Prototypes

Regardless of advances in 3D design software and hardware, at the end of the day, nothing beats having the "real thing" that people can see, feel, touch, play, wear, hug, try etc. That is where prototype comes in. This is a technology unto itself, where the "real thing" can just materialize with no or minimum tooling investment, which is normally quite substantial.

We offer several types of prototypes:

• Manual - this is more art than science. Our artists can work from sketches, photos, or just a verbal description to have the prototype completed. Small numbers can be replicated, e.g., up to about three hundred pieces, say. Material can be plasticine, clay, wood, styrofoam, polymers, reinforced glass fibre etc, depending on the individual application. There are virtually no limit to the size of the article with this technology. The prototype can be used later for tooling manufacture via 3D scanning. Prototypes for most cartoon and comics characters, busts of real persons, art displays etc are done this way.
• CNC Machined - this option is possible when the design was done with 3D software. The design file is fed into a CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) machine center to mill out the article. Material can be plastic, wood, styrofoam, or even metal, depending on the application. Precision is good with this type of prototype. Size is generally limited to within 1 meter cubic.
• SLA (StereoLithographic Apparatus) - like the CNC machining option, this also requires the design done in 3D. The prototype is actually "sprayed" into shape not unlike an inkjet printer. The article is built droplet by droplet, and layer by layer into the designed geometry. Design can be much more finely detailed and delicate as compared to CNC machining. Size limitation is a major setback for this type, as we are only talking about the range of 20 cm cubic here. SLA for the 50 cm cubic range is available these days, but the machine is pretty expensive, so is cost of the prototypes so produced.
• Experimental injection tool - this is for plastic injection molded products. Some times a customer will require a relatively large quantity of prototypes for some reasons (like they have a large sales team, for example), and the above three methods will deem inadequate. This technology uses an experimental injection tool that will be good for only about 2,000 to 5,000 cycles, depending on it complexity, that costs about a fraction of a proper tool. This is not a bad option as an interim tool to test the market.

Please do not be confused with these different types of prototypes, if you are not really familiar with them. We would make recommendations as which type will suit your purpose best. Our prototype engineers are experienced with the subsequent manufacturing processes, whether it is plastic injection molding, machining, or deep drawing etc, such that when they prepare the prototypes, good consideration will be given to minimize the manufacturing costs, from a tooling investment, assembly, quality control, or product reliability standpoint.

You might want to check out the FAQ section of this site on Prototypes if you'd like to read more on this topic.