Prototyping materials from RapidPro

Graphic communication is taken to the next level as colour models communicate more information than any other type of rapid prototype. Complex organic forms can be accurately generated with textures, labels, barcodes and even photos projected onto the part.  

By utilizing the systems high speed, “Time to Market” is reduced. This provides you with a strategic advantage in product development. The acceleration in the product life cycle will allow you to design, and sell, products more competitively.  

RP has been continuously testing various infiltrates and techniques to be able to offer parts of high strength, water and temperature resistance.  

Applications Include: Vacuum forming tools, Packaging / Consumer Studies, Tooling aids, Contour maps, Topography, Architecture models, Town Planning, Medical, Moleculular Modeling - to name a few.      

Plastics      

At each stage of the design process (from concept, functional component to production tooling) the element of risk needs to be negated. This can only be reduced with an increase in the confidence level – inversely proportional. To build this level of understanding, parts need to be tested to their limits in their intended environment.  

Where a prototype parts need to have greater functionality and high accuracy there is a wide variety of engineering plastics available each with it’s own manufacturing technique.

RP evaluates the project, reviews the mechanical properties (and chemical resistance) of the plastic materials available. We focus on tensile, shear and Impact strength properties as the most important indicator of the material\s behavior under loading.  

RapidPro offers the following thermoplastic materials/processes Fused Deposition Modeling - ABS, Polycarbonate, Polyphenyalsolphone Selective Laser Sintering - Nylon/Glass Filled Nylon  

RapidPro also offers Silicone rubber tooling as a fast, low cost solution for producing small quantities of functional parts. With a large variety of urethane/elastomers materials available we are able to mimic production injection moulded parts ranging from soft rubbers (low shore A) to hard plastics (high shore D) even glass filled.  

If you know the production intent material we can tune a fast cast material to suit.              

Metals      

Various processes are used to make metal parts, tools and prototypes:  

Rapid CNC      

Depending on geometry and material requirements, Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milling can be a more cost effective way to produce a prototype.  

We can machine Stainless steel, Tool steel, Aluminum, Titanium (Plastic / Foam to customer specifications) on our 3 Axis CNC machine.  

Table size 1000 * 500mm  

Pattern Making      

Plaster/Epoxy Patterns can be printed quickly and cheaply making it possible for our customers to obtain fast-turnaround metal prototypes. Cope and drag patterns can be infiltrated, backfilled, and mounted.  

Sacrificial Moulding and Investment Casting      

RP printer can produce silica cavities and inserts for direct pouring ‘one offs’ for fast cast materials. Direct Metal Casting allows printed parts to be used directly, as a mould, for pouring non-ferrous metal (low temperature). The process eliminates the pattern creation phase of the traditional sand casting process. As a result, the process time is drastically reduced.