Mobigrip is a cool new consumer product that helps users of mobile phones and other hand held devices to keep them from falling or being left behind. The Mobigrip sticks to the back or underside of the device and has a micro bungee that loops over the user’s finger to secure the device to the hand. The big benefit is to avoid damaging or losing these expensive devices. Mobigrip can also be customized to be a promotional item.

ProtoCAM worked with Mobigrip to create the stereolithography prototypes that were used in the product development process. ProtoCAM brings a wealth of experience in rapid prototyping for consumer goods, where a fast turn-around in the prototype creation leads to faster time-to-market. ProtoCAM’s plastics engineers have extensive consumer goods prototype manufacturing expertise, and as always with ProtoCAM, design confidentiality is assured.

Check out the Mobigrip or purchase online at http://www.mobigrips.com/. The Mobigrip device leash is made in the USA.

Labels: consumer goods prototypes, plastics engineering, product development, prototypes, rapid prototyping, SLA prototype, stereolithography

Andy Kossowsky is always looking for ways to improve the things he uses. An avid golfer and an inventor at heart, Kossowsky was dissatisfied with the typical driving range experience. He felt it was unfortunate there were not many advantageous places where he could put his golf clubs without the fear of having them get damaged or forgotten. That dissatisfaction was the impetus for creating the UpGrade Golf Systems products, where both his golf tray and range divider can conveniently hold up to 8 clubs.

Kossowsky found ProtoCAM by searching on Google for “plastic prototypes” and noted that ProtoCAM was located not too far away from his New York location. Kossowsky contacted ProtoCAM and spoke with Engineer, Ed Graham who guided him to ProtoCAM’s business partner Jim Eldon of Eldon Design Associates. Eldon worked with Kossowsky to move the product development process further along and create the 3D CAD model of the first product, The UpGrade Ball Tray.

ProtoCAM produced the stereolithography prototype in short order and on budget, which Kossowsky used to test and make adjustments in the size of some of the golf club holes. Another prototype was made and this second iteration tested out perfectly.

The second product made was the Range Divider. ProtoCAM again provided the SLA prototype from the 3D CAD model provided by Kossowsky and Eldon. The Range Divider was tested and an improvement in the anchoring system is now complete.

Accura 60 material was the stereolithography material used for all the SLA prototypes.

Kossowsky comments that he “feels spoiled by the experience” because of ProtoCAM’s great service and he “can’t wait to work with ProtoCAM again in the future.”

For manufacturing the products, Kossowsky is now sourcing to make the product using injection molding with polyethylene.

About the UpGrade Golf Products
Both tray and divider provide upright storage and easy access for up to eight golf clubs regardless of grip size. The use of these products eliminates lost clubs that may be left behind or damaged from leaving clubs on the ground or against a fence. The Ball Tray can hold in excess of 90 balls and the Range Divider will allow for an improved area to a person to organize the balls to be used on the range. Both products have a designated area to be used for advertising where the cost of the advertising space can essentially pay for the cost of the tray/divider and in time, will make money for the driving range owner. Both products are patent pending.

About Andy Kossowsky
Andy is a golf enthusiast, author and inventor of both golf products and a unique playing style. Andy invented The PowerSlot Swing, www.powerslotswing.com. Various articles have been published regarding Kossowsky’s swing method, including pieces in publinksgolfer.net and worldgolf.com, and a YouTube video. Along with working on making a feature length video and getting his book published, Andy has also invented a putter and is working on bringing it to market as well.

Check out the Upgrade Golf Products online at www.UpgradeGolf.com.

Labels: large parts, plastics engineering, product development, rapid prototyping, SLA prototype, stereolithography

Snack Palette is a new consumer product that is now available on the market and for sale on the website http://www.snackpalette.com/. It is a disposable/recyclable plate for use at picnics, parties or any other activity so that the holder can hold food and drink in one hand. The Snack Palette is a plate and holder for a cup, fork and napkin all in one and can be used in the left or right hand.



