Rapid Prototyping - transform the way you do business

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping requires a rigorous trial and error process in which it’s crucial to be able to create repeatable, robust and reliable results. 3D printing enables you to create complex models straight from your CAD software and in a fraction of the time it would take using a traditional production line. Allow your design team to create multiple iterations of product concepts which can then be multiplied, visualised and critiqued.

When creating a product, its crucial to identify design flaws early on in the creation process and 3D printing enables you to do this. Hold a physical copy of your design in your hands and see for yourself what works and what doesn’t. When carrying out fit, form and function testing and stress analysis, 3D printing enables you to easily correct or amend the design in CAD software then reprint it in a matter of hours.

Testing multiple derivatives of a design or even designing with complex shapes and structures adds on very little to the overall cost and is a far cheaper process than using a production line. With 3D print technology you can fail, cheap, fail fast! Having the ability to spot design flaws in the early creation stages means you can avoid costly mistakes when you have neither the time or budget for them.

Randy Larson from Polaris Industries commented:

Every time we avoid cutting a tool, we save 8 to 12 weeks.

Traditional manufacturing methods often have high up-front tooling costs, creating a large amount of expense for small/ short production runs. 3D printing also creates far less material wastage as the printer is able to calculate exactly how much material support is needed and apply accordingly.

Let your team get hands on with a physical model that can be analysed in much more detail. Get an idea of how the model feels, moves and interacts in the physical environment. What’s more, with Polyjet printing, you are able to print your model in a choice of over 360,000 colours as well as combining different materials and textures.

–> See how Quadpack utilise Stratasys PolyJet technology for their prototyping needs

–> Learn how Kinetic Vision use the J55 Prime to improve product development