Costs of rapid prototyping applications

The three measures of the effectiveness of a design process are cost, quality, and time. Regardless of the product being designed – whether it is an entire system or some small subpart of a larger product – customers and management always want it cheaper, better, and faster [ULL]. This applies to the education on universities too. The financial resources are limited, and the students should have the best possible education. To be successful in the design process, it is necessary to exercise methods. Further on, there is no question about the benefits of using a prototype. The application of prototypes during the design cycle might reduce product development costs since an error can be revealed and improved early, especially in a case of a complex shape. Members of the large development teams might be from different departments or different companies. Some teams find it difficult to communicate during product development since they talk about the same issues with different terms. Prototypes have the ability to eliminate such a problem, this makes it possible to shorten the product development time and to become more competitive.