Snack Palette inventor Duane Ebesu started the product development process working with a sculptor to create a clay model of the product. With that model in hand, he contacted ProtoCAM to create the prototype. Ebesu had worked with ProtoCAM on another project and liked their “attention to detail” and “no hassle, never a problem” customer service approach.

ProtoCAM had the clay model scanned to generate the initial 3D CAD representation of the product. ProtoCAM plastics engineer and rapid prototyping analyst Ed Graham worked with Ebesu to understand that the Snack Palette would be manufactured in the future in large quantities using plastic thermoforming. Thermoforming was a better choice for the Snack Palette as it would be less costly to manufacture in the long run than injection molding.

With that in mind, Graham helped provide some design suggestions related to the future manufacturing of the product, so that the thickness of the product would be sufficient to be thermoformed. With these design for manufacturability suggestions in place, ProtoCAM produced the prototype using stereolithography (SLA).

Ebesu comments, “I chose ProtoCAM to do the rapid prototyping because I knew they had a clear understanding of what was needed to get the job done.”

Snack Palette and all its accessories are available online at http://www.snackpalette.com/.

Labels: plastics engineering, product development, rapid prototyping, SLA prototype, stereolithography

STOR’EM is a new product to wind and store Christmas lights, small extension cords, and cables now available from Aloft Enterprises Inc. LLC. Cory Strong is the inventor of the STOR’EM product and President of Aloft Enterprises. Strong worked with ProtoCAM’s engineer Ryan Schmidt in the product development process for the spools that are used to hold stored lights and cords.

The product development process started with Strong’s rough sketch and his initial 3D CAD model of the spool. Strong worked with Schmidt to refine the CAD model with a few improvements and design-for-manufacturability suggestions that were incorporated into the product design.

From that CAD drawing, ProtoCAM produced the stereolithography prototypes that were used in the product development process for product testing and demonstrations.

Cory Strong comments:
"ProtoCAM’s Ryan Schmidt provided invaluable assistance in the product development process to help refine the model. ProtoCAM’s service with engineering and production of the prototypes was outstanding."

ProtoCAM has a long history of assisting customers with perfecting their products in the product development stage, providing significant benefits early in the process when it is easier and less expensive to implement changes.

Check out the STOR’EM cord organizer and light winding / storage device and place an order for these products online at http://www.nolightmess.com/.


The Lehigh Valley’s Morning Call featured STOR’EM in a December 11, 2009 story: Local man invents device to wind and store lights. The product was also featured in a TV spot on Lehigh Valley station WFMZ, including a video on Christmas products that demonstrates the STOR’EM product.

Contact ProtoCAM’s engineers for product development assistance and rapid prototyping work.

Labels: CAD, plastics engineering, product development, rapid prototyping, SLA prototype, stereolithography

Labels: Metal Prototypes, Quick Cast patterns, rapid prototyping, RTV Molding, SLA prototype, stereolithography

ProtoCAM recently made and donated two award art pieces made using the stereolithography rapid prototyping technology for the recipients of the 2009-10 Penn State Altoona Kjell Meling Award for Distinction in the Arts and Humanities.

The award was designed by artist / Penn State Altoona Associate Professor of Visual Arts Rebecca Strzelec. Strzelec designed the award and ProtoCAM worked with Strzelec to recommend the use of the stereolithography resin material Accura 60, which is used to produce parts with a clear, polycarbonate-like appearance.

As can also be seen in the top view photo, the nested circular cluster shown in the bottom left corner of this photo is the focal point of the award piece. This cluster demonstrates the intricate and beautiful design patterns that can be done using stereolithography for art objects.

In the press release for the award, Penn State-Altoona said:

Labels: rapid prototye art, rapid prototyping, rp technology, stereolithography

ProtoCAM exhibited at the recent Design2Part trade show, held September 30 and October 1 2009 in Fredricksburg VA. ProtoCAM engineer Ryan Schmidt, who specializes in prototype engineering and plastics engineering, and sales consultant Joe Layman staffed the booth.

