How Prototype Maker Make Cell Phone Mockups

cell phone mockup

In the technology industry, prototyping is a crucial step. It is the bridge that transforms designers’ ideas into reality and is the source of innovation. Prototyping not only helps designers verify their design ideas, but also helps engineers understand the design intent of the product, allowing for more efficient production. In addition, prototypes can be used for market testing to collect user feedback for product improvements. Prototyping plays a pivotal role in the technology industry. As one of China’s premier prototype manufacturers, Hemtom is delighted to share the process of prototype manufacturing with everyone. Below, we’ll illustrate the manufacturing process using the example of a smartphone prototype, aiming to assist in your learning.

Understand design drawings

Understanding design drawings is the first step in the prototyping process, and it is also a very critical step. So how do we understand the design drawings provided by mobile phone manufacturers?

Dimensions: Design drawings will accurately indicate the dimensions of each part of the product, including length, width and height. These dimensions need to be measured in millimeters or smaller to ensure that the parts fit together accurately. For example, the length of the phone may be marked as 158.1 mm, the width is 73.6 mm, and the height is 8.4 mm.

Shape: Design drawings use lines and curves to describe the shape of the product, including its appearance and internal structure. Understanding these shapes is critical to selecting the appropriate manufacturing process. For example, the edge of a mobile phone may have an arc with a radius of 5 mm.

Color: Design drawings may indicate the color of the product, including the main body and logo text. Color choice affects product appearance and user experience. For example, the main body color of a mobile phone may be labeled Pantone 285 C.

Materials: Design drawings will indicate product materials, including main body and components. Material selection affects product performance and durability. For example, the phone case might be 6061 aluminum alloy and the screen Corning Gorilla Glass 6. These material choices directly affect the weight, strength and durability of the phone.

Understanding design drawings requires expertise and experience. The design intent needs to be understood, while manufacturing feasibility and cost must be considered. It’s a meticulous and focused process, but also filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Choose the right material

Choosing the right materials is a very important step in the prototyping process. So, how do we choose suitable materials based on design drawings?

Plastic (ABS):
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a commonly used plastic material with the following characteristics:

Plastic material, spray coating and laser engraving

Strength and Toughness: ABS has excellent strength and toughness, making it ideal for manufacturing components such as phone cases.
Processability: Due to its good fluidity, ABS is easy to injection mold and suitable for mass production.
Cost-Effectiveness: Relatively speaking, ABS is an affordable option for cost-sensitive projects.
Heat resistance: The heat distortion temperature of ABS is about 217-237°C, which means it can maintain a stable shape within a certain temperature range.

Metal (aluminum alloy):
Aluminum alloy is often used to make the frames and casings of mobile phones. Its characteristics include:

Metal material, surface sprayed. The edge is aluminum alloy silver high gloss effect

Strength and lightweight: Aluminum alloy has excellent strength and relatively low density, making it ideal for mobile phone frames.
Processing convenience: It can be easily processed into complex shapes through CNC processing and other methods, and is suitable for manufacturing parts with high precision requirements.
Corrosion resistance: Aluminum alloy has good resistance to oxidation, which improves the durability of the product.
Cost-effectiveness: Compared with other metal materials, the cost of aluminum alloy is relatively low, which meets the needs of cost control.

Glass (tempered glass):
Tempered glass is a material commonly used to make mobile phone screens. Its characteristics include:

Strength and durability: Tempered glass is harder than ordinary glass, resistant to scratches, and can effectively protect mobile phone screens.
Transparency: High transparency to ensure clear screen display.
Excellent touch: The tempered glass has a good touch and provides a comfortable operating experience.
Thermal shock resistance: Not easily broken when impacted, helping to improve the safety of mobile phone screens.

In short, according to the design requirements, cost and manufacturing process constraints, we can choose suitable materials to manufacture different parts of the mobile phone. If the drawing does not indicate the material or the material cost is high, we can ask the customer’s needs during communication to better recommend suitable material options for them.

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Address: Av. Joan Carles I, 64, 08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat Barcelona, Spain

Time: March 3-6, 2025

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