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IndustriesProduct design & consumer
3D printing for product design and consumer goods
Something to put on the table at the review, in the right colour, at the right size, days after the CAD was finished rather than weeks. Then the next version and, when it is right, the first production run.
- Product and industrial design studios
- Consumer goods brands
- Sports and cycling products
- Footwear and eyewear designers
- Start-ups taking a first product to market
- 24 hours
- from MJF print to a prototype ready for fitting
- 3 hours
- to build a pair of shoes on an HP 4200
- 150 g
- saved on a one-piece printed bike seat and post
The design problem
What slows a product down
- 01
Screens hide problems
Fit, clearance, ergonomics and how a lid actually clips on only show up in the hand. Found after the tool is cut, they are expensive.
- 02
Every round waits for a model
If each iteration takes weeks, a team runs fewer of them and the product ships with compromises it did not need.
- 03
The review needs a finish
A rough model gets a rough reaction. Appearance models have to be smooth enough to paint and photograph.
- 04
The first run is too small for a tool
Launch volumes are uncertain. An injection tool is a large bet on a design that may still change.
Prototype iteration
From first model to first run
A product goes through stages. Each one asks a different question of the prototype. This is how we usually print each stage. The triathlon storage box below went through every one of them.
| Stage | The question it answers | How we print it | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept and appearance model | Does it look right on the table? | SLA in Standard White resin, sanded and painted | From 7 days |
| Fit and assembly check | Does it fit the parts around it? | MJF in PA12, or SLA where fine detail matters | MJF raw grey 4 to 6 days |
| Functional prototype | Does the snap fit, hinge or clip work? | MJF in PA11 for parts that flex, PA12 for strength | MJF raw grey 4 to 6 days |
| Revision | Does the change fix it? | Same process, next build, no new tooling | Overnight print, ready in 24 hours |
| First production run | Will it sell? | MJF in PA12, dyed black or vibro smoothed | Dyed 5 to 7 days, dyed and smoothed 7 to 9 days |
Clear parts for lenses, lightpipes and flow visualisation are printed in Somos WaterShed XC, a near-clear SLA resin we supply for UnionTech machines.
Where it earns its keep
What designers send us
Appearance modelsConcept parts in Standard White resin, which comes off the machine smooth enough to finish properly. It keeps snap fits, living hinges and text labels intact.Read more
Fit and assembly checksParts that move and fit together, printed before a tool is cut, so the clearance problem is found on the bench rather than on the production line.Read more
Clear partsLenses, lightpipes and flow visualisation in Somos WaterShed XC, which polishes close to transparent.Read more
Short production runsFinished consumer products in PA12, where tooling would never be paid back, with branding or personalisation that can change part to part.Read more
Products made to fit a personScan the hand, the foot or the body and design around it. Grips, footwear and wearables printed to one shape rather than to a size.Read moreProduct work from our portfolio
Photographed in our own lab, with the machine that did it.
Products we have taken from model to run
Jobs we did ourselves, written up with the people we did them for.
Case studyTriathlon bike storage boxScanned in two minutes, designed in Geomagic Design X, prototyped overnight, redesigned with a snap-fit lid, then a first batch of 100 in PA12.Read the case study
Custom archery grips for a GB juniorA hand-fettled grip scanned in under five minutes, cleaned up as parametric CAD, printed in PA12 and shipped within 7 days of receiving the original.
A one-piece bike seat and postScanned, redesigned and printed on an HP 4200 in 6 hours plus 4 to cool. 350 g against 500 g for the parts it replaced.
Annie Foo’s catwalk shoesDesigned around scanned lasts and feet. Printed in PA12 on our HP 4200 after a second iteration, then painted and finished in leather.
What prototypes are printed in
Standard White, PA12 and PA11 are bureau materials. Somos WaterShed XC and EvoLVe 128 are resins we supply for UnionTech SLA.
Iterating daily? Bring it in-house
Studios that print every day usually buy a machine. UnionTech SLA runs an open resin platform, so the same 3D printer does appearance models and functional parts.
Price on application
Find out more
Price on application
Find out more
Price on application
Find out more
Questions we get asked
Something else? Ring 0330 229 0175 and an engineer will answer it.
Not answered here?
Ask the engineers who run the machines. We answer the same working day.
Should I choose MJF or SLA for a prototype?
SLA where the surface matters more than strength, such as an appearance model or a clear part. MJF where the part has to be equally strong in every direction and work like the real thing.
How quickly can I get a prototype?
Raw grey MJF parts have a 4 to 6 day lead time and SLA parts are from 7 days. On a live project, an MJF prototype printed overnight can be ready for fitting within 24 hours.
Can you print several design options at once?
Yes. One MJF build can carry several versions of a design, or prototypes alongside finished parts.
Can you take the product into production?
Yes. Short runs in PA12 nylon are printed in the same process as the prototypes, with no injection tool to pay for. The triathlon box went from prototype to a first batch of 100 this way.
I have the object but no CAD. Can you still help?
Yes. We 3D scan the object into a digital model, which can be modified, scaled or adjusted and then printed.
Which finishes are available?
MJF parts come raw grey, dyed black, vibro smoothed, or dyed and smoothed. Standard White SLA parts have a matt white finish. They can be sanded and painted.
Send the CAD, get a model
Upload the file and tell us what the prototype has to prove. We will suggest the process, the material and the finish. We will price the next round as well as this one.