Digital Prototyping

Accelerate Product Development and Save Resources

Digital Prototyping

Accelerate Your Development Thanks to Digital Prototyping

Digital prototypes have established themselves as an indispensable tool in product development. They offer the opportunity to quickly visualise, interactively test and refine concepts. This happens long before a physical prototype is created, which leads to a significant acceleration of the development process.

The increase in efficiency and reduction in costs achieved through digital prototyping are just as remarkable as the resulting product quality and market readiness. The VT-DMU modular software toolkit from invenio Virtual Technologies is at the centre of this development. VT-DMU enables targeted calculation results and creates transparency even in large volumes of 3D data. These features are essential for modern, agile companies. Find out how our software solutions support the process of digital product development and provide you with decisive added value.

What Are Digital Prototypes?

Digital prototypes are highly developed, computer-aided models that represent a product in detail at various stages of development. They go beyond traditional 2D designs and are created from many individual pieces of 3D data that are "assembled" into digital prototypes. They offer a direct 3D visualisation that allows interaction and simulation of real conditions. This innovative form of prototyping enables developers to refine design concepts, test functionalities and identify potential problems before the costs of physical models are incurred.

The importance of digital prototyping in product development continues to grow across all industries. The virtual images enable significantly faster iteration and optimisation of products, which is a decisive advantage, especially in highly competitive markets. The ability to test and analyse products virtually leads to a reduction in First Time Right (FTR) problems and therefore to a reduction in development time and costs.

Various industries, from the automotive and aerospace industries to mechanical engineering and electronics, are already benefiting significantly from digital prototypes. In the automotive industry, for example, they enable the simulation of vehicle dynamics under different conditions without the need for a physical vehicle. In aerospace, complex systems and components such as turbines can be tested, improving safety and reliability.

By providing a precise and flexible platform for product development, digital prototypes have revolutionised the way products are designed, tested and optimised.

Advantages of Digital Prototyping

The use of digital prototypes in the product development process brings with it a number of significant advantages that increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of development projects:

  • Faster time to market:

    • Accelerated design and development cycles through immediate visualisation and testing of product concepts

    • Shorter iteration cycles enable faster adaptation to market and customer requirements

  • Cost efficiency in product development:

    • Reduction of material and prototyping costs by minimising physical prototypes

    • Early identification and elimination of geometric conflicts, resulting in lower correction costs in later phases

  • Risk reduction and improved basis for decision-making:

    • Detailed simulations and tests provide deep insights into product performance under different conditions

    • Well-founded decisions based on precise data minimise the risk of undesirable developments and expensive recalls

These advantages make digital prototypes a decisive factor for companies that want to survive in a highly competitive environment and bring their products to market successfully and efficiently.

The Challenges of Product Development

Companies face complex challenges in product development. The balancing act between time pressure and the need to minimise costs while ensuring innovation and quality is omnipresent.

The early phases of product development are particularly critical, as decisions are made here that can have far-reaching consequences. Challenges such as inaccurate market requirements analyses, incomplete risk assessments and technical uncertainties can slow down the development process and lead to increased costs. With our Digital Mock-Up (DMU) solutions, we address these issues in a variety of ways: from digital twin validation and virtual geometric validation to early assembly simulation and serviceability of the product to visualisations across the complete product development cycle with technical graphics or high-end renderings for the end customer.

Digital prototypes also offer a strategic advantage. They enable more precise and in-depth analyses in the early development phases. By identifying and eliminating collisions, clearance violations and other problems at an early stage, companies can avoid costly adjustments in later phases. Digital prototypes also facilitate communication within the development team and with stakeholders by providing a clear and interactive visualisation of the product.

The integration of digital prototypes into the development process therefore makes a significant contribution to reducing complexity in development and uncertainties, e.g. about the status of the data. This leads to a more efficient use of resources, higher product quality and ultimately a stronger and more competitive market presence.

Our Approach to Digital Prototypes

With VT-DMU, we offer a solution that can be used profitably by all companies that work with 3D data, regardless of the data format and industry. The individual benefit depends on your requirements. With VT-DMU, you can integrate powerful algorithms into your systems and processes, make large volumes of data transparent and automate processes that were previously carried out manually. We also have solutions for topics such as quality assurance of virtual products, virtual geometric validation, validation of installation space/package, digital service and graphics or animations.

