Low Volume Production
- Specializing in Low-Volume, High-Mix Production
- Respond Fast to Changing Customer Needs
- Take Advantage of
Short Lead Times
Fathom’s Low-Volume Production Services
Flexible solutions to accelerate your time to market
Are you looking for a manufacturer that will produce small orders – tens to low thousands of parts? You’ve come to the right place for low-volume production. Many third-party manufacturers prefer to avoid low-volume production in favor of long production runs of relatively simple geometries, but Fathom’s overall focus is supporting customers from early prototyping and bridge production to short-medium volume production.
Fathom: For Every Step in Your Product Life Cycle
Fathom specializes in low-volume, high-mix production of customized parts, with an emphasis on helping our customers move their part designs from early prototype concepts and rapid prototyping to bridge and full production.
Along the way, our experienced engineers make recommendations for manufacturing methods, materials and processes to ensure that your parts can be produced reliably and cost-effectively. They always work with the end in mind – suggesting changes that will hold up well throughout the product life cycle.
Advantages of Low-Volume Production
There are many advantages to low-volume production. Some of the benefits include:
Faster Go to Market // Depending on the manufacturing process, products can be pushed to market in a matter of days or weeks instead of months. Some industries change at a rapid pace and low-volume production can help you stay ahead of changing trends.
Quicker Market Feedback // Gather customer feedback before doing high-volume production. Provide marketing teams with samples. Ideal for testing form, fit and function.
Reduced Tooling Cost // Digital manufacturing works directly from a CAD file. The file is used to build the item. There is no need for tooling or expensive and time-consuming machine setup.
Shortened Lead Times // High-volume production requires specialized tooling. The metal molds for injection molding can be expensive and may take weeks to produce. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing significantly reduces lead time by eliminating the need for a mold or tooling.
Responsiveness to Design Iterations // Low-volume production usually means reduced costs and shorter production times, often with the ability to quickly make design changes. The result is greater flexibility and savings while reducing waste.
Low-Volume Production Processes
Fathom offers several technologies that are capable of small-batch production with customization including:
- CNC Machining
- 3D Printing
- Injection Molding, thanks to our rapid tooling service
- STEP Technology, which provides a bridge into injection molding
Talk to our experts to learn which low-volume manufacturing process will work best for your project.
CNC Machining
CNC machining is a manufacturing process that uses pre-programmed computer software to direct the movement of cutting tools, including mills, routers, grinders, and lathes. Using CNC machining allows three-dimensional cutting tasks to be accomplished with precise repeatability – without the need for an operator.
Benefits of Using CNC Machining for Low-Volume Production
- Quicker Turnaround // The process from CAD file to production can be done in days, depending on the design.
- Cost Efficient // Minimal monetary investment to set up tooling and prepare the machine.
- Scalable // It’s easy to move from prototyping into production
- Material Choices // A wide variety of materials can be machined, including both metal and plastic.
- Accurate // Computer controlled cutting guarantees precise results.
- Repeatable // Computer control using the same datum will deliver the same part-time and time again, without deviation.
Additive Manufacturing
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process that uses a variety of technologies to build parts in successive layers. The process starts with a CAD file. Slicing software then builds the design layer-by-layer. This data is used by the the additive manufacturing machine to make the part. Additive manufacturing is ideal for low-volume production.
Benefits of Using 3D Printing for Low-Volume Production
- Weight Reduction // Parts can be built with internal lattices to reduce weight and speed print times while still maintaining wall strength.
- Short Lead Times // Parts can be produced in a matter of hours or days.
- Design Freedom // 3D printing is capable of producing incredibly complex parts that would be impossible to create with conventional machining, including internal cavities and conformal cooling channels.
- Legacy Parts // CAD files can be made from scans of an existing part, which can be used to quickly print small quantities of replacement parts.
- Useful Throughout the Product Life Cycle // Additive manufacturing enables you to easily move from prototyping to production.
Injection Molding
Fathom provides high-quality plastic injection mold design, precision mold making and close-tolerance injection molding services for a complete custom manufacturing experience. Fathom utilizes state-of-the-art mold-making technologies to provide high-quality plastic injection mold design, precision mold making and close tolerance injection molding services for small–to–medium injection mold projects.
Need tooling fast? Our rapid tooling service produces steel tooling quickly, with delivery of sample parts in as little as 15 days. Not aluminum tooling, which has a limited life, but hardened steel tooling that is perfect for bridge and low-volume production of parts.
Benefits of Using Injection Molding for Low-Volume Production
- Higher Strength // Injection molded parts offer robust durability not found in some 3D-printing technologies.
- Weather and Chemical Resistant // A variety of plastic materials, many with unique properties, are available for injection molding.
- Scalable // Injection molding is designed for high-volume production. Moving from low volume to high volume is easy, especially if the tooling is designed for longer life and longer production runs.
- Repeatable // Injection molding is designed to make the same part thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of times, without variation.
- Material Choice // Injection molding is compatible with a wide range of materials. Material choice will depend on product end use, desired physical characteristics and budget.
STEP Technology
Fathom has partnered with Evolve Additive Solutions to present the next step in additive manufacturing. The Evolve Scaled Volume Production™ (SVP) system is the next generation of 3D printing technology, marrying the speed and design freedom of additive manufacturing with the speed and surface quality of injection molding. The Evolve SVP™ is the first 3D printing machine to feature the revolutionary Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process (STEP).
The STEP technology produces 100 percent dense, detailed parts that rival the quality of injection-molded parts – but without the cost and delays of tooling.
Benefits of Using STEP Technology for Low-Volume Production
- Thermoplastic Convenience // Often, during prototyping, a part is produced quickly using a 3D printing technology. But it’s only an approximation of the production part, which may be produced using a different manufacturing method. This approach can cause problems and delays. STEP technology enables one material and process to be used from prototyping to production.
- Print Multiple Parts in a Single Build // Multiple parts can be nested in a single build space, speeding production. Unlike other 3D printing technologies, the build speed remains constant, regardless of the quantity of parts in the build space.
- Proven Process //Fathom has been building parts using the STEP technology for the last two years. It has proven itself as a viable prototyping and production tool that delivers unmatched flexibility and part quality.
Industries Using Low-Volume Production
Fathom has been assisting businesses with their low-volume production needs for over two decades. With thousands of jobs under our belt, we are experts in matching the best technology and materials for each project. Some of the industries we have worked with on low-volume production jobs include:
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Consumer Products
- Energy
- Electronics
- Education
- Industrial
- Medical
- Dental
- Robotics
Why Choose Fathom for Your Low-Volume Production Needs?
Fathom is optimized to help our customers move their parts from prototype designs into low-medium volume production, to digital production technologies.
You’ll be working with our experienced engineers and production people. They will recommend design changes, materials and processes that will ensure that your parts can be moved into low-volume production reliably and cost-effectively.
Let Fathom help you with your low-volume production project. Contact us today!
