Rapid prototyping

Competitiveness in today's market will be determined by the ability to be first to market with high-quality products at the lowest price. This product agility will be a key to competitive strengths in the international marketplace. To do this, first time quality with lower costs must be a way of life, not just a slogan. Rapid Prototyping, an Integrated Product Development (IPD) process creates the total management, operations, engineering, manufacturing, test and business environment that enables this to happen, Rapid prototyping has been a way of life on the Delta Clipper Programs since their inception, growing from a heritage of successful, fast paced programs carried out at McDonnell Douglas. The Rapid Prototyping Approach incorporates the basic tenets of Total Quality Management: empower the work force; build teams and commitment; and, build in quality from the beginning. The Delta Clipper Programs involve development efforts with a high degree of technical complexity, multi-discipline interactions, and schedule criticality. This requires managing a large number of activities simultaneously within a compressed schedule and an explicitly defined (and tight) budget. Schedule requirements demand concurrent release of drawings and procurements along with hardware and software design and development. The rapid prototyping environment facilitates these actions through team-wide communications, short management lines, and delegated, rapid decision making authority. This paper discusses the processes and results of rapid prototyping as applied to the development and flight testing of the Delta Clipper-Experimental, DC-X System.