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Prototyping

Prototype Machining

If You Can Imagine It, We Can Make It.

Many custom CNC machining services companies may price themselves out of product development efforts in the form of prototyping. At Plas-Tech, we welcome this and see prototype machining services as an opportunity to build strong, long-term relationships with our customers. Our experts can help you navigate the options for rapid prototyping and further support you during the design verification/validation processes.

Our Experience

Plas-Tech provides you with quality prototypes at a low-cost.

Our Prototype machining, whether for plastic or metal parts, creates a realistic component from the actual material to get a real “form, fit and function” test prior to production. The best way to simulate the production process and assure a quality outcome, is to make prototype parts of the new design that are as close to the production parts as possible in an expedient and low-cost way.

By working with our customers early in the development process, we can determine the best solution to get actual representative parts quickly and economically. Although there may be some “upfront costs”, prototype machining provides a “bridge” to initial production resulting in a faster production launch of a new product.

In short, this approach produces representative parts with similar material, geometry and strength, so you can get the best results quickly during the critical design/testing phase.

Benefits Of Working With Us

There are many benefits to our prototype machining services using either CNC milling or CNC turning. It offers a better material selection than conventional rapid prototyping with the ability to prove out actual “form, fit and function” ahead of time.

One-off parts can be produced out of almost any material that will replicate the final parts. This opens up a wide range of materials you can select from and also allows for material selection optimization, including surface finish that meets your requirements. For example, when compared to 3D printing, which has a limited group of materials that can be tested, we can machine most materials and provide you with a representative sample of a finished part.

Through our drafting services, we can provide you the opportunity to visualize your components BEFORE ever making a single part. This will give all of us the opportunity to identify any issues that will waste time and money in the future.

With our decades of experience at your disposal, we can guide you through the different types of manufacturing processes and material selection for your production parts.

Our Process

Plas-Tech offers a wide-range of flexibility when it comes to prototyping and can also provide reverse engineering of hard or impossible to find, existing parts. If you don’t have an existing OEM drawing:

  • You can bring in broken or worn parts and we can reverse engineer them using our CMM equipment as well as your input.
  • With your input, we can make any customization or improvements that you would not be able to get from OEM suppliers. For example, make the parts thicker, stronger or use different materials that might better suit your application.

Our process is relatively straight forward:

  1. We meet with the customer to understand the overall part requirements and review the prints, pictures, mating components or existing parts if available.
  2. We utilize a sketch or idea to create a 3D solid/drawing in SOLIDWORKS (and eventually a part) with allows our customers to visualize their idea.
  3. We review the part with customer and discuss initial budgeting.
  4. We review and make any necessary changes while considering design for manufacturability.
  5. We make a first part or first run with the aid of Mastercam software to program it.
  6. We perform a quality inspection of the part(s) and use the Master 3D gauge (CMM) to validate parts are made correctly.

We solicit customer feedback and make adjustments if needed. We can then discuss how to move into making production parts for future orders.

Value Added Services

Providing Completed Parts

We all know about “pass through” services where companies just markup work that other vendors provide and you pay the price. The question that needs to be asked is, can the company you choose provide value added services that provides you with benefit? This may include savings on the logistical side where you have less to manage as you work with a company that takes those responsibilities off your plate.

So, in addition to our prototyping services we offer:

Assembly, Kitting, & Welding

Inventory Management

Prototyping

Tooling & Fixturing

CAD Drafting Services

Laser Engraving

Powder Coating & Painting

Wear & Corrosion Coatings

Heat Treating

Additionally, we can leverage our industry connections to help you get a completed part or assembly without the hassle of managing it all.

SUBHEAD HEADER HERE

Facilities & Equipment

Call our experts today and learn how working with a premier prototyping company will make your life easier and save you time and money!

Featured solutions

Examples of the Work We Do

  • All
  • Machining
  • Weld, Assembly, & Other Solutions
All
  • All
  • Machining
  • Weld, Assembly, & Other Solutions
Machining

Emergency Machining From Solid

Our customer found themselves in a situation where a casting supplier was unable to provide a critical part to their process. After working with us, we were able to come up with a solution where we could machine their part out a solid block. They had parts back on their assembly line within weeks of contacting us.
Machining

Production Machining on Live Tooling Lathe

Our live tooling lathes allow us to produce parts with tight tolerances and machine some parts in one operation that would usually take 2 or more operations to complete. This can help improve the quality of the parts.
Weld, Assembly, & Other Solutions

Pump Head

Here we worked through a concept with a customer, drawing a part in SolidWorks. We then built prototypes and now produce as a production part.
  • All
  • Machining
  • Weld, Assembly, & Other Solutions
All
  • All
  • Machining
  • Weld, Assembly, & Other Solutions
Machining

Emergency Machining From Solid

Our customer found themselves in a situation where a casting supplier was unable to provide a critical part to their process. After working with us, we were able to come up with a solution where we could machine their part out a solid block. They had parts back on their assembly line within weeks of contacting us.
Machining

Production Machining on Live Tooling Lathe

Our live tooling lathes allow us to produce parts with tight tolerances and machine some parts in one operation that would usually take 2 or more operations to complete. This can help improve the quality of the parts.

Require Emergency Machining Services?

When your equipment breaks down, or another supplier isn’t able to provide your parts, we are here to get you back up and running quickly with our emergency machining services. We will work with your team to come up with a solution.

There is no minimum order quantity, no tooling or startup costs, just let us know what you need and we will get to work right away!

Or call directly at (641) 923-9232