Despite the importance of the design stage in product development, often design failures have a negative impact in the production process. Many of these failures are due to the use of only two dimensions in product representation. An alternative to overcome this problem is the use of 3D modeling. This article presents the results of a research study which aimed to explore the contribution of virtual prototyping to the integration of design and production stages. This study involved the use of virtual modeling at the detail design of the finishings of bathrooms. Physical prototyping was also used for verifying the conformity to the solutions adopted in virtual prototyping, and for identifying a set of requirements to increase the degree of conformity. The main contributions were: (a) definition and analysis of detail solutions focused on guiding the production process; and (b) anticipation of unforeseen situations in 2D design that could result in interferences in the production process. The requirements pointed out were: (a) quality control of materials and tasks carried out on site in order to minimize dimensional variations; (b) employment of more advanced technology, less subject to dimensional variations; and (c) the need to incorporate technical knowledge about the production process.
Virtual prototyping; Project details; Product development process (PDP)
