What is Rapid Program Development?

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Rapid Program Development uses Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to create high-quality prototypes and deliver them to customers in a reduced time frame. Designs can be fine tuned for optimal cost and manufacturability, resulting in lower costs and shortened product development and cycle times. By having this technology available in-house, we are able to bring expertise to the earliest phase of your project. We can thus be more competitive and provide a value-added service to its current customer base.

What is SLS?

SLS is a state-of-the-art system for creating high-quality 3D prototypes—complete with bushings and stampings—at a fraction of the time of traditional methods. The prototypes created can be analyzed for total design feasibility before a component goes into production, ultimately contributing to improved manufacturability, quality and design flexibility. With SLS, total program schedules can be reduced by an average of 30% to 50%.

Benefits

Rapid Program Development offers numerous benefits to the customer:

• Quicker turnaround time
  A fully functioning prototype can be created in as little as four hours from the time CAD data was received.
  
• Lower cost process
  Automation results in less time and materials than traditional methods. Also, the plastic prototype material is more affordable than traditional production materials and can be easily re-used. This all translates into lower cost for the customer.
  
• Higher quality prototype
  A fully functioning part is produced that includes living hinges, snap features, superior mechanical properties and better resolution than traditional prototypes.
  
• Better component manufacturability
  The SLS process is capable of creating extremely complex parts, which enables manufacturers to evaluate minute design details and identify potential problems before the part is produced.
  
• Faster tooling capability
  The precision and speed of the SLS process allows for the creation of hundreds to thousands of market-quality insert molded parts, enabling the component to be put into production immediately after prototype approval.

To learn more about the insert molding process, see our How We Work and Plant Tour sections. And for examples of cost-efficient solutions we've provided, see our Applications section.