Prototyping

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There are many ways to make a prototype part. Each method has it's own costs and limitations. Each part and Customer has a reason for choosing one method over the other, or using a combination to get their product to market.

Prototyping

You have your idea sketched out, or a sample part constructed. You're ready to show some Investors and start marketing your product. Save yourself time and money. Have the concept designed into a CAD solid, or 3 dimensional model before going any further.

If your part is going to be manufactured out of plastic or metal, in the USA or Worldwide, it will need electronic geometry to define the part. You need to give identical geometry to everyone involved in making the molds, building fixturing, creating punch dies, and of course, growing or machining your prototypes.

Different machines use different types of data to create the parts. The CAD files are the primary, or master files that all other file formats are generated from. When a change is made to the part, the change is made to the master file, so everyone is given the correct part geometry in the format they need.

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping can speed up the review, approval and manufacturing of your design ideas. We use a technology called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a patented technology by Stratasys to turn CAD files into 3D models. This technology allows the use of non-toxic ABS plastic, polycarbonate and other materials to build strong and durable, fully functional prototypes.

The two parts below show two different methods of prototyping. The white part was created using FDM technology. The black part was molded using a single cavity aluminum prototype mold. The FDM parts gave our customer fast turn around to make sure the parts worked in the assembly. When the design proved out, a prototype mold was built and a large quantity of parts manufactured. The prototype mold can be used until your product gains sales, or as a bridge to cover demand while the production mold is being built in fast pace projects.

Prototype Molds In many cases, the least expensive way to make a single plastic prototype is to machine the part, or use a rapid prototyping method. If you need more than one prototype, or the prototype must exactly match the form, fit, and function of the production part, then you will need a mold to manufacture the prototype part.
	The mold carries the shape of the part you want to manufacture. The plastic resin is heated until it is liquid, then it is injected into the mold at a very high pressure. The resin stays in the mold until it solidifies, then the mold opens and the part is removed. Prototype molds are usually built to last a short life. The mold is built without features found in the production mold, so the build time is less and the mold less expensive	A prototype mold is similar to a production mold. It can be single cavity as shown above, or make more than one part, called a family mold, as shown below.
The main advantage of using a prototype tool is time. If you are not 100% sure the part you are designing will work, then it is better to build a single cavity prototype mold instead of starting with the production mold. The cost to make changes to a single cavity mold is far less than modifying a multi-cavity, heat treated mold.