Fathom’s Prototyping Services
We Have the Expertise to Help You Prepare Your Part Designs for Production
Most companies are under pressure to accelerate their new product development programs. It’s incredibly risky to move a part design directly into production. It may not fit into an assembly correctly. The finish may be flawed. The aesthetics may not be what you expected.
Many types of manufacturing require the construction of costly tools, which take several months to build. Making changes to tooling because of unexpected design problems can be very expensive and can derail your new product launch.
The solution? Refine, optimize and finalize your part design using an iterative process called prototyping, empowered by digital manufacturing methods. Prototypes not only provide product development, marketing and sales teams with a 3D model to validate their design concepts. They also help these teams verify fit, finish and performance before moving finalized part designs into production.
Manufacturing Technologies For Prototyping
In order for prototyping to be time- and cost-effective, successive part iterations need to be built relatively quickly.
Digital manufacturing technologies are well-suited to rapid prototyping because they can produce parts directly from CAD drawings. If your part doesn’t turn out quite the way you expected, update your CAD drawing and reprint it.
Fathom has decades of expertise in producing rapid prototypes and helping our customers efficiently move from design concepts to production.
Urethane Casting Prototyping
This is an ideal way to produce small quantities of parts quickly for functional and cosmetic testing. It can be used to produce parts with complex geometries and fine details. One silicone mold can be used to produce the same part in a variety of durometers.
STEP Technology
Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process (STEP) is a revolutionary additive technology that enables you to produce high-precision prototype parts without tooling. You can use it for everything from prototypes and bridge production to full production.
Sheet Metal Prototyping
Prototype metal parts can be made using a variety of methods, including stamping, CNC-controlled cutting (water jet, micro water jet, laser and wire EDM), press brakes, progressive dies, multi-slide forming and chemical machining.
Injection Molding Prototyping
Our ICOMold by Fathom 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.
Fiberglass Layup Prototyping
The Fathom team has decades of experience in hand-building large prototype parts using the traditional process of laying up fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) in wooden molds. This process uses reinforcement material like fiberglass, saturated with liquid resin, which is applied and shaped by hand to fit the mold.
Benefits of Prototyping
Not convinced prototyping is right for your project? Check out these compelling benefits:
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Accelerated Time-to-Market
Rapid prototyping shortens the product development cycle by allowing for quick creation, testing, and refinement of prototypes. This allows companies to capture market opportunities faster than competitors.
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Improved Product Quality
The ability to create multiple iterations and perform functional testing allows you to fine-tune designs for better performance and safety before mass production.
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Reduced Development Costs
By identifying and correcting design flaws early, you can avoid costly revisions during later stages of production. This minimizes wasted material and labor costs associated with failed or unviable products.
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Enhanced Design Flexibility
Rapid prototyping fosters an iterative design process, encouraging experimentation and allowing for more customization. Teams can quickly test multiple design variations to find the most effective solutions.
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Early Risk Mitigation
Creating a physical, tangible model helps to uncover potential issues with functionality, safety and manufacturing feasibility early on. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of product failure.
Why Choose Fathom for Prototyping
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Our expert engineers will help you optimize your part designs for production.
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Our engineering and production teams bring decades of expertise and problem-solving to every project.
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We offer manufacturing and full post-processing capabilities under one roof for one point of accountability.
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We’re your partner from design and prototyping to bridge and full production.
Kick Off Your Project Today
Expect More From Contract Manufacturing
It’s time to level up your expectations. Contract manufacturing should be much more than an automated quote and superficial DFM feedback. Experience the Fathom white-glove difference – an engineering and expertise-driven process that will guide you from concept to production with clarity, confidence, and zero guesswork.
