The production of a prototype is an important phase in the development of a product. The word ‘prototype’ is of Greek origin: literally protos: “first” and typos: “impression”. The prototype is the first full working example of your product. It is often produced in a slightly different way to the eventual full run – as it is sometimes not cost-effective to fire up an injection moulding machine designed to make thousands of products, just to produce a handful to be taken as examples to pitches and trade shows.
We provide our prototyping services to clients who will be using us for the full manufacturing run. There are three main types of rapid prototyping:
- Vacuum Casting
- Stereolithography (SLA)
- Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
SLA and SLS are two types of 3D printing. This is the fastest way of producing a prototype. 3D printing methods are also convenient for producing working scale models of large or bulky items. We can produce a prototype using either of these methods in 1-2 days.
Vacuum Casting
If you only require a limited number of injection moulded parts, then we will use a process called vacuum casting to produce them. The process is highly accurate. We’ll 3D print a master mould and then cast your prototype inside a vacuum chamber.
The Use of Prototypes
Your prototype can be taken to pitches and trade shows as an example of your product. Being able to demonstrate a working product will help buyers to grasp your concept quickly. Once the orders start coming in, we can switch to full manufacture and start producing your product in the required numbers.
Our experienced product development team are here to help you at every stage. Bring your initial concept to us and we will help you with CAD design, virtual testing, prototyping, manufacture and delivery.
For more information on any of our processes or services, please call +44 1692 501020. Alternatively, you can email our team at sales@coda-plastics.co.uk.
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