Additive Manufacturing, Additive Fabrication, Direct Digital Manufacturing

ProtoCAM is a leading provider of additive manufacturing services using additive fabrication technologies such as stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and 3D printing. Additive manufacturing refers to the creation of production parts that are used in the final products, as opposed to prototypes used in the product development process.

There is much debate about how to refer to the processes and technologies of creating 3D parts and 3D prototypes from three dimensional digital data such as 3D CAD drawings. The discussion reflects the trend in how these items are being used, as more and more customers are now using the the items produced using "rapid prototyping" technologies as finished parts and compents in production goods. As materials continue to improve and techniques continue to get better, "prototypes" are becoming "parts".

The Shift from Rapid Prototyping to Additive Manufacturing

Rapid prototyping in the 1990s was typically used by product designers and engineers using rapid prototyping services companies using stereolithography apparatus (SLA) machines or fused deposition modeling (FDM) to make prototypes that were used to test form, fit and function. Stereolithography is an additive technology, where material is added and the part is gradually built up, guided by the 3D drawing. This is a stark contrast to traditional subtractive machining techniques where material is removed to carve out the piece, or expensive molding techniques.

Next came other additive technologies like selective laser sintering and 3D printing offering other methods of fabricating prototypes using additive processes.

In general, these additive fabrication technologies have clear benefits, such as creating parts with complex geometries and surface textures that could not be effectively done with other techniques.

Further, with the advancement of materials used in SLA and SLS, more items being produced are being used as the final product or the parts used in low-volume and custom production in addition to being used as the prototypes in the development process. This use has spawned more terms such as rapid manufacturing, digital manufacturing, and direct digital manufacturing (DDM).

By whatever name for the technology and process, ProtoCAM is ready and willing to serve customers with services for rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing, additive manufacturing, additive fabrication and direct digital manufacturing.

Contact ProtoCAM for Additive Manufacturing, Additive Fabrication, Direct Digital Manufacturing

Please contact us to inquire about how ProtoCAM can help you using rapid manufacturing, direct digital manufacturing, additive manufacturing and additive fabrication, or to request a quote.