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3D Printing for Form fit and Function

3D Printing Prototypes: Form, Fit and Function

Learn more about Form, Fit and Function for 3D printing prototypes with Account Manager Colin Caufield from Fathom.

In this short video, Colin talks about 3D printing for San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneurs Aaron Latzke and David Delcourt of Siva Cycle who wanted to create a production-like prototype for their Kickstarter project.

Read the Full Case Study / / Siva Cycle

There are three F’s to rapid prototyping — we like to talk about form, fit and function. The example that we have here is something that we did for a client of ours, Siva Cycle. It is a device with internal gears and parts that interlock and it connects to the hub of a bicycle. As you pedal, the wheel turns gears on the inside, generating electricity which charges the battery. The form of this, as you can see, is that you can hold it in your hands. You can see how it really feels. you can feel the weight of it and imagine how it attaches to a bicycle. The fit is testing all of the components that come together — the internal gears that turn each other, the way it locks into the hub of the bicycle and just the general accuracy in what they were looking for in their product. Specifically, how close it is to the CAD files they made. This is a great example of testing all three F’s in rapid prototyping — form (how it feels), fit (how everything comes together) and function (how it actually works when you put it on the bike).


Comprehensive Capabilities for Rapid Manufacturing

At Fathom we offer a unique advantage of speed and agility-our experts help companies go from concept to prototype to manufacturing in ways not previously possible. 

90+ Machines  
SLS / / Two-day  SLA / / Next-day 
FDM / / Next-day DMLS / / Three-day 
PolyJet / / Same-day MJF / / Two-day
   

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30 Second Quotes
Prototype Tool / / As soon as 10 days
10K Parts / / 10 days
Production Tool / / As soon as 3 weeks
 

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3 & 5 Axis Milling & Turning
(Plastics, Composites and Metals)

Tolerance Accuracy Range
from +/-0.001″ to 0.005″

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Injection Molding Adjacent
without High Costs of Metal Tools

Most Commonly Used for High-Volume
Prototyping & Bridge to Production

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Finishing, Production Painting and Color Matching

Assembling, Including Embedded Electronic
Components, Threaded Inserts, and More

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CAD, DFAM and DFM Services

Apply Methods to Increase Speed
and Decrease Total Cost

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Highly Trained Staff / / Full-Time & Part-Time
Support as Short-Term & Long-Term Strategy

Decrease Downtime with Customizable
Staffing Accelerates Implementation

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Fathom is driven by advanced technologies and methods that enhance and accelerate today’s product development and production processes.

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Manufacturing Locations Across National Time Zones
Manufacturing Locations Across National Time Zones
The Fathom Advanced Manufacturing Platform
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HEADQUARTERS

1050 Walnut Ridge Drive
Hartland, WI 53029
ISO 9001:2015
AS9100:2016
ITAR

ARIZONA

444 W. 21st St. Ste. 101
Tempe, AZ 85282
ISO 9001:2015
NIST800-171 Compliant
ITAR

COLORADO

7770 Washington St.
Denver, CO 80229
ISO 9001:2015
ITAR

MINNESOTA

13758 Johnson Street NE
Ham Lake, MN 55304

TEXAS

1801 Rowe Lane
Pflugerville, TX 78660
ISO 9001:2015
AS9100:2016

1513 Sam Bass Rd
Round Rock, TX 78681
ISO 9001:2015
ISO 13485:2016

CALIFORNIA

620 3rd Street
Oakland, CA 94607
ISO 9001:2015 Design Certified
NIST 800-171 Compliant
ITAR

FLORIDA

14000 N.W. 58th Court
Miami Lakes, FL 33014

NEW YORK

1920 Slaterville Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850
ITAR

401 W. Shore Blvd.
Newark, NY 14513
AS9100:2016
ISO 9001:2015
ITAR

ILLINOIS

1207 Adams Drive
McHenry, IL 60051
ISO 9001:2015

1401 Brummel Ave
Elk Grove, IL 60007
ISO 9001:2015 Design Certified

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