If you work in product or engineering design, you'll be familiar with the pressures of developing products in a slow economy. The drive to increase profitability, save on costs, maintain competitiveness and get to market fast doesn't let up. If anything it becomes more intense. Rapid Prototyping is something that can help ease the pressure.
It's a term for a range of fast, low cost prototyping process and technologies – which also include 3D printing.
Which rapid prototyping process?
Depending on your specific circumstances, your choice of prototyping process will be driven by four main factors:
• Your requirement:
- Purpose e.g. concept, presentation, functional
- Properties e.g. thermal resistance, rigidity
- Finish e.g. level of accuracy and detail needed
• The material you want to use e.g. aluminium or plastic
• How fast you need it e.g. 24 hour turnaround, 1 week
• Your budget
What's involved?
For concept models, presentation parts and tooling moulds, as well as finished parts, the most popular rapid prototyping processes are:
• Stereolithography (SLA)
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
• Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)
These services are also referred to as
additive layer manufacturing. In common with
3D Printing, they all involve adding and curing successive layers of the required material until the part is built.
Which prototyping supplier?
Do you want excellent quality prototype parts, turned around fast and cost effectively from a prototyping bureau that offers everything under one roof?
A bureau with decades of experience and in-house skills to deliver excellent quality parts consistently every time?
Talk to Prototype Projects. We're here to help.
Visit us at www.prototypeprojects.com or call 01763 249760 for an immediate quote.
