Rapid Prototyping: Accelerating Product Development

Leveraging affordable, in-house 3D printing dramatically accelerates the product development lifecycle. This capability allows us to rapidly prototype designs, often producing them within a single day. With this speed we can have multiple, quick design iterations—testing variations in form, fit, function, size, and assembly—informed by real-life testing and analysis. This iterative approach is crucial for refining your product, allowing you to bring superior products to market faster.

The process evolves your initial concepts through several stages:

  • Realistic Proofs of Concept (POCs): Transforming ideas into tangible models to validate core principles.
  • High-Fidelity Prototypes: Advancing POCs into models that closely mimic the final product’s appearance and functionality.
  • Validation and Mass Production: Guiding the refined product through necessary validation stages toward efficient mass production.

What’s your project?

Concept Modeling & Exploration

Elevate your initial ideas and turn them into finished products in a matter of hours. Concept models are instrumental in design, allowing for immediate feedback and efficient, iterative changes, which ultimately leads to a better product.

Key Benefits:

  • Go from CAD to physical object in no time.
  • Rapidly develop, evaluate, and iterate a range of designs in-house.
  • Allows for immediate feedback on designs.
  • Provides a tangible way to communicate and convey your creation (e.g., pitching to stakeholders, proving new manufacturing methods, or training new staff).

Applications:

  • Concept models
  • Proof-of-Concept (POC) prototypes
  • Looks-like prototypes
  • Low-risk concept exploration

Image of 3D printed shovels made with Formlabs resin

Functional Prototyping

Go directly from CAD file to a high-performance part faster and cheaper than ever before. Our advanced suite of 3D printing technologies provides a cost-effective manufacturing solution ideal for design iteration and comprehensive testing.

Capabilities & Materials:

  • Print functional prototypes using high-performance thermoplastics & metals.
  • Produce prototypes with material properties closely matching common injection-molded plastics.
  • Our wide range of materials produce prototypes that are both realistic and functional.

Testing & Validation:

  • Know exactly how your product will look and perform in the real world.
  • Test concepts, communicate requirements, and validate designs for manufacturability.
  • Ideal for comprehensive field and in-house testing before investing in expensive tooling for production.

Production:

  • Create small-batch runs or one-off custom solutions.