ProtoCAM has exhibited at this show and location in previous years. For this show, ProtoCAM brought many examples of SLA prototypes, SLS prototypes, and injection molded parts. Attendance at this show was a little lower than previous years, but there was plenty of traffic at the ProtoCAM booth. A lot of the visitors were very positive about the industry and the economy. It seemed that the hot topic of discussion at the show was new product development - this may be a sign of the rebounding economy. One of the more interesting visitors brought a cut away helicopter propeller to the ProtoCAM booth. He wanted to redesign the prop to fit certain specs. He inquired about making several prototypes so that he could test the contours in a wind tunnel.

ProtoCAM will also be exhibiting at the next Design2Part show: November 18-19 in Greenville, SC in Booth 126.

Would you like to schedule a meeting with ProtoCAM at an upcoming trade show to discuss our rapid prototyping services? If so, please contact ProtoCAM at 610-261-9010 or use our convenient Information Request form - please note in the Comment section that you would like to schedule a meeting.

Labels: plastics engineering, protocam, rapid prototyping, Selective Laser Sintering, stereolithography

ProtoCAM offers media blasting services to enhance the finish of a stereolithography prototype or SLA part. Media blasting gives the part’s exterior a more consistent look and feel.

ProtoCAM has a special media blasting process with a proprietary media mixture to ensure the part will look appealing to both the eye and to the touch. This process has been refined over many years of media blasting experience to yield superior results.

The two parts pictured here demonstrate the difference in appearance between the unprocessed SLA part on the right and the media blasted part on the left.

Please ask for media blasting when requesting a quote for an SLA prototype / part.

For more information about media blasting for your prototypes or to request a quote for a media-blasted SLA prototype, please contact ProtoCAM at 610-261-9010 or use our convenient RFQ form - please note in the Details section that media blasting is requested.

Labels: protocam, rapid prototyping, stereolithography

For some uses of SLA prototypes, the color of the prototype is important. ProtoCAM has a well-developed expertise in dyeing stereolithography prototypes using a proprietary process to have the part properly absorb the dye. A prototype may be colored with any of the basic colors such as red, green, blue, purple, yellow, etc.


There are many reasons to color SLA prototypes and parts. Four main reasons for adding color are:

Assembly
Having multiple parts in an assembly may make it difficult to communicate which part is doing what. Coloring the parts provides the advantage of easily indentifying every part and its purpose within the assembly. Dyeing also helps with a precise fit – no extra material is added as with painting. Dyeing will eliminate galling or peeling that may occur from painted parts as well.

Aesthetics
In some cases it is important to color the part to the desired color of the end product. If the end product will be blue, then dyeing could be a fast and simple solution to help bring the SLA to life. While the dyeing process cannot achieve specific colors such as Pantone numbered colors, it can provide the basic colors to provide a part that is close to the production color.

Identification
In multi-piece projects in may be helpful to color all parts of a certain family - blue parts are all part of Project A, red parts are all part of Project B, etc. This will help to quickly identify the parts and keep them with their associated projects. It can also be used to help with keeping track of prototyping revision levels - all green parts are revision 1, red parts are revision 2, etc.

Cost
Dyeing SLA parts is a less expensive alternative to painting. Painting parts requires multiple steps of sanding, priming and painting. Painting can be an expensive process depending on the specific part geometry. The dyeing process is a fast and very cost effective process for most part geometries.

For more information about coloring your prototypes or to request a quote for a color SLA prototype, please contact ProtoCAM at 610-261-9010.

Labels: color prototype, prototypes, rapid prototyping, stereolithography

ProtoCAM Managing Partner Ray Biery spoke recently at a seminar hosted by Lehigh University’s Center for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. The conference was held at Arkema Inc. in King of Prussia, PA, a producer of industrial chemicals. Biery’s presentation was titled "Low Cost Rapid Prototyping Options".

Biery gave an overview of the rapid prototyping technologies, including stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and fused deposition modeling (FDM), and discussed the different kinds of rapid prototyping materials. He also spoke about the future of the rapid prototyping industry, including the trend to rapid manufacturing and its newest terminologies like additive manufacturing - the creation of production-ready parts.

