Prototype makers for a design that needs testing before the tooling is cut

Looks-like and works-like

Prototypes come in two broad kinds. A looks-like prototype shows form, colour and finish, and is what you take to investors or a retail buyer. A works-like prototype tests function, fit and strength, and may look nothing like the final product. Many projects need both, and it pays to decide which question each one is answering before it is made.

Early on, even a rough model in foam or card can answer questions about size and grip in an afternoon, long before anything is worth printing.

The process follows the question. SLA 3D printing gives the smoothest surface and suits visual prototypes, though the parts are comparatively brittle. SLS parts are tougher, with no weak direction, and suit functional parts with complex shapes. FDM is cheapest for large, simple parts. CNC machining gives real material properties when a part needs them.

From prototype to production

The step from prototype to production is where many products need re-engineering. Prototype tooling is usually cut in aluminium, which is fast and cheap; production tooling uses hardened steel. Plastic shrinks as it cools, at rates that vary by material and even by batch, and features that cross a mould's parting line can't be held to the same tolerance as those that don't.

So design for manufacture has to start at the first prototype: consistent wall thickness, correct draft angles, simple geometry wherever it costs the design nothing. We review your design for these before the first part is made.

Where a change is needed, you see it on the CAD model and in a render before the next part is made.

Testing what each prototype is for

A prototype is only useful if someone checks it against the question it was made to answer. For a works-like part that means fit with the mating parts, strength under a realistic load, how a clip or hinge feels after a hundred cycles, and whether the tolerances hold. For a looks-like model it means colour against the brand reference, surface finish under shop lighting, and how it photographs.

Each round ends with a short written note of what passed, what didn't and what changes, so the next round starts from facts instead of memory.

Handing over to the factory

Once the prototype is signed off, the approved sample and the drawings become the reference the production run is held to. We help you find a factory that suits the process and the volume, hand that package over, and the first parts off the real tool should then be checked against the sample before the run goes ahead.