The Importance of Plastic Prototyping in Manufacturing: A Complete Guide
No matter your industry, reliable prototyping is a critical component of successful product development. Plastic is an excellent choice for building aesthetic and functional models, as it can save you time and money. Today, rapid prototyping has made plastic prototype manufacturing simpler and more cost-effective, thanks to newer technologies like 3D printing, injection molding, vacuum casting, and CNC machining. The manufacturing method you choose will depend on your product’s form, cost, volume, application, and material.
But why build plastic prototypes?
Plastic is low-cost, versatile, and comes in different types and grades. As such, you can pick a type of plastic that stimulates the properties and features of your product in its end-use stage. It’s also easier and faster to test and verify your design as a plastic prototype and make corrections and improvements when necessary until you’re confident of its integrity, safety, and efficacy before you go into end-use production.
What is the cheapest way to make plastic prototypes?
The cost of plastic prototyping can depend on several factors, like the number of parts you need and the manufacturing technique. 3D printing is generally the most cost-effective choice, especially for one or a small volume of parts that you need as fast as possible. It may even reduce your product development timeline by allowing you to quickly iterate your design and modify or test the design.
CNC machining can be significantly cheap, too, even for building functional plastic parts. Injection molding and vacuum casting may be a bit costlier than those two options because it involves making a custom mold but can be cost-effective if you need to make a low volume of virtually identical plastic parts for prototyping.
Not sure which prototyping technique is for you?
Our team at HLH Prototypes can help! Tell us about your project, and we’ll provide a free review to help you make an informed decision. Don’t worry; we have the most trusted manufacturing technologies like 3D printing, CNC machining, vacuum casting, and injection to make any plastic prototype.