Accelerate Your New Product Development
We can guide you to achieve the full potential of additive manufacturing – from early concepts and rapid prototyping to production and finishing. Our experienced engineering team can help you select the right technology, material and process that meets your needs. We offer a comprehensive selection of finishing options under one roof. We can deliver 3D-printed parts as fast as the next day.
We have over 40 years of expertise in printing parts with additive manufacturing. That’s right. We’ve been building parts for customers since the dawn of the additive manufacturing revolution.
We’re now one of the largest third-party additive manufacturers in the U.S. We have deep expertise to match.
Advantages of Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing offers many advantages over traditional manufacturing processes:
- Build unique and intricate part designs that can’t be made using subtractive manufacturing
- Enable rapid prototyping to iterate your way toward an ideal design
- Accelerate the path from prototype to production
- Build parts quickly, without the time and cost commitments of tooling
- Enable low-volume production runs and creation of customized parts
- Produce less waste than subtractive manufacturing methods
- The ability to recreate legacy parts and print them on an as-needed basis
- Consolidate complex assemblies into a single part
Explore Fathom’s
Additive Manufacturing Solutions
Learn more about our 3D printing services and capabilities:
Fathom offers five 3D printing technologies. Each one offers a unique set of capabilities and benefits. They all share one common characteristic: They enable digital manufacturing.
Digital manufacturing means you can manufacture parts directly from CAD drawings – without tooling. That saves a lot of time and money. It enables designers to make changes closer to production. It’s one of the key drivers of rapid prototyping. Why? Because you can use it to iterate your way to a final part design faster and more affordably than ever before.
Here are summaries of the additive manufacturing techniques we offer.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Complex, High‑Performance Parts Made Simple
- Build Complex Designs With Fine Detail
- Ideal For Rapid Prototypes & Production Parts
- Create Intricate, High-Quality Parts With Unmatched Precision
- Produces Durable Parts With Excellent Surface Characteristics
SLS can produce parts with finer details than most other additive processes that use high-strength plastics. It can print organic, parametric and non-parametric shapes. There are no limitations to the complexity of shapes you can create with it – except for a minimum feature size of 1 mm.
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
Affordable 3D Printing with Fine Details and Complex Geometries
- Cost-Effective Short-Run Production and Prototyping
- Build Complex Geometries with High-Performance Materials
- Produces Thinner Layers and Finer Details
- Print Multiple Parts in a Single Build
Using MJF, you can build parts with a density similar to injection-molded parts. You can process and machine them in similar ways. That makes MJF parts perfect for rapid prototyping and bridge production.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
Complex Metal Parts Fast for Prototype and Bridge Production Parts
- Get High-Quality Metal Parts Fast – Without Tooling
- Build Complex Geometries with High-Performance Metals
- Consolidate Assemblies Into a Single, Printable Part
- Use it to Build Prototypes and Production Parts
The versatility of DMLS opens up new possibilities for the design and manufacture of metal parts. It enables you to create part designs that can’t be made any other way. For example, internal cavities, conformal cooling and lattice wall structures can’t be made via CNC machining or casting. But they can be made using DMLS.
Stereolithography (SLA)
High-Quality, Presentation-Level Accurate Resin-Based 3D-Printing
- Ideal for Producing Highly Detailed Visual Models and Prototype Parts
- Build Parts With Tight Tolerances and Fine Details
- High-Quality Surface Finish
- Use it to Build Clear Parts
Stereolithography can produce highly detailed visual models and prototype parts. In addition to reproducing fine details with excellent fidelity, you can use it to build large-format parts.
STEP Technology
3D-Printed Parts at Injection Molding Output Speeds – Without Tooling
- Build High-Quality Thermoplastic Parts Fast – Without Tooling
- Produce Multiple Different Parts in One Build
- Minimal Design Restrictions
- Smooth Surface Finish Doesn’t Require Post-Processing
Parts built using STEP technology match the strength and mechanical properties of injection-molded parts. Because you can build multiple STEP parts in a single build, you can use it as a single solution for prototyping and production.
PolyJet
Colorful Demonstration Models and High-Fidelity Prototype Parts — Fast
- Colorful and Detailed Demonstration Models Quickly
- Fast Prototype Parts with Fine Detail and Smooth Surface Finish
- Blend Multiple Materials and Durometers in a Single Part
- New: Build Medical Models With Realistic Skin and Bone Textures
PolyJet printers have multiple print heads. They can lay down multiple materials with different durometers and a support material at the same time, within a single-part build. In other words, a PolyJet printed part can contain sections that are hard and soft. The effect is similar to overmolding but is less expensive and much faster.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Validate and Build Durable, Chemical Resistant Parts for Extreme Conditions
- Produce Durable Prototypes Fast
- Prototyping and Production with Thermoplastic Materials
- Larger Build Size Than Other Additive Technologies
- Use it to Produce Jigs and Workholding Fixtures
FDM is a versatile technology, useful for rapid prototyping, part validation and low-volume production needs. It uses the same thermoplastic materials you use for injection molding. FDM parts can be engineered to endure extreme conditions. Fathom can build your parts out of engineering-grade thermoplastic materials that offer heat, chemical, impact and fatigue resistance.
