How to Use to Make Cnc Turning Plastic Prototypes

May 29, 2020

In almost every instance of product development, the prototype is an indispensable stage and will ultimately determine the success of your production work. The rise of rapid prototyping makes rapid iterative plastic prototypes both easy and affordable. However, there are many techniques for producing plastic prototypes. How do we determine which prototype can be used to optimize the entire product development process? 

How to use 3D printing to create plastic prototypes?

3D printing is actually a general term covering many different manufacturing technologies, mainly including fused deposition modeling,stereolithography and selective laser sintering .

3d Printing Abs Prototypes

FDM uses an extrusion process to deposit plastic material layer by layer until the object is created. This is the most widely used form of 3D printing and is almost entirely adopted by manufacturers' communities and consumers. SLA does not use filaments, but uses plastic resin materials to create plastic prototypes. This process uses a high-power laser to cure the model from a bucket of resin. This process is widely used for various prototyping purposes, especially in the fields of medical, dental and consumer products. The most commonly used material using SLS technology is nylon. This technology uses a high-power laser to sinter the powder together into a 3D model. Compared with FDM printing, plastic prototypes created by SLS usually have more functions, higher resolution and more durable.

When can 3D printing be used?

The best time to use 3D printing service to meet your prototyping needs is when you need to produce a small number of products as quickly as possible. 3D printing can help designers and engineers shorten product development time. They can quickly iterate their plastic prototypes and test or modify designs. If you need to produce a large number of plastic prototypes, or need better mechanical properties than 3D printing can provide, you can use CNC processing.

How to create a plastic prototype through CNC machining?

Another fast and feasible option for creating functional plastic prototypes is CNC milling. Compared with 3D printing, CNC machining has more potential threads and undercuts, strict tolerances and more surface finish. Depending on the complexity of the plastic prototype model and the manufacturing services used, CNC milling can also provide very fast turnaround times. CNC turning plastic prototypes allows you to test the shape, fit and function of injection parts without having to produce injection tools.

Cnc Machining Plastic Prototype

When can CNC machining be used?

Compared with 3D printing technology, CNC machining service has many advantages, one of which is the mechanical quality and the available range of thermoplastic materials. CNC-processed parts improve the structural integrity of plastic parts, which is crucial when creating functional prototypes.

How to create a plastic prototype through injection molding?

Injection molding provides a fast and economical way to produce plastic prototypes. After the metal mold is made, the plastic resin is sent into a heated barrel, mixed, and then injected into the metal mold with force. The plastic is quickly cooled into solid parts, thereby creating a plastic prototype with high-quality surface finish and better mechanical properties than 3D printing. 

silicone-mold-vacuum-casting

When can injection molding be used?

Injection molding is still the most popular method of mass production and prototyping, and has been widely used in many industries, including consumer electronics, household appliances, medical equipment, automobiles and aerospace.

In Conclusion

All in all, finding the right manufacturing technology and materials is critical to the success of plastic prototypes. The "Youde" team is very happy to help you find the right process for you. Please contact us immediately to learn more about our rapid manufacturing services.