Congratulations to the winners of the Lehigh Valley Business of the Year awards. Many of our valued local customers were nominated, and two of them won!

EcoTech Marine took top honors for businesses of 26-100 employees, and XiGo Nanotools captured Emerging Business of the Year.

ProtoCAM is honored to have been chosen as prototyping partner for each of these companies. Using our rapid manufacturing processes enabled them to quickly take their innovative designs from concept to award-winning production.

Their successes demonstrate effective use of the rapid prototyping process. In short:

* have a great idea
* engineer your concept well
* rapid prototype your parts to validate design
* adjust design elements as needed
* produce a fantastic product

As shown by EcoTech Marine and XiGo Nanotools, combining the process above with a great management team and a reliable rapid manufacturer like ProtoCAM, positions companies for recognition and success.

Contact us today and let us help you earn the recognition you deserve!

Labels: additive manufacturing, consumer goods prototypes, Medical Rapid Prototypes, nanotech, rapid prototyping services, stereolithography

This is the 6th in a series of FAQs

Topic #6 – What level of dimensional tolerance accuracy can rapid prototyping produce?

Attainable dimensional tolerances depend on the choice of technology used to make the prototype or part. The most requested rapid prototyping processes by ProtoCAM’s customers include: stereolithography, laser sintering, urethane casting, RTV molding, and Polyjet 3D printing.

As with other factors in selecting an additive manufacturing method, the process choice depends mainly on the intended application or use for the prototype. Our engineers can help determine the most appropriate choice based on project requirements such as mechanical stresses to which the part will be subjected, fit accuracy requirements, and aesthetic needs.

Typically, dimensional tolerance is an important consideration if the part is going to be used in production, or it has to fit exactly with other parts.

Stereolithography provides the tightest dimensional tolerances of any rapid prototyping/additive manufacturing technology. Published tolerance s for stereolithography (SLA) are +/- 0.005” (0.127mm) for the first inch, and an additional 0.002" for each additional inch. Part geometry and build orientation can also have an effect on tolerances.  If dimensional tolerance is a critical factor, SLA is typically the best choice.

Laser sintering provides good dimensional tolerances as well. The typical published tolerances for non-metalic laser sintered part are +/- 0.007” (0.1778mm) for the initial inch, and 0.003” (0. 0.0762mm) for each additional inch.

Polyjet 3D printing is typically not a good choice where dimensional tolerance is an important consideration, nor is any casting or molding technique.

ProtoCAM excels at helping customers with tough engineering/design questions like this. As always, to find out the specific answer to your question about dimensional tolerances for your project, just contact us!

Labels: 3D Printing, dimensional tolerances, rapid prototyping services, SLA prototype

The Lehigh Valley Business (LVB.com) article on August 17, 2012 - Manufacturing firms find cost-effective way to create new products - features quotes from Ray Biery and Ron Belknap, ProtoCAM's Managing Partners. The article describes how some companies are embracing 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing for innovation, versatility, efficiency and speed in product development. From the article:

Northampton-based ProtoCAM is a rapid prototyping service bureau that has helped many clients benefit from 3-D printing. Company officials said more companies are demanding the service. "It’s already saved companies thousands of dollars per project," said Ray Biery, managing partner for ProtoCAM. "These companies have a need to see their product in a relatively short period of time."

All of ProtoCAM’s marketing is done via the Internet. The company is capable of shipping several hundred parts a day from its Northampton site. Every object that the company produces started as a 3-D computer-aided design (CAD) model. Additive manufacturing comes into play when the elements are added layer by layer, said Biery. "A lot of the things we make are used for finished products," said Biery. The company has a two-day lead time and can ship an order within two days or provide same day delivery, said Biery. Each of its six 3-D printers cost about $500,000, making for a $3.5 million total investment in 3-D printers, said Ronald Belknap, managing partner.

With its vast experience as a rapid prototyping services provider, ProtoCAM continues to take a leading role in using 3D printing and advanced additive manufacturing technologies to benefit customers. Contact ProtoCAM to find out how ProtoCAM can assist with product development that is fast, innovative and effective.

Labels: 3D Printing, additive manufacturing, MRC, protocam, rapid prototyping services

ProtoCAM's press release today announces:
ProtoCAM Expands Small Metal Prototypes Rapid Prototyping Services

Visit ProtoCAM's Metal Rapid Prototyping page for more information on small metal prototypes.

Or contact ProtoCAM for a quote for metal prototypes.

This is the 5th in a series of FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions - that ProtoCAM hears from customers who call or email. Topic #5 - What technology should I use to create my part or prototype?
There are many choices, including stereolithography, laser sintering, urethane casting, RTV molding, Polyjet 3D printing, and more.

Some customers already know exactly what they want when they request a quote; typically these are experienced product designers and engineers. ProtoCAM is always ready to reply with a fast quote in these cases.

