In rapid prototyping for metal production, we offer a variety of services that focus on quickly creating metal prototypes with high precision and functional properties. This is critical for industries like automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and consumer products, where early-stage testing and design validation are key. Here’s a detailed breakdown of services you can request:

1. Metal 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS): Offer DMLS services, which use a laser to fuse powdered metal into a solid part layer by layer. This is ideal for creating complex geometries and high-strength parts from materials like titanium, stainless steel, or aluminum.

Selective Laser Melting (SLM): Provide SLM for manufacturing high-density, high-strength metal prototypes. It’s especially useful for industries like aerospace and medical implants where material integrity is crucial.

Electron Beam Melting (EBM): Offer EBM services for producing metal prototypes with complex geometries from materials such as titanium alloys. EBM is commonly used in aerospace and medical device manufacturing for high-performance parts.

Binder Jetting: Provide binder jetting services for producing metal prototypes with intricate designs using a combination of metal powder and binder material. This can be a more cost-effective option for producing low-to-medium volume prototypes in materials like stainless steel or bronze.

2. CNC Machining for Metal Prototypes

CNC Milling: Offer CNC milling to produce metal prototypes with precision and tight tolerances from materials like aluminum, stainless steel, brass, or titanium. This is ideal for creating functional prototypes that require mechanical properties similar to production parts.

CNC Turning: Provide CNC turning for producing round metal prototypes like shafts, fittings, or valves with high dimensional accuracy and fine surface finishes.

CNC Grinding: Offer CNC grinding to achieve high-precision surface finishes for metal prototypes that require smooth finishes and tight tolerances.

3. Investment Casting for Metal Prototyping

Lost Wax Casting: Offer investment casting (also known as lost wax casting) for creating highly detailed metal prototypes. This is ideal for producing metal parts with complex geometries and thin walls, used in industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical devices.

Shell Molding: Provide shell molding for creating precise metal parts from metal alloys. This is an excellent choice for prototyping small parts and low-volume production with high dimensional accuracy.

4. Metal Injection Molding (MIM)

Offer Metal Injection Molding (MIM) for producing metal prototypes in large quantities with complex geometries. MIM is ideal for small, intricate parts that require high precision and are commonly used in automotive, electronics, and medical devices.

5. Sheet Metal Prototyping

Laser Cutting: Offer laser cutting to quickly prototype metal parts from sheet metal, including aluminum, stainless steel, and copper. Laser cutting is ideal for creating precise parts with minimal material waste.

Bending and Forming: Provide metal bending and forming services for producing prototypes with complex geometries from sheet metal. This is useful for making enclosures, brackets, or panels.

Punching: Offer punching for making holes, slots, or other features in metal sheets, ideal for electrical enclosures, automotive parts, and machinery components.

6. Casting for Metal Prototypes

Die Casting: Provide die casting for producing metal prototypes in high volumes with fine details and consistent material properties. This method is great for prototyping parts made from aluminum, zinc, or magnesium alloys.

Sand Casting: Offer sand casting services for prototyping metal parts that require high durability and are often used for engine blocks, gears, or structural components in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Permanent Mold Casting: Provide permanent mold casting for creating metal prototypes with excellent surface finish and dimensional accuracy, especially for aluminum and copper alloys.

7. Prototype Welding and Assembly

Metal Welding: Offer welding services such as TIG, MIG, or spot welding to join metal prototype components and test assembly for functional prototypes.

Prototype Assembly: Provide prototype assembly services, where you combine multiple parts and perform fit testing to ensure the final prototype meets design specifications.

8. Prototype Surface Finishing

Polishing and Grinding: Offer polishing and grinding services to achieve smooth surface finishes on metal prototypes, particularly for parts that require high-quality aesthetics or functionality in medical, consumer electronics, and automotive industries.

Coating Services: Provide coating options like powder coating, anodizing, or plating for added corrosion resistance, aesthetics, or surface durability on metal prototypes.

Shot Peening: Offer shot peening services to improve the fatigue strength and surface hardness of metal prototypes, commonly used in industries like aerospace and automotive.

9. Rapid Tooling

Soft Tooling: Provide rapid tooling for creating metal molds and dies for low-volume production or prototyping. This helps businesses produce functional parts with metal injection molding or die casting while testing the design.

Prototype Molds: Offer the production of prototype molds for injection molding or casting, allowing clients to test their design before moving to mass production.

10. Metal Prototyping for Various Industries

Aerospace: Specialize in creating metal prototypes for the aerospace industry, including lightweight, high-performance parts for aircraft engines, landing gear, and structural components.

Automotive: Offer rapid prototyping of metal automotive parts, such as engine components, brackets, frames, and heat exchangers to help clients test performance and functionality.

Medical Devices: Provide metal prototyping for medical devices like surgical instruments, implants, and prosthetics, ensuring biocompatibility, strength, and precise manufacturing.

Consumer Products: Offer rapid prototyping for consumer products made from metal (e.g., electronic enclosures, appliances, tools) to ensure ease of production and market readiness.

Industrial Equipment: Specialize in metal prototypes for industrial machinery and manufacturing equipment, such as gears, cylinders, and machine housings for functional evaluation.

11. Prototyping Consulting

Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Provide DFM consulting to help clients refine their metal prototype designs for ease of manufacturing, reducing costs and improving production timelines.

Material Selection Consulting: Offer expert guidance on selecting the right metal materials for prototypes, ensuring they meet the necessary strength, durability, and aesthetic requirements.

12. Prototype Testing

Mechanical Testing: Conduct mechanical testing such as tensile testing, compression testing, and fatigue testing to validate the performance and integrity of metal prototypes.

Thermal Testing: Offer thermal testing to evaluate how metal prototypes behave under high or low temperatures, ensuring they meet thermal performance specifications.

Dimensional Accuracy Testing: Provide dimensional verification to ensure the metal prototype matches the design specifications with tight tolerances.