Previous Answer:
Alpha prototypes are typically used to assess whether the product works as intended. The parts in alpha prototypes are usually similar in material and geometry to the parts that will be used in the production version of the product, but they are usually made with prototype production processes. For examply, plastic parts in an alpha prototype may be machined or rubber molded instead of injection molded as they would be in production.
(Kalpakjian S., Schmid S.R., Manufacturing Engineering and
Technology,5th Edition, pg.261)
New Answer (Better) :
It is
important to note that misguided prototyping efforts do not contribute to the
goals of the overall product development efforts. These
misguided actions actually can end up costing the project precious time, resources, and money
without contributing anything to the process. Choosing prototyping for a product is a very critical
issue, and it depends on many factors, such as cost trade-off, cycle time, accuracy of
prototyped part, material property, part size, part strength, and availability. Most importantly, the
selection should be based on the prototyping objective. A prototype can be a physical
prototype in which artifacts are created to approximate the product (e.g., models that look and
feel like the product). A physical prototype is commonly used for proof of concept to
test the idea and used as an experimental hardware to validate functionality of a product.
However, a prototype can also be an analytical prototype in which mathematical,
analytical, simulation, or a computer model is used to analyze the product. A prototype can be a
comprehensive prototype—full-scale, fully operational version of the product. For example, a
beta prototype is given to customers in order to identify any remaining design flaws before
committing to production. A prototype can be a focused prototype to implement one or a few
of the attributes of the product (worklike or look-like product). For example, a foam model is
made to explore the form of a product or a wire wrapped circuit board to investigate the electronic
performance of a product design.
A physical
and comprehensive model could be an alpha, beta, or production prototype. An alpha prototype is the first system construction of
the subsystem that is individually proven to work while a beta prototype is the first
full-scale functional prototype of a product constructed from the actual materials as the final
product.
Figure 2.1
shows the coordinate system for prototype classifications.
(Frank W. Liou, Rapid Prototyping and
Engineering Applications: A Toolbox for Prototype Development, Chapter 2)
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