Something you always need to do in custom rubber parts manufacturing is performing tests on prototypes before full-scale manufacturing starts. Then you can make adjustments if they are required. If you keep these testing tips in mind, the results you get back from rubber part prototype assessments will guide manufacturing down the right paths.

Make Sure Tests Focus on All Relevant Prototype Aspects

The only way you'll be able to remain efficient and cost-effective with rubber part prototyping before manufacturing is if you ensure your prototype tests focus on all relevant aspects of the rubber parts you're trying to make. 

Look at the rubber part's purpose and environments it will be used around, so that you can identify the most important properties to focus on when carrying out rubber part prototype assessments. Then you can complete fewer tests in a shorter period of time.

Understand the End Point When Manufacturing Should Take Place

You can't spend an unlimited amount of time creating rubber part prototypes and testing them out. You have deadlines to meet, especially if rubber parts manufacturing is being funded by investors. As such, it's important to understand what an end point looks like with rubber part prototypes before getting started.

Then you'll know when the right results and metrics have been achieved and can then proceed to full-scale manufacturing as quickly as possible. Knowing how to interpret rubber part prototype tests also will make a difference for figuring out when manufacturing should take place. 

Use Smaller Scales in the Beginning

When making a rubber part prototype for custom manufacturing, it's a good idea to start out with a smaller scale in the beginning. What that does is lower your prototyping costs because not as many materials will be used.

Then once you test out relevant things with rubber part prototypes, you can scale up when manufacturing takes place for real. Just make sure the smaller scales you use won't interfere with how your rubber part prototypes are tested under specific conditions. Also make sure precision prototyping takes place with smaller scales so that no important feature is negatively impacted.

Prototyping lets you see if particular designs are going to work when creating rubber parts. Then once you've proven them out, you can start full-scale manufacturing knowing what parts will be left at the end. As long as you have the right insights going into prototype testing, you won't be doomed to fail.