Many other customers contact ProtoCAM and ask for our advice on choosing the best way to make their part or prototype. In these cases, ProtoCAM excels at providing recommendations that best satisfy the requirements and specifications, while keeping the project cost-competitive.

The most important factor in selecting appropriate technology is the intended use of the part(s). ProtoCAM offers a wide variety of technologies to meet almost all rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing applications. The primary attribute requirements to consider include: dimensional precision, surface finish, durability, flexibility, opacity, coloring, etc. Some customers are driven more by speed or cost. ProtoCAM's breadth of production offerings, and depth of engineering expertise, can help customers define and accommodate nearly any combination of the above project requirements.

While each project and part must be evaluated individually, below are some general guidelines on selecting the best technology for a prototype or part:

• Stereolithography is typically the best choice when aesthetics, small details and dimensional tolerance are critical.
• Laser sintering (plastic, not metal) is typically the best choice when mechanical strength is important but aesthetics are not as important.
• 3D printing with Polyjet provides a good blend of small detail, mechanical strength, and aesthetics.
• Urethane casting / RTV molding are often selected for short run production when the production material is going to be a plastic injection molded resin. Clear parts/prototypes are possible with urethane casting and RTV molding.

(Note: dimensional tolerance will be the next topic in this FAQ series, so check back for more info on that.)

In all cases, ProtoCAM brings vast engineering expertise, years of experience and familiarity with many different industries and applications to every recommendation on the choice of technology.

As always, to find out the specific answer to your question about selecting the best rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing technology for your project, just contact us!
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Labels: additive manufacturing, color prototype, Cost of Rapid Prototyping, prototypes, rapid prototyping services, rp technology, SLA prototype

Charles Waugh of WOXOM approached ProtoCAM to help prototype his new innovation - the SlingShot - a smartphone accessory to improve video quality by making it easier to keep the camera steady. It uses a flexible cradle (video below), designed to fit almost any smartphone, which attaches to a handle (video below) with built-in ball swivel and super slick pop-out feet. The cradle attaches via a 1/4-20 threaded insert, allowing the cradle to mount not only to it's own handle, but any standard tripod.

Charles had already tried other rapid prototyping technologies but didn't get quite what he needed in terms of quality. ProtoCAM discussed his needs and determined that Accura 25 would be the most appropriate rapid prototyping material for this project. It provided tight tolerances, a high quality finish, and the ability to ship only a couple days after ordered. Now, after only a few days on Kickstart, the project is fully funded and heading to commercial production!

As with many of our customers, Charles was excited to see his creation come to life. He even made a video which shows not only the parts for his project, but also the care with which ProtoCAM packages parts for delivery.

3D Printed Parts Arrive from ProtoCAM from XOMOM / Charles Waugh.


We see many innovative designs, but this one in particular caught our eye for the elegance of feature implementation. Check the WOXOM website and Kickstarter project page for more details. We were so impressed, we ordered a few SlingShots to test and use in the office.

Congratulations to WOXOM for meeting their KickStarter funding goal, and to Charles for his great design work! ProtoCAM was happy to play a part in the rapid product development for the Slingshot.

If you have a great project to build, or success story you'd like to share, drop us a line. We love to hear about and share the amazing things our customers are doing.

The SlingShot by WOXOM from WOXOM / Charles Waugh.


SlingShot Cradle from XOMOM / Charles Waugh.


SlingShot Handle from XOMOM / Charles Waugh.

Labels: additive fabrication, additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, SLA materials, SLA prototype

This is the 4th in a series of FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions - that ProtoCAM hears from customers who call or email. Topic #4 - Size of Part / Prototype. The first three in the FAQs series were focused on process-type questions: 3D CAD files, quoting and pricing. The next few FAQs will address technology questions.

Customers often ask about what part/prototype SIZE is possible. Size constraints vary among different additive manufacturing techniques. Since stereolithography (SLA) is the most popular among our customers, we’ll answer in terms of what can be done with SLA technology.

The largest stereolithography (SLA) part that ProtoCAM can produce in ONE piece must fit within a 25.6" x 29.5" x 21.65" envelope, but we can, and have, built much larger parts.  For these larger parts, we divide the CAD file into sections that can be made as individual pieces, then produce the part in sections. When all sections are completed, we assemble it using a variety of techniques. 

The assembly choice is typically driven by how the part or prototype is going to be used. If it’s simply a display model, we may use an adhesive to combine the parts. If more strength or durability is required, parts can be pinned, braced, or joined with threaded brass inserts - view this previous blog for more details on this topic.

Some of our molding projects, such as the one pictured above, are big enough to require chain hoists and forklifts to maneuver! The art piece to the right measured about 6 feet across (shown here packed for safe transport to gallery.)

The smallest part ProtoCAM can build is constrained only by the limits of our Viper si2 stereolithography machine’s high resolution mode. For example, we built the following part a few days ago measuring only .075” x .075” x .035”.

As always, to find out the specific answer to your question about your part, just contact us!

Labels: additive manufacturing, large parts, SLA prototype, urethane casting