Rapid prototyping and prototype construction from plastic

Functional prototypes made of high performance plastics

• Sample components made of abrasion-resistant plastics – From single pieces to series production
• Additional time savings from simple online ordering and quick delivery: Orders placed before noon can be delivered overnight – no additional charge for orders of more than €150
• Wide variety of materials: high-performance plastics for prototype construction undefined
• Competent consulting for project planning and design

Fast product development cycle: from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing

Injection-molded parts and series production all from a single source

1. Rapid prototyping: Upload the 3D model of your function component quickly and easily to the online 3D printing service. Here, you immediately see the price, delivery time, and material selection. At the same time, the producibility is tested with respect to wall thicknesses and component size. In 3D printing,  igus® uses only its own plain bearing materials, whose wear resistance is up to 50 times that of conventional 3D printing materials.

2. Rapid Tooling (print2mold): If there are special material requirements that the existing 3D printing materials cannot meet, print2mold is used. It is also selected when prototypes or pre-series components are to be made of the later series material. In the print2mold method, additive manufacture is used to make the injection mold out of plastic or metal , which is 80% cheaper than  injection molds manufactured by conventional means. The molds manufactured in this way are then used to manufacture your special wear-resistant part in as little as five business days. They can be used for several orders, which allows further cost reduction.

3. Rapid manufacturing: If the prototype material and mold for your application has proven useful, the desired component can be re-ordered with the manufacturing method best suited to it. That method could be Rapid Tooling (10 to 10,000 units), mechanical manufacture from bar stock (10 to 10,000 units), regular injection molding (3,000 units or more)  or laser sintering (1 to 10,000 units).

Our customers' applications and references

Rapid prototyping methods

The method used to manufacture prototypes depends primarily on the application requirements. The mechanical properties of a sample are determined not only by the material, but also by the printing method and its specific implementation. The time and the number of the prototypes to be manufactured also affect the selection of printing method.

Selective laser sintering

This method is well suited to manufacturing customised individual parts and series of up to 10,000 units. In this method, a laser melts thermoplastic powder layer by layer to create the specified model. Prototypes created with this method have an especially great load capacity. It is the most frequently used additive manufacturing method at igus®, since it has superior strength, precision, and component price. Various finishing options such as colouring or polishing are also offered.

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

Based on special plastic filaments, this method creates especially robust components in small quantities. An important advantage of the FDM method is the wide selection of materials for special requirements such as high temperatures or food contact and the comparatively simple combinability of various materials to produce a prototype. This method does not allow complex geometries to be mapped as flexibly as laser sintering does.

Rapid Tooling (print2mold): injection-moulded parts from additively manufactured injection moulding tools

For industrial prototyping, high-volume production of functional prototypes, and special material requirements, additive manufacture of injection moulding tools is frequently a good idea. A greater selection of materials is available, since not every plastic is available for 3D printing. This technology allows the manufacture of technical prototypes that are largely identical with the final product, but the peculiarities of injection moulding limit design freedom more than 3D printed prototypes would. Depending on requirements and the necessary number of units, injection moulds are manufactured of metal or with the Stereolithography (SLA) method.

Subtractive methods: bar stock

Prototypes manufactured from bar stock also allow both material and mechanical properties to be mapped as early as the test phase and tested in their full functionality. For this method, material is removed mechanically by such methods as milling to manufacture the necessary workpiece from the raw material. The advantage of this technology is that it removes certain limitations that are present in 3D printing, such as minimum wall thickness. The material selection for prototyping with bar stock is greater than for additive manufacturing. This method's cost advantage is in the production of large quantities or especially simple parts.

Other commonly used prototyping methods

While igus® uses the methods listed above to manufacture plastic prototypes, there are various other methods in the area of prototype production for various materials, including vacuum casting, contour crafting, laser powder forming, space puzzle moulding, and layer laminate manufacturing.

Types of Prototypes

• Design prototype: This type of prototype is constructed to test whether the realized object meets the optical requirements and fits the overall concept. These models have no functionality and can be manufactured of standard plastics.
• Geometrical prototype: Has the exact dimensions of the application and can be installed to see whether other modifications are necessary for fit. This also allows requirements of the necessary material to be checked and firmed up.
• Functional prototype: Maps the central functionalities of the planned component and can be tested directly in the application. For these, it is recommended that a small series of sample parts be manufactured so that they can be tested under various conditions
• Technical prototype: If the final geometry and material have been decided on, the finished application is tested with the technical prototype in use. The model already completely matches the final product with respect to material, mechanical behavior, and geometry.
• Industrial prototyping: Before a product goes into mass production, small series are frequently manufactured, especially in the automotive industry (for pre-series vehicles, for instance) so that customers can try out the new model. At this stage of product development, modifications to the material are often necessary.