How Our Software Supports Your Company

Modularity and flexibility are key to the added value of VT-DMU. We have designed the modular software system to be able to offer companies customised solutions across all industries that are tailored to their specific needs and challenges. To this end, we can flexibly integrate VT-DMU into existing customer systems and processes to ensure a seamless transition and maximum efficiency.

In addition to VT-DMU, we offer many other tools with our standard product Connect as an entry into the DMU area, Quality Monitor with integrated AI, QM Management Report, Material Editor, an Omniverse extension and various solutions for the use of artificial intelligence.

Our software is more than just a tool for creating digital prototypes. It is a comprehensive partner that supports your company in developing and launching innovative products faster, more cost-efficiently and with less risk.

References

The satisfaction of our customers is at the centre of our work. Our software solutions have helped numerous companies to optimise their product development processes and achieve greater efficiency. We are particularly pleased that we are increasingly hearing that our tools do more than just perform calculations, but serve an entire process. This best reflects our approach to software development.

With the digital hardware generator, we supported Mercedes-AMG in automatically creating digital images of the real vehicle prototypes directly in the PDM system and without manual rework. To do this, we developed software that automatically maps the supplied 3D data of the changes to the real vehicles in the digital prototype and supports correct component positioning. The virtual vehicle is automatically updated based on the information from the workshop and is therefore always up to date. The data also stores all information on the conversion history so that, for example, it is always possible to digitally display which components have been replaced and at what mileage.

According to feedback from Audi AG, the images automatically generated by our artificial intelligence are "a dream" and "better than any manually created images". With information such as the four individual representations, the section through the point of conflict and the detailed display of the penetration, the design engineers can do something immediately. The time-consuming detective work is no longer necessary.

Robert Bosch GmbH has confirmed that our NX add-ons have enabled them to significantly increase the level of digitalisation in product development. According to the world's largest automotive supplier, the easy-to-integrate add-ons reduce manual effort and increase the quality of design data at the touch of a button.

These statements and references emphasise the value and effectiveness of our solutions. They also show how we successfully help companies in various industries to accelerate their product development and strengthen their market position.

Frequently Asked Questions about Digital Prototypes

Digital prototypes are valuable in all phases of product development, from conceptualisation and design to development, testing and market launch. They are particularly useful in the early phases as they help to identify and correct design and concept errors at an early stage.

Yes, modern digital prototypes such as digital twins can simulate complex interactions with real systems and environments. This includes the simulation of material behaviour, physical forces, environmental conditions and human interaction.

They can be realistically simulated. This depends on the quality of the data. Our software solutions are designed precisely for this purpose and our goal is 100% digital product development in all industries.

Digital prototypes provide a common visual foundation that promotes understanding and communication within multidisciplinary teams. Real-time feedback and modification features allow individual team members or groups to work together efficiently and in a coordinated manner, even if they are geographically dispersed.

Digital prototypes can be used to simulate and analyse production processes. This makes it possible to identify bottlenecks, optimise the material flow and increase the efficiency of the production line before physical changes are made.

Yes, digital prototypes can enable interactive product presentations that can be used for user testing and market research purposes. They offer potential customers the opportunity to evaluate product features and functions before the final product is available.

As part of quality assurance, digital prototypes enable the early detection of design and construction errors. Through comprehensive tests and analyses in the virtual environment, companies can ensure product quality and minimise the need for costly rework.

Changes in the design process can be quickly implemented and evaluated using digital prototypes. Compared to physical prototypes, they allow the design to be adapted and re-evaluated almost instantly. In addition, a solution for high-end renderings of design drafts can be used to derive a decision quickly and directly.

Digital prototypes are ideal for training and educational purposes as they provide a risk-free environment in which users can interact with the product and its functions. This is particularly useful in industries where the handling of complex machines or systems needs to be learnt.

Would You Like to Find out More about Digital Prototyping?

Contact Person Michael Pretschuh

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