Lawsuits have become a way of life for Americans. More than 15 million lawsuits are filed in the U.S. court system every year. Aside from blemishing your company name and creating delays in the production process, a huge drawback to having your company involved in a lawsuit is the cost. Legal fees can easily run in the thousands to hundreds-of-thousands, depending on the type. When it comes to product design, development and manufacturing, rapid prototyping rubber can streamline your process and even  keep you – and your company – out of trouble. Here are 10 ways silicone rubber prototypes save you from needing a lawyer.

1. Short Time Frame. Meet your pre-production contract deadline with quick turnaround on a prototype that can be ready in just a few weeks. There’s no need for a breach of contract suit.

2. Show and Tell. Create a prototype to show investors in presentations and demonstrations. This helps you get investors, so you won’t go bankrupt trying to create your product and bring it to market.

3. Color Effects. Colors have a profound effect on consumer reactions. Rapid rubber prototypes help with market testing to find the right colors. Do a survey, then create a product that will sell to keep your company viable and financially adept.

4. Design Flaws. Avoid a personal injury lawsuit. Discover and prevent defects in design that could result in injuries or malfunctions. Do a form, fit and function analysis.

5. Quick Competition. Get your product to market sooner, beating out the competition – especially if they have the same ideas as you. With a rapid prototype in hand, you won’t get sued for stealing ideas even though you had them first.

6. Sample Visuals. Things don’t always look the same in person as they do on paper or in your mind. Look at the design made from prototype rubber to see if it meets your concept before you go into production. You can make changes as needed for features that don’t fit your concept and probably won’t sell.

7. Customs Issues. Use qualified onshore medical rubber keypad manufacturer to prevent delays and rejections in customs during long shipping phase for imports.

8. ITAR Requirements. If your company is doing contract work for the U.S. government in general, and the military in particular, you’re required to work under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). Creating an ITAR certified rapid prototype for concepts in these contracts keeps you out of trouble with the State Department, so you won’t need a lawyer. This is critical for military keypad prototyping, for example.

9. Tooling Design. Eliminate tooling changes that could run you into financial ruin. This can occur when you don’t have a viable design. Catch the problem early with a rapid rubber prototype.

10. Lower Risks. Rapid prototyping samples can give you confidence in bidding on Homeland Security and military contracts, because your prototype can uncover any difficulties or risks associated with your product design.

SiTECH offers rapid prototyping services. As an ITA- certified rubber molding company, we can help you meet the requirements of the State Department for military keypad prototyping and other government projects. We create a rapid rubber prototypes in a few weeks. While they’re not designed to be used as a final product in the field, they can be used in a variety of ways. Use rapid prototyping for quicker product development, design evaluation, marketing strategies and other types of analyses. Taking this extra step can save you time and money. To learn more about our rapid prototyping services, read our blog, “Just How Rapid Is a Rapid Prototype?“