Labels: Lehigh University, nanotech, protocam, Selective Laser Sintering, stereolithography

There are many factors that affect the production and delivery of stereolithography prototypes. Weather is one critical factor. These factors affect the stereolithography process:

• Humidity - SLA prototypes can absorb moisture
• Heat - SLA prototypes are more brittle when cold and softer when warm

While at ProtoCAM, stereolithography prototypes are made and packed in a controlled environment, so the prototypes do not experience weather extremes here. But they do have to be shipped to customers, so once they leave the ProtoCAM facility, they are exposed to other conditions.

In order properly protect prototypes during shipment, the following precautions are taken:

• Prototypes are properly cushioned in the shipping container, which also insulates the part from temperature extremes
• Support is provided in the container for the prototype if the shape of the part requires it
• The day of the week is considered for shipment - in hot weather, we might delay a Friday shipment until Monday so that the prototype is not exposed to long periods of heat while in transit

With ProtoCAM’s vast prototyping experience, even these seemingly minor details are considered to provide you with the best service and best results.

Request a quote for your next stereolithography prototype!

Labels: protocam, prototypes, rapid prototyping, stereolithography

It seems to be a daily question when customers call ProtoCAM for a quote: “How do you price a stereolithography prototype?” or “What are my options for reducing the cost of my part?”

Stereolithography parts are priced using 5 criteria (in order of importance):

1. Overall height of the part - Most parts are built using a .004” layer thickness. The exception is a high resolution build which uses .002” layer thickness. The 3D file is “sliced” into layers and then traced and solidified layer by layer on the SLA machine. Consequently, a 6 inch part (1500 layers) will take longer to build than a 3 inch part (750 layers) and therefore, cost more.
2. Volume of the part - This relates to the number of cubic inches of material that will be needed to make the part. Again, the larger the part the greater the volume of material needed and the greater the cost.
3. Complexity of the part - When the part is finished on the SLA machine, it will require time to have the excess resin removed as well as having the support material removed. The prototype is then post cured in a UV oven and bead blasted to provide a consistent finish over the entire part.
4. Finish level of the part - ProtoCAM offers several levels of part finishing ranging from an economy “strip and ship” to a “presentation” level. Our standard level of finish requires the removal of supports with some light sanding on the support surfaces with an overall bead blast prior to shipping. See our Stereolithography Prototypes page to see our offerings of various finish levels.
5. Lead time of the part - ProtoCAM’s standard lead time is 2 days after receipt of order. Some parts, due to size, require a longer lead time. If you need your prototype part sooner, there is an additional charge to accomplish that requirement.

Understanding the above criteria can make the answer to the second question “What are my options to reduce the cost of my part” seem a lot easier.

Height of Part
Since the biggest contributor to cost is the overall height of the part, the simplest way is to either orient the part with a smaller z height or cut the part in half and allow us to glue it together prior to shipping.

Volume
Reducing the volume to cut the part cost can be accomplished by “hollowing” solid pieces or reducing wall thickness on thick walled parts.

Finishing
If a “presentation” level piece is needed, it can be the customer’s option to perform that work. An experienced customer knows that it can take several hours (or days) to completely sand a stereolithography part, but because of timing or cost the customer may choose to do that work themselves.

Lead Time
The easiest way to reduce part cost is to increase the lead time. If the customer doesn’t need the part within 2 days, increasing the lead time to 1 or 2 weeks will also cut the prototype cost.

Number of Prototypes Ordered
If multiple copies of the prototype may be needed, it is highly recommended to purchase those with the initial run of parts. Economies of scale come into play here and the greater the quantity ordered the smaller the per piece cost.

ProtoCAM will generally orient the part to give the customer the best quality within the shortest amount of time. But if other options need to be explored to meet scheduling or budget constraints, we recommend calling us at 1-800-408-9019. Just ask for the project manager that quoted your project (name can be found in the upper left hand portion of the quote) and we will be glad to explain options that are available to meet your requirements.

Ray Biery
ProtoCAM Managing Partner

Labels: prototypes, rapid prototyping, stereolithography