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Need metal prototyping for testing functionality and mechanical compatibility for your parts to check before mass production? This blog mainly introduces you to the issues about metal prototypes from the aspects of definition, application, materials, advantages, and processes.
What is a metal prototype?
The prototype is a mock-up or a rough draft of the parts you want to manufacture in large batches. They are built before actual manufacturing begins to test and approve the manufacturing of the part. Depending upon the applications and nature of your business you can use different materials for developing prototypes.
The prototypes are produced by using metal manufacturing techniques such as CNC machining. They can be made from aluminum, steel, copper, or brass depending upon the application. Metal is usually used for pre-production prototypes and advanced metal prototypes can closely mimic the final machined parts. Metals are used for their different features and aesthetics reasons.
What are the metals used in prototyping?
Metal is considered the best for prototyping because of its better aesthetics, closely mimics the actual part, and is easy to move into production. The below-mentioned types of metals are the best for prototyping.
- Aluminum alloys
- Stainless steel alloys
- Inconel
- Hastelloy
- Precious metals (gold and silver)
- Nickel
- Magnesium
- Titanium alloys
- Cobalt alloys
- Copper alloys
- Tool steels
In some cases, different types of material are used in prototyping than that of the final product. For instance, the aluminum casting is intended for manufacturing, and aluminum alloy A380 is chosen for manufacturing, so for this manufacturing, the prototypes would likely be different. In these cases, it is necessary to evaluate and compare the mechanical and thermal characteristics of both materials to determine how best these two materials correlate to test the final results.
Aluminum and steels are the most extensively used materials for metal prototyping. However, titanium, copper, magnesium, and other metals are also used in specific prototyping methods. Machined parts manufacturers are now using magnesium for prototyping because of its thermal conductivity, low weight density, and strength.
What are the benefits of metal prototyping?
Metal prototyping can provide a competitive edge to many industries look for a quick turnaround with perfect and accurate parts. Metal prototyping provides three-dimensional objects using advanced CNC machining technology through CAD design files. These metal prototypes can be made in different ways depending upon the components and applications. Some of the key benefits of metal prototypes are mentioned below.
Material Cost
The key advantage of using metal prototyping is that you can choose a broad range of materials. The prototype manufacturing company can help you to choose the best material to be used with the help of designing team to determine the appropriate type based on application and use. For example, if you are producing parts using a high-pressure die-casting process, the experts can help you select a suitable aluminum choice for the process. If the process is CNC, different materials can be used.
Capabilities
Metals are used in prototyping for their incomparable capabilities like heat resistance, versatility, high strength, cost-effectiveness, closely mimics the actual product, manufacturing challenges are similar, easy to move in mass production, and has better aesthetics. These capabilities made them the choice of different industries like aircraft, automotive, marine, and industrial applications.
Speed
One of the main advantages of metal prototyping is speed. Metal prototyping yields results much faster than the standard materials. This advantage relies on the capability of the supplier that how quickly the supplier can complete the prototyping project.
Enhanced Testing
The main purpose of having the prototype ready in the first place is to have the opportunity to modify according to the application needs before the parts go into final production. Through metal prototyping, the product designer has the opportunity to check and evaluate the part finish, fit and function before the batch production.
Change Implementation
Another advantage of metal prototyping is early and quick design evaluation that helps you to make your product right, reduces any deformation and downstream product risks. Metal prototyping makes revision easier to implement.
Where should I go to do small-scale metal prototyping?
The ultimate answer to your question is DEK. We have world-class metal prototyping technology that allows us to deliver the best quality services no matter how small or large your metal prototyping project is. We can handle parts with thickness from .001 to .032 for a variety of industries. Our team is filled with expertise in the metal prototyping arena, with advancements in state-of-the-art machining systems. All our work is standardized with specific certifications like ASTM, ANSI, AWS, QS, ISO, and RoHS. Our main purpose remains the same strict quality control, on-time delivery, and working within a budget.
