Low Volume or Customized Production
3D printing provides a fast efficient and cost-effective way of producing low volumes of end-use parts directly from 3D CAD design data, without the need for expensive metal tooling. By avoiding the need for tooling or a factory production line, it’s possible to get a quantity of one up to a few thousand parts in hours or days instead of weeks or months by using traditional manufacturing. FDM technology produces parts that are strong, heat, chemical and climate-resistant, in high performance materials that closely mimic real production parts. Parts are frequently sufficiently robust to substitute for metal parts whilst maintaining strength but with the added benefits of cost and weight reduction. Low volume manufacturing with 3D printers provides on the fly manufacturing for lean and flexible new product development or spare parts production.
Concept Model/ Marketing Mockup Model
With FDM technology, you can create fully functional prototypes to test form, fit and function of your designs and new products with realistic testing. 3D parts can be printed, assembled and integrated with other working parts and equipment – (such as electric motors, controls, and moving parts and gears etc). 3D printing provides unprecedented speed from design to prototype testing, because parts can be built in hours by the 3D printer from 3D CAD design data.
Parts can be easily be used in conjunction with metal parts and FDM printers produce parts that can be drilled, assembled, glued etc , if required giving additional flexibility for prototype testing. In addition to functioning like the final product, prototypes can be finished to resemble the real product, so not only are you sure of manufacturability but customers and sales or marketing can give their input before proceeding to the expensive tooling and manufacturing stage.
Functional Prototypes
With FDM 3D printers, (or 3D production systems), you get accurate, realistic 3D printed models. If you need a fast concept model, Paradigm 3D can provide a quick turnaround service, based on your 3D CAD stl file. Its simple to get a 3D concept model for sharing with your customers or internally, and if you need any special finishing, just contact Paradigm 3D consultants with your requirements. High quality, durable marketing models or exhibition models can be quickly produced with 3D printing, helping you to reach deadlines and have suitable examples to show your customers, without the time, trouble and expense of producing them with traditional molds or manufacturing tools. This takes much of the risk and cost out of producing different design iterations, helping you to win projects and perfect your ideas in a physical 3D model.
Manufacturing tools & Bridge tooling
FDM technology is a really fast way to create manufacturing and bridge tooling. If you need short runs or pre-production, why not make a mold or tool that can produce a few hundred to a couple of thousand parts? …. then if you need more simply print another tool. As FDM 3D printers can create parts by building layer upon layer of material, with automatically added soluble support where necessary, non-standard and customized jigs and fixtures can be printed on demand. This saves months on ordering customized jigs and new and innovative designs can be quickly created to order. With tough 3D printed models there are new ways to create thermoforming, vacuum forming and blow molding tools directly from CAD data. When huge quantities of molded products are not required, 3D printed molds can cope with a few hundred to thousands. The technology is even able to create bridge tooling for injection molding parts. Ask Paradigm 3D’s consultant to inform you of how you can order 3D printed molds for your needs.
Customized jigs and fixtures, bridge tooling for injection molding, thermoforming and vacuum forming tools, sheet metal forming tools for aluminum, and composite tooling.
