**4.1 Advantage of rapid physical modelling**

The obvious advantage of rapid physical model making is in the saving of time and the human centric energy required to craft the models. This is especially so in the case of 3D printing where the need for assembling several fabricated parts to make a whole (model) is eliminated. This ability is more useful when early visualisation models that do not require finishes are made for form, fit and ergonomic testing.

**137**

**Figure 15.**

*Revised design process.*

*Rapid Physical Models: A New Phase in Industrial Design*

and details after preliminary models were printed for exploration.

Desktop 3D printers and the economics it has brought also proves advantageous to students of industrial design, allowing them to make several iterations and variations of concepts within a short period of time allowing them the opportunity to explore options and discuss the pros and cons with the instructors before deciding on a final design. This option was mostly available as two-dimensional sketch and render exploration in the pre 3D printing era. **Figure 13** shows the result of two such student exercise where the final designs were 3D printed and finished with colour

Such an advantage of design exploration is also possible by professional designers and design companies, who have gone beyond the polished renderings to study and refine the overall design of the products due to the affordance that 3D printing offers. **Figure 14** shows 3D printed exploration and production

The end result of such explorations seems to point to a new phase in industrial design where the traditional design process has been disrupted by CAD and rapid physical models. New concepts such as collaborative design has brought in real time design and development through networked connectivity and the Internet. As the profession of industrial design has done in the last century, it is evolving to meet

With CAD, the Internet, networking, cloud computing, and rapid physical model making (as well as prototyping) engulfing the day-to-day activities of an industrial designer, what then could be the new phase of industrial design. These

a.**Change in the process flow:** The traditional approach to design process depict in **Figure 4** gives way to more multi-disciplinary process as shown in **Figure 15**. With 3D data being created, refined and evolved at the early stage of industrial design (Stage 3), first level development engineers can start working on the preliminary part of the development supported by rapid physical models that could be 'shelled' to leave void space. What was already possible with the introduction of CAD becomes much more concrete with the aid of such models

are some of the aspects of design and process that has changed:

that serve as low fidelity engineering prototypes.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88788*

**5. The new phase in industrial design**

spectacle frames.

this change.

*Rapid Physical Models: A New Phase in Industrial Design DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88788*

*Design and Manufacturing*

**Figure 13.**

**Figure 14.**

*Concept irons from students.*

said that the famous Silicon Valley in California, USA, has overplayed the contribu-

Third, and the most influential technology in the development of rapid model making is introduction of additive manufacturing, which is also known as **3D printing**. 3D printing is not one technology but many that has been developed by several companies/corporation based on the principle that a model can be built, layer by layer, using materials that are deposited or extruded and cured to solid state as the layers are added. Looking at the history of 3D printing the first technology to emerge around 1984 was **Stereolithography** followed by Selective Laser Sintering (**SLS**) in 1988 which was then followed by Fusion Deposition Modelling (**FDM**). Several companies manufacture 3D printers in what is now a competitive market which cater to institutions and professional companies/outfit that could purchase and maintain a high-end rapid model making equipment. Since 2010, table top 3D printers that are much lower in cost and easy to maintain have become popular allowing not only designers, but craftspeople and hobby enthusiasts to purchase them.

The obvious advantage of rapid physical model making is in the saving of time and the human centric energy required to craft the models. This is especially so in the case of 3D printing where the need for assembling several fabricated parts to make a whole (model) is eliminated. This ability is more useful when early visualisation models that do not require finishes are made for form, fit and ergonomic testing.

tion of laser cutters in the development of hi-tech products.

*3D printed spectacle frames (source: 3ders.org).*

**4.1 Advantage of rapid physical modelling**

**136**

Desktop 3D printers and the economics it has brought also proves advantageous to students of industrial design, allowing them to make several iterations and variations of concepts within a short period of time allowing them the opportunity to explore options and discuss the pros and cons with the instructors before deciding on a final design. This option was mostly available as two-dimensional sketch and render exploration in the pre 3D printing era. **Figure 13** shows the result of two such student exercise where the final designs were 3D printed and finished with colour and details after preliminary models were printed for exploration.

Such an advantage of design exploration is also possible by professional designers and design companies, who have gone beyond the polished renderings to study and refine the overall design of the products due to the affordance that 3D printing offers. **Figure 14** shows 3D printed exploration and production spectacle frames.

The end result of such explorations seems to point to a new phase in industrial design where the traditional design process has been disrupted by CAD and rapid physical models. New concepts such as collaborative design has brought in real time design and development through networked connectivity and the Internet. As the profession of industrial design has done in the last century, it is evolving to meet this change.

### **5. The new phase in industrial design**

With CAD, the Internet, networking, cloud computing, and rapid physical model making (as well as prototyping) engulfing the day-to-day activities of an industrial designer, what then could be the new phase of industrial design. These are some of the aspects of design and process that has changed:

a.**Change in the process flow:** The traditional approach to design process depict in **Figure 4** gives way to more multi-disciplinary process as shown in **Figure 15**. With 3D data being created, refined and evolved at the early stage of industrial design (Stage 3), first level development engineers can start working on the preliminary part of the development supported by rapid physical models that could be 'shelled' to leave void space. What was already possible with the introduction of CAD becomes much more concrete with the aid of such models that serve as low fidelity engineering prototypes.

**Figure 15.** *Revised design process.*


**139**

**Author details**

Peer M. Sathikh

School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

\*Address all correspondence to: peersathikh@ntu.edu.sg

provided the original work is properly cited.

*Rapid Physical Models: A New Phase in Industrial Design*

f. **Others:** With rapid physical model making moving well ahead of the initial curiosity, it could be left to the creativity of future designers, engineers and business people to derive further uses for rapid physical model making to suit

This chapter gives a historical background to physical model making in the profession of industrial design right from the last decades of the 19th century through the foundation and development of industrial design during the 20th century till the first two decades of the 21st century. Alongside the history, the different types of physical models, together with the reasons for using each type was explained before touching on the research and development of rapid physical model making technologies, specifically high-speed CNC, laser cutting and 3D printers. Examples of how they are used has also been given in this chapter before the author moves on to discuss on how rapid physical model making is taking the profession of industrial

What this chapter presents is an overview of the importance of physical model making and the role it has played before moving on to how rapid physical models are setting the scene for the future of industrial design, all within the context of the

Industrial design has played a major role in the modern and postmodern era, by bringing a harmonious relationship between form, function and aesthetics in the built environment and life style over the last 100 years. With the Earth facing imminent danger to its natural sustainability, it is hoped that the profession will take advantage of the technological advances brought about by CAD, rapid physical model making and its development in sustainable materials together with high speed connectivity to influence the direction of human habitat on this planet in the

near future, and perhaps other celestial bodies in the future to come.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.88788*

the demands of the word.

**6. Summary and conclusions**

design to its next phase of progress.

other chapters in this book.

**Figure 16.** *High-speed CNC machining of car body (source: cnc-modelle.com).*

f. **Others:** With rapid physical model making moving well ahead of the initial curiosity, it could be left to the creativity of future designers, engineers and business people to derive further uses for rapid physical model making to suit the demands of the word.
