To shed light on the matter, let's first define appearance models. According to Wikipedia: Mockups help to visualize how all design decisions play together, they are convincing and closely resemble the final product, it can be easily revised rather than much later in production stage.
Now, let's explore the distinctions between appearance models and mass-produced items from various perspectives.
[Purpose]
Appearance models primarily serve as tools for internal meetings, providing a tangible representation of designs without actual functionality, at least in most cases. Mass-produced items, on the other hand, are intended for end-users and perform specific functions.
[Quantity]
In terms of quantity, appearance models are typically limited to just 1 to 3 sets. They serve as a validation of the designer's concepts, often requiring adjustments during the product development stage. In contrast, mass production often involves manufacturing over 10,000 units to achieve lower unit production costs.
[Materials]
Appearance models are typically crafted using CNC machining and manual finishing to emulate the final product. Consequently, their material options are somewhat limited, encompassing common engineering plastics such as ABS, PC, PP, acrylic, and certain metals like aluminum and stainless steel. Mass production, on the other hand, offers a wider range of material choices based on the design requirements.
[Surface Finishing]
The surface finishing of appearance models is a manual process, affording greater control over factors like color, gaps, tolerance, and overall finish, aligning closely with the original design. In contrast, mass-produced items may face challenges in controlling color and tolerance consistency due to the properties of the materials used.
[Production Time]
Given the small quantity involved, appearance models typically require a shorter production time. In contrast, mass production entails multiple stages of mold manufacturing and testing, often spanning several months.
[Unit Price]
Comparatively, appearance models tend to be more expensive than mass-produced products. This cost disparity arises from the meticulous craftsmanship required for each appearance model, as they are individually crafted. Conversely, mass production relies on costly steel molds, but the economies of scale allow for significantly lower unit prices, as each mold can produce upwards of 10,000 items.
After understanding the differences between appearance models and mass-produced products, let's dive deeper into what an appearance model is. Explaining the concept of appearance models briefly to the general public isn't always straightforward, as it's not something encountered in daily life. So, I posed this challenge to my colleagues and received the following responses:
Colleague A: An appearance model is a preliminary draft created by designers before launching a product, encompassing elements like product appearance, color, and surface finishing. It is only considered for official market release after successful internal company review.
Colleague B: It's a product development prototype made before mass production to validate the feasibility of the design or mechanism.
Colleague C: It's a validation model used before mass production tooling, similar to a display model in a store, without the functional components.
For me personally, I defined it as follows:
Appearance models are a means for designers to validate both the aesthetics (ID) and mechanics (ME) of their designs during the development of new products. They are primarily used for internal company meetings or presentations.
In summary, an appearance model is a tool for designers to validate their designs, serving as an intermediate product in the product development process. As a model manufacturer, F-Source plays the role of transforming our clients' (ID/ME) designs (3D/2D) into physical objects. Often, I feel like we're practicing craftsmanship because many parts are manufactured differently from mass production and require manual adjustments or creative material choices to achieve the desired look envisioned by the designer. After the parts are CNC machined, we engage in extensive manual polishing and further surface finishing, including anodizing, laser engraving, printing, painting, and more. Finally, it's like putting together a puzzle as we hand-assemble each part. Due to the highly manual nature of these models, they are not as durable as mass-produced items since their purpose is to validate designs rather than actual use. However, in terms of detail and customization, models often surpass mass-produced items.
I hope that this article has provided you with a deeper understanding of appearance models. If you have any questions about appearance models, please feel free to leave a comment, and we'll be happy to answer them!
什麼是外觀模型?它和量產品的差異在哪?
為了回答這個問題，讓我們首先定義一下外觀模型。
根據維基百科：模型(mockups)幫助具體化呈現所有設計元素交互作用的成果，它們比起3D檔案更具說服力且與最終成品相近。相較於生產階段後期，它是較容易修改、調整的。
現在，讓我們從各種角度探討外觀模型和量產品之間的區別。
[目的]
外觀模型主要用作內部會議的工具，將設計作為實體呈現出來，在大多數情況下沒有實際功能。另一方面，量產品則是為終端使用者執行特定功能而製作。
[數量]
就數量而言，外觀模型通常僅限於1到3套，它們用於驗證設計師的概念，通常需要在產品開發階段進行調整。相比之下，量產品通常需要製造超過10,000件，以降低單位生產成本。
[材料]
外觀模型通常使用CNC加工和手工表面處理來模擬最終產品。因此材料選擇有些限制，包括常見的工程塑料，如ABS，PC，PP，壓克力以及某些金屬，如鋁和不銹鋼。相反，量產則可以依據功能需求選用各式不同材料。由於數量大，甚至可以客製化原料。
[表面處理]
外觀模型的表面處理很多程序是需要純手工處理，外觀模型通常可以精準地控制顏色、間隙、公差和整體表面效果，與原始設計一致。相比之下，由於所使用的材料的特性，量產品可能較難以控制顏色與公差等細節。
[生產時間]
由於生產的數量較少，外觀模型的製作時間通常較短。反之，量產品則需要模具加工、修模和試模等階段，通常需要幾個月的時間才能開始生產。
[單位價格]
外觀模型的製作成本通常比量產品來得高。由於每個外觀模型都是由師傅手工處理並組裝，因此需耗費大量人力與時間。量產品的的鋼模雖然單價高昂，但由於產量可達數萬件，因此平均價格則會低非常多。
了解外觀模型與量產成品的差異以後，接下來繼續探討何為外觀模型。該如何簡單扼要向大眾去解釋何為外觀模型，一直不是一件容易的事情，畢竟這不是大家每天會碰到的東西。於是我把這個難題丟給了我的同事，請同事們嘗試用一句話來總結外觀模型的定義，獲得了以下回覆:
同事A: 外觀模型是設計師在準備推出產品前先給內部進行確認的草案，需包含產品外型、顏色、表面處理等元素，成功通過後公司內部審核後才會考慮將此做為正式上市的產品。
同事B: 做量產前的產品開發模型, 來驗證設計或是機構做動的可行性。
同事C: 量產開模前的驗證模型, 類似於門市沒有晶片電池的展示機。
而對我自己來說，我給的定義是:
開發新產品時外觀(ID)和機構(ME)用來驗證自己設計的方式，主要用於公司內部會議討論或是展示使用。
總結來說，外觀模型就是設計師驗證設計的工具，是產品開發過程中的中間產物。而身為模型製造商的飛碩，就是扮演將客戶(ID/ME)的設計(3D/2D)轉換成實體的角色。比較多的時候我覺得製作模型像是在做手工藝，主要的零件透過CNC加工生成，也有很多零件的製程不同於量產，因此只能自行手動修整或是發揮創意用不同材質來取代以呈現設計師腦中想像的模樣。所以零件加工完成以後再進行全手工的研磨、或更進一步的後處理，包含像是陽極、雷射雕刻、印刷、噴漆等等。最後則是像是拼拼圖一般，將一件一件零件手工組裝而成。由於模型的高度手工性質，所以成品往往不若量產品堅固耐用，畢竟目的上也是為了驗證設計，而非要實際使用。但若就成品精緻度而言，模型往往可以比量產品更加精細且可高度客製化。
希望經過這篇文章的講解，可以讓大家對於外觀模型有更進一步的了解。若有任何對於外觀模型的問題，也歡迎留言讓我們知道!