Rapid Prototyping with 3D Printing
Hold your part in your hands before investing in a mold. With prototypes produced on our 3D printers, you can test your design and correct issues before they reach the tooling stage.
Why prototype before tooling?
An injection mold is a significant investment, and design changes after the mold is built are costly. A 3D printed prototype lets you check the part's appearance, dimensions, fit with mating parts and ergonomics in advance. You can quickly try several versions and move to tooling with the right design.
Prototypes from a toolmaker's perspective
We don't just print the prototype; we also review the part for moldability. Draft angles, wall thickness, parting lines and other features that could cause problems in series production are flagged at the prototype stage.
Applications
Product development and customer presentations, fit and assembly checks, fixture and jig trials and low-volume custom parts are the most common uses of 3D printing. Parts modeled through reverse engineering can also be validated with a 3D print before production.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which file format do you need for a prototype?+
A 3D model in STEP, IGES or STL format is sufficient. If you don't have a model, we can create one from a sample part through 3D scanning.
Is a 3D printed part identical to an injection molded part?+
It represents the design in terms of geometry and dimensions, but its material and surface properties differ from a molded part. That makes it ideal for form, fit and preliminary functional testing.
How quickly is a prototype ready?+
It depends on the size and quantity of the parts. Small parts are usually ready quickly; we confirm the lead time once we've seen your file.
Do you also build the mold after prototyping?+
Yes. From the approved prototype, we can continue with mold design, mold manufacturing and series injection molding.
Quote
Get a quote for 3D Printed Prototypes
Share your part files and requirements, and we will review your project and get back to you. You can also reach us on WhatsApp.