ProtoCAM: Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping.

Choosing The Right Additive Manufacturing Technique

October 7, 2014

AskProtoman_290x290_2Additive manufacturing, rapid manufacturing and rapid prototyping technology is changing every week. For every potential project, there are countless options for getting to the end product or prototype, and the differences between technologies is not always clear to the customer. ProtoCAM engineers are additive manufacturing specialists, fluent in the latest trends and innovations, which means our customers don’t need to be.

If you’re not sure what service you need, the ProtoCAM engineers will go that extra mile and evaluate your project, presenting the technology (or mix of technologies) that is right for you.

What we here at ProtoCAM really want to hear from customers are:

  1. What is the end use of the part or prototype?
  2. What is most important to you about the project?

Does the part need to be strong and able to stand up to a lot of handling? Is turnaround time the driving factor, and durability not as critical for your prototype? The primary attributes our engineers need to assess are: dimensional precision, surface finish, durability, flexibility, opacity and coloring.

While each project and part must be evaluated individually, we put together some crib notes on a few of our most popular additive manufacturing techniques:

Stereolithography: When aesthetics, small details and dimensional tolerance are critical.

Laser sintering: When mechanical strength is more important than aesthetics.

Industrial 3D printing with PolyJet: When small detail, mechanical strength, and aesthetics are all essential.

Urethane casting / RTV molding: Best for short-run production when the final part material is going to be a plastic, injection-molded resin.

ProtoCAM’s engineers have decades of experience and a dedication to industry innovations, both of which we leverage when evaluating, defining and completing projects for customers. Everyone is looking for a cost-competitive option, of course, so we always look for the process that will deliver the best performance as efficiently as possible at the best price point.

Ready to talk with one of our engineers about your project and find out what additive manufacturing technology will get you there? Request a quote today.