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Prototype or Prototype Mold: What Option Is Better for You?
There are serveral progress for making your plastic part conception/designs — the one you choose really depends on what you expect to accomplish with the real part. For example, will the plastic part be subjected to testing? Does it need to be "dressed up" for a trade show? Will it need to meet tight tolerance requirements?
The most common way to make it as a vowin.cn' target='_blank'>rapid prototyping,these options are SLA/SLS, Vacumm Casting(also named urethane cast),CNC vowin.cn/en/News/news1251.html' target='_blank'>machining and soft tooling. But which is right one for your component? Please continue to read the article.
Stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) are additive manufacturing technologies that are ideal for rapid prototyping. In SLA, an ultraviolet laser builds a solid part from a CAD pattern by solidifying and curing individual layers of a photopolymer resin. Although SLA is relatively fast, there are some size limitations, and photo-curable resins can be expensive. SLA parts can also be “dressed up” easily with paint or dye for trade shows or presentations.
SLS is similar to SLA except that it utilizes a carbon-dioxide laser to fuse together thin layers of powdered metal, plastic, glass, or ceramic to construct a solid product. An advantage of SLS over SLA is that it can make prototypes from a greater variety of materials that may have properties closer to production-intent materials.
Both processes are good for fitment exercises or early proof of concepts. Even though material options have increased over the years, SLA and SLS are still not production intent. The processes also have limitations from a functional standpoint, especially compared to higher-grade engineered resins. SLS and SLA are geared toward very low quantities but can also provide very quick turnarounds.
Vacuum casting /urethane cast is a low-volume production method that utilizes polyurethane plastic materials to produce prototypes. The progress is using 3D printing machine to print a resin part,then fix the size in a box,after you could pull down all the liquid Urethane.Wait more than 12 hours,it could be a solid,the worker will cut them to be 2 half,the silicone mold is ready for making the rest prototypings. These products are ideal for marketing samples because they can be finished to look like hard-tooled plastic parts. Materials are limited and may not be able to deliver the same qualities that preferred production plastics can. Urethane cast/mold can be a cost-effective method of prototyping if there is a need for a higher quantity of parts at the fitment or proof-of-concept stage. Overall the process is fairly limited and becoming less common in the industry.
CNC milling is an ideal way to turn your CAD design into a three dimensional prototype, because of its accuracy and solid production of prototype building. Many still opt for CNC machining instead because of the solid structure and accuracy. Also the final structure looks like it is real injection molded or casted.
When producing prototypes through the CNC Machining method, the materials used for creating the prototype are limitless. From metals, such as brass, stainless steel, aluminum , plastics such as ABS, POM, PP, PA +GF,PC and PMMA, or other synthetic materials can be used through machining. When your request part are only a few pieces,you could have a thinking about CNC machining.
Soft tooling is a very common method in the injection molding industry and provides relatively inexpensive tooling, a high number of parts, and may also allow for use of the intended production material. Soft tooling is usually built with aluminum cores and cavities. There are several different variations or options for soft tooling, but typically tools and samples can be turned around in a few weeks,the production quantity will be around 2,000 to 5,000pcs. This may be an option for early prototype builds if the parts are simple, tolerances are loose, and function and fitment are not critical requirements. Soft tools, however, have limited ability for design or dimensional changes once the tooling is complete and sampled. Processing development is also limited.
When it comes to prototyping, understanding what you need is important when considering what option to pursue. If you have a tight-tolerance part that is critical to the function of your system, cutting corners and cost in the development stage may not always save the money over the long term. Be sure you are not just looking at cost or lead time when considering prototyping options, as there are many more factors involved.
