more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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