If you need small-scale prototyping, DEK got your back. You’ll have your prototypes in your hand within a matter of days. The company is not limited by the quantity and complexity of your projects, we believe in delivering values no matter the size of the project.
What processes are used for metal prototyping?
Metal prototyping is the process in which parts are developed to produce working mode in mass quantity. This process test functionality and limitation of the metal prototype. There are many processes to create metal prototypes, some are mentioned below.
3D Printing
3D printing is a relatively new process as compared to other metal prototyping processes and is also known as additive manufacturing. The printer in 3D printing is controlled by a computerized system and takes 3D design as input and provides the 3D product as result.
Technology has evolved over time and along with metal, many other materials can be prototyped using 3D printing. This process is popular for rapid metal prototyping because it is resource-efficient and no tooling is required in production lines. 3D printing also uses low labor and generates minimal wastage.
Investment Casting
This is another process of creating metal prototypes. It is also a metal foundry process. The process of prototyping starts from creating a wax pattern that resembles the design of the prototype, then it is cast into a ceramic material to make the desired shape from the pattern. Then it is heated so the wax melted out of the casting mold. In standard foundry casting molten metal is poured into the cast, and when it gets cooled and solidified the ceramic cast is then to get the metal prototypes, and then finishing is done. The advantages of investment casting are similar to loose wooden patterns along with finer tolerance and improved finishing.
Sand Casting
In this metal prototyping method, a sand mold is created which is the cheapest and quickest way to produce mold. In this process, from start to end, a prototype can be made within 2-4 weeks. Sand molding is specially constituted with the right components so it must bear the characteristics needed for metal casting. Which is it must keep its shape and doesn’t get too much moisturized and give a good finishing. Sand is packed around the wooden pattern to create a cast which is used for metal prototyping.
Sand Casting for rapid metal prototyping is well known and has a low cost of production. This process is relatively easy for adjusting the pattern and can be used in recasting if necessary. Using the sand casting method made it easy to create a prototype from the material as the final product, making it cut the extra development steps.
Why choose metal prototyping?
The main reason behind using metal prototypes is because most of the other materials don’t provide the actual mechanical and chemical functionality as metal. They also might not be the proper size of the object it has micro or nano features. Although they could be used for marketing purposes, brainstorming, and displaying at a conference.
Metal prototypes have the following important characteristics:
- Better aesthetics
- Give better mechanical or function
- Closer-to-life test results
- Manufacturing challenges in a similar material
- Easy to move in production
- Economical as compare to plastic in several applications
If you are creating final products through CNC machining, metal prototyping is the only option for getting clear and closely mimicking prototypes for your CNC projects. Plastic is cheap due to its ability to gain complex structures through molds and casting, which doesn’t necessarily mean that the raw material for your plastic prototyping won’t be expensive.
Why make a metal prototype instead of a plastic prototype?
Engineers sometimes create plastic prototypes for the components that will be produced from the metal. These prototypes don’t have any operational or mechanical role, so they do not need to possess characteristics such as strength, conductivity, and ductility. If the material features of the prototype are not important, it is understandable to create prototypes from cheap and easily available material and plastic is the readily available material in many cases and also the cheapest one.
But some applications require special functional, hybrid, and pre-production prototypes that need to perform a certain role, which requires material characteristics. Metal is often considered as the best for those characteristics. Creating prototypes from metal is also long-term beneficial and cost-effective. If the prototypes are eventually mass-produced then it is easy to turn metal prototypes into metal finished products. On the contrary, the plastic prototype is not easy to transform in final metal production.
These are some important benefits of metal prototyping:
- Accurate testing
- Better aesthetics and appearance
- Better mechanical & functional performance
- Higher chance of investor interest
- Metal prototypes are easier to move to production
Which industries can be used in metal prototypes?
Metal prototyping allows engineers to build a prototype to test it and make any necessary changes for the client’s specifications which helps to avoid waste of money and resources. Machined parts manufacturers provide metal prototyping services by using CNC machining for the most realistic results to test the part before the final production. Multiple industries depend upon metal prototyping, following are some examples of industries that use metal prototyping.
