Key principles.
3D print PLA / SLA
Cheapest 3D print materials. Visual concept only.
Painted SLA
SLA + paint for marketing photography. Premium aesthetic.
CNC bar stock
Production-grade bar/sheet stock matching production material.
Aluminum tooling
Aluminum mold + production-grade plastic. Production-representative.
Steel tooling
Steel mold + production injection material. Final production part.
Mixed
5K-50K shots typical bridge between prototype and production.
FAQ
Concept stage: cheap. Iteration stages: progressively production-representative. Pre-production: identical to production.
CNC for production-representative material properties. 3D print for fast concept models.
Close but not identical. Bar stock has different molecular orientation. Injection has weld lines.
Concept $50-200/part. Looks-like $200-1000. Functional $300-2000. Pre-prod $1000-5000.
Concept 1-3. Looks-like 5-20. Functional 10-100. Pre-prod 100-5K. Production 5K+.
Aluminum tooling produces 5-10K shots from production-grade plastic. Excellent pre-production validation.
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CNC, 3D printing, injection molding, sheet metal, casting, finishing — one quality system, one partner.
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