A good prototype with laser cutting answers one concrete design question: is the fit correct, does the construction work, does the material feel good or is the engraving legible? Therefore, do not immediately create the complete end product. Test the part with the greatest risk first, incorporate the outcome into your drawing and only scale up when the production version is correct.
First decide what you want to learn
A prototype is most useful when it is clear in advance what you are assessing it for. For a housing this could be the position of connectors; for a kit, the fit of a tab in a slot; for a display the stability with the real product in it. A smaller, targeted test can often be assessed more quickly than a fully developed model that contains several uncertainties at the same time.
Start with the detail that determines the rest of the design. If that doesn't work, you can make targeted corrections without having to invest material and time in all other parts. Also check which sheet materials match the function you want to test.
A trial from your own drawing
With a production-ready vector file, you can configure material, thickness, operations and quantity yourself. Check recognised paths, dimensions and assigned operations in the preview. This works when you have drawn the shape and want to try it in actual material. Read how online laser cutting and ordering works.
If you only have an idea, sketch or approximate dimensions, the construction first needs developing into producible sheet parts. See concept development. For suitable projects, we can help work out a product that will then be made in our workshop.
Test material and fit separately
Not every test needs to be included directly in the final material. MDF or cardboard may be sufficient to assess shape and dimensions. For transparency, surface, flexibility or a critical connection, you ultimately have to test in the actual material type and thickness. After all, the laser cut and sheet thickness influence how parts fit together.
If necessary, create multiple size variants in one small test file for a critical connection. This allows you to specifically compare which version works. For color, structure or gloss, material samples are more useful; for mechanical behavior you need a real test part.
A concrete example is Zappie. During the development of the technology and science building kits, poplar plywood turned out not to be the best basis for the desired design. After testing, we switched to birch plywood. Such a material change is exactly the kind of decision you want to make with a test part, before the same parts are produced in a recurring series.
Work in clear versions
After each test, write down what you learned and edit the source file. Give revisions recognizable names and prevent a temporary variant from being used later as a final production file. Check dimensions, recognised paths and assigned operations again with each new upload.
Once the risky details have been approved, you can make a complete test set or small series. The same version can then be ordered in a larger quantity or as a repeat order. Price and material availability will be recalculated with a new order.
If you want to try more copies after the first model, read about choosing the size of a test run. This way you only test the uncertainties that really need to be resolved before series production.
From test model to dinosaur construction kit
Het Laser Lokaal worked with Wahoe on a dinosaur building kit for the Naturalis gift shop. Fit, part dimensions, engravings and release tabs are tailored to production and use. The parts are cut from 3 mm MDF; the logo and numbers are engraved.
The result is a compact flatpack construction kit in A5 format that could be produced in large quantities. The case about the dinosaur building kit shows how technical development, a testable construction and final series production fit together.