Automotive
With the help of metal prototyping, the automotive industry reduces its lead time and decreases the overall cost, and saves millions of dollars annually. Using metal prototyping, a part can be created through a machine that closely mimics the final product in geometry and material properties. The product development processes of the automotive industry are extremely rigorous, so these metal prototypes help to allow some testing before tooling which assists them in making the right decision. This not only validates the design but also gives the idea that going forward with the production is the right thing to do or not.
Consumer Products
This industry uses metal prototyping produced by machining which leads to the finest quality products for their customers. DEK is highly concerned about its customer’s satisfaction through its high-quality and sustainable products.
Aerospace & Aviation
Same as the automotive industry this industry also depends upon metal prototyping of the parts used in different applications many of these parts have intricate details. But with the aerospace industry, certain factors come into play. First of all, in this industry, the volume of the order is smaller as compared to the automotive industry. Which makes machining more economical as compared to complex tooling and fixed investment of manufacturing. And the second thing is the unique and complex product geometries and material requirements of the aerospace industry that are not easy to process traditionally. Jet engines parts that are produced from ultra high strength nickel-chromium superalloy Inconel are one of the examples of these.
For metal prototyping, you can trust DEK, our expert engineers team, and advance machining technologies to provide you with the finest metal prototypes that show you perfect your final product could be. Visit our website or call our support team today to get started.
What is the best method to make your metal prototypes?
There are so many methods for creating metal prototypes but the most suitable is CNC machining. Let’s find out why!
CNC machining is a fairly affordable way of creating metal prototypes and it uses computer signals to guide the metal cutting tool, which accurately and precisely removes the material from metal and changes its design and shape to a desirable structure. CNC machining is useful because a CAD design file can be easily used to make changes in between prototypes and can make your prototyping efficient.
Through CNC machining it is easy to duplicate and distribute the design of prototypes. This metal prototyping process is also compatible with a range of metals. A certain range of aluminum prototypes may offer the best value and machinability if created by CNC machining. CNC machining prototypes are inexpensive because they don’t require extra tooling and have no minimum order quantity. 4 axis and 5 axis CNC machining provide exceptional flexibility in producing prototypes with complex structures with detailed features. Thus, CNC offers low cost, vast material selection, and design freedom.
What data do I need to provide if I need a metal prototype?
We are capable of creating metal prototypes of any grades and alloy you require but we need to understand why specific material is sought, why are you using that particular material for your projects. Having complete knowledge about your applications and manufacturing business lets us help to create accurate and precise metal prototypes. We can quote from the STL file but this file won’t contain threads, surface finishes, and tolerance information. Metal requires tolerance drawing. So this data must be available at the time of quotation as it affects decision-making about the process selection and cost.
What effect will the geometry of the part have on my choices in metal prototyping?
The following points will have effects on the geometry depending upon the choice of process for metal prototyping.
- Part size
- Surface finish
- The aspect ratio of the features
- Thin walls
- Internal sharp edges
- Accuracy
How do I find a great prototype supplier in China for metal parts?
China is the biggest market for rapid prototyping in the world and the process of finding the right supplier can be the hectic one. But don’t just lose hope. DEK is a specialized company in metal prototyping services and our metal prototypes help you validate the design and perform testing to prepare for the proper launch of the product and send the product into final production. DEK has vast experience in metal prototyping and successfully delivered metal prototypes to our esteemed widespread clients. Our mission is to provide the best and finest metal prototypes.
Does DEK offer a metal prototyping service?
Yes, DEK offers metal prototyping and it is one of the leading metal prototypes suppliers specialized in CNC machining, rapid tooling, vacuum casting, and sheet fabrication. We deliver accurate and precise metal prototypes so that you have the opportunity to test and review the functionality and design of your parts before final mass production. We at DEK help you in every step of your production and optimize your design according to your production needs. With DEK rapid metal prototyping production technology with a variety of materials, you can have metal prototypes of complex structures to fine details.