Applications › Prototypes, Fixtures & Production Aids
A prototype earns its keep when it answers the question the drawing could not. We build prototypes in engineering materials on heated-chamber machines so they behave like the part, not like a model: real inserts, machined faces where tolerance matters, decorated with the legends and logo so the sample looks like the product in the review. Design for manufacturing comes with it, including the path to molding if that is where the part is headed.
Typical examples
- Functional prototypes for fit and assembly checks
- Engineering samples for customer and management review
- Pilot-run parts before a mold is cut
- Design iterations in days, not weeks
- Decorated samples with final graphics
Materials, process and quantities
| Materials | ABS, ASA, polycarbonate, nylon, filled grades, Onyx FR, PETG, TPU; the production material wherever it prints. |
|---|---|
| How it is made | CAD and DFM review, heated-chamber printing, inserts, CNC finishing, UV decoration, inspection report on request. |
| Quantities | Singles and small sets, iterated as fast as the design changes. |
| Options | DFM and DfAM review, molding readiness review, inspection data, finished appearance samples. |
| Who orders this | Product companies, OEMs, medical device developers, automation builders, startups. |
What to send
A STEP or STL, the drawing if there is one, the material or environment, and what the prototype has to prove.
Related applications
- Form, Fit & Function Test Parts
- Custom Plastic Components to Drawing
- Short-Run & Bridge-Production OEM Components
- All Prototypes, Fixtures & Production Aids
Start a project: Parts, prototypes & fixtures quote. A drawing, a photo or a sample part is enough to begin.
