Publisher's Synopsis
Have an idea for a new product? You need a prototype! This fun and practical book is full of eye-opening ideas for fast, ultra-cheap, and creative prototyping to help you bring products to life. Learn how to shop for usable parts at home, toy, and department stores, how to use free CAD software, ordinary shop tools, simple mold-making material, and other equipment and materials to build working product prototypes right in your home.
Say you have an idea for a better pair of scissors. Using the unique cut-and-paste techniques in Frankenstein Prototyping, you can attach other components (that you scrounge or mold) to an existing product and voila! -- you have a working prototype. It may look stitched-together and monstrous, but it will work. And it won't cost you much.
To illustrate the concepts covered, Frankenstein Prototyping features at least one sample project per chapter, complete with engaging descriptions, step-by-step instructions, and plenty of photos, drawings, and graphs. With this book, any maker can learn how to:
- Obtain parts you need to make your prototype, and use things in ways they were not originally intended
- Equip your own prototype lab with CAD software, cutting tools, drilling tools, hand tools, assembly systems, and mold making chemicals
- Create simple, low-cost prototypes with little function but lots of value, using popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, cardboard, LEGOs, and more
- Use different types of epoxies as adhesives or near structural elements
- Use CAD software, and learn why it plays an essential role in prototyping
- Follow patterns to plan your project's components, and then turn materials into parts
- Make a mold and then make a part from the mold, using RTV mold making materials
- Use an assembly system to bring your innovation together
- Finish your product with decals, printed labels and packaging, using boxes and other spare packaging material
- Create inexpensive small-run products by making and using jigs
You also get a "monster centerfold" that summarizes the key ideas and techniques covered in the book -- perfect for hanging on your shop wall! Many of today's major industries began with small groups of people, or one dedicated person with a compelling idea. This entertaining book has lots of useful concepts and information to get you started, whether your product idea is for profit or just for fun.