Additive Post-Processing Services
Once your parts come off of the 3D printer, they usually need some additional finishing before they’re ready to ship. Our post-processing and assembly services can skyrocket your parts to production quality for a complete and finished look. We offer complete finishing and assembly services in-house. We provide turnkey services that are flexible, quality-driven and cost-efficient.
Bring us your unique finishing and post-processing needs. We’ll work with you to figure out the best way to meet them. We’re problem-solvers!
Additive Engineering Expertise
There are many variables involved in producing affordable 3D-printed parts. They include part design, manufacturing method, material selection, manufacturability and designing efficient manufacturing processes.
Our experienced engineering team can help you optimize all these elements to improve your part quality. We do so using a comprehensive DFAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing), plus decades of experience solving geometry- and process-related challenges. We know what challenges to watch for based on the geometry of your part.
We can help you achieve the perfect balance of options to produce parts that meet all your requirements. We can also help you avoid headaches that could delay your project.
Case Study //
Daktronics
A customer came to Fathom with a clip design that required complex tooling for a racetrack-style scoreboard panel. Due to their designs, multiple individual injection molds with a high degree of tool automation were needed to build them.
Fathom recommended STEP technology, a 3D printing technology that can build injection mold-like parts in hours instead of weeks. It offered functional properties and surface finish that are similar to injection-molded ABS.
Results //
Fathom used a DFAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing) analysis to optimize the clip designs. STEP technology’s printing speed enabled Daktronics to quickly refine and finalize the design of the clips to reduce time to production. Building these parts using STEP technology saved Daktronics time and money. It also eliminated time-consuming tooling/validation processes that injection molding required.
43% Cost Savings | 63% Time Savings
Additive Manufacturing // For Every Stage of the Product Lifecycle
Additive manufacturing can help you accelerate your time to market – from concept and prototyping to production.
Product Concept // 3D printing technologies give you greater design freedom than many traditional manufacturing methods. For example, 3D printing enables you to design and build designs with complex geometries that can’t be made with CNC machining or injection molding.
Rapid Prototyping // Rapid prototyping has revolutionized new product development. Additive manufacturing enables you to move from design to prototype parts in a matter of hours or days. It eliminates the time-consuming and expensive intermediate step of tooling. That enables you to quickly zero in on a final design.
Our rapid prototyping services and experienced engineers can help you:
- Create a physical model that enables you to solicit feedback
- Validate your design assumptions, including form, fit and functionality
- Identify and minimize design flaws before production
- Reduce your design and development time
- Save you time and money
- Accelerate your time to product launch
Bridge Production // Additive manufacturing isn’t just for rapid prototyping. It can also help you produce small quantities of production parts. This capability can help you solve several common problems, including:
- Side-stepping tooling delays
- Meeting regulatory requirements
- Conducting market research
Low-Volume Production // We’ve mastered low-volume, high-mix production. It’s a space where we add tremendous value. You can count on Fathom to provide you with personalized service and quality parts.
Mid-Volume Production // When it comes time for you to scale up production, we’re ready to grow with you. Your dedicated account representative will meet with you regularly so we can quickly solve problems and keep production flowing smoothly.
Finishing & Post-Production // At Fathom, we also offer an extensive set of post-processing options that add value to your 3D-printed parts. From post-machining and placing of inserts to painting and assembly, we can save you time and money. Our experienced engineers will help you select the approach that offers the best results. We’ll tailor a solution that fits your needs, time constraints and budget.
Why Choose Fathom for Additive Manufacturing?
Fathom Manufacturing is a one-stop manufacturing solution for the world’s leading companies.
Fathom brings over 40 years of additive manufacturing expertise to the table. When you partner with us, you get access to a whole team of experienced additive experts and access to seven additive technologies that meet a wide variety of needs. We’ll help you streamline the process from optimizing the designs of your parts to producing and finishing them.
In addition to printing parts using additive manufacturing, Fathom is a one-stop manufacturing solution for many of the world’s leading companies. We offer over 25 manufacturing techniques to help you simplify your supply chain and shorten your time to market.
Our experts are ready to talk to you about your additive manufacturing project. Get started today with an online quote.
