DESIGN SERVICE FOR BESPOKE FASTENERS
1 min read
3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing is rapidly becoming the chosen method of producing first-off prototype parts of bespoke designs for evaluation. The cost and speed of producing parts is far less than traditional methods of machining from solid or laying down 'Soft Tooling', for plastic injection moulded components.
As the name suggests 3D printing involves printing a solid part in a similar way to an ink jet printer, but prints a three dimensional object. Once the part has been designed in a 3D Cad environment, the file is exported in STL format to the 3D printer software. This then breaks down the STL file into a series of layers, where the thickness and density can be adjusted to produce either a quick print to use for general aesthetic evaluation, or a more accurate, functional part for trial in an application. Overhanging structures are supported by a framework which can easily be peeled away after the print is complete.
Depending on the physical size of the part being printed, several parts can be produced in one print run, allowing several samples to be evaluated by different departments or customers. Print times are measured in hours, so evaluation of a design proposal can be carried out quickly.
Any modifications to the design can simply be done within the 3D Cad system and exported for print and re-evaluated in a very short time scale. With traditional prototyping methods this would take weeks rather than hours and incur substantial additional costs.
Jet Press offers a full design service for bespoke fasteners with Cad data exchange in standard formats such as STP, IGES, DWG and DXF. In addition, they can produce samples from their in-house 3D printer, offering a full design and prototyping service for bespoke fastening solutions. Once the design is confirmed and approved, they produce cost-effective injection moulding tooling for ongoing production requirements.
