Producing metallic and plastic parts in large amount often requires methods that should be cheap, flexible and can offer acceptable precision requirements. When it comes to designing a simple prototype at low cost and with flexible options, what should you do? The answer is simple - hire extrusion prototyping services. If you are new to this particular prototyping technique, this blog is for you. Here, we will discuss what this technique is all about with some examples.
Let’s begin the Quest:
What is Extrusion Prototyping?
Extrusions
are basically the parts which have a definitive cross-sectional profile. Before
producing large amounts of extrusions, it is always beneficial to generate
prototypes so that any fixes can be made beforehand, if any. This is why
manufacturers need extrusion prototyping. It helps them to avoid errors and
defects and, thereby, reduce costs of fixes.
Extrusion
prototyping is a highly economical method of manufacturing (as mentioned above)
even when you need to perform some post-machining to add fixing joints, threads
or access panels. Though there is tooling involved, this production method
is not in the same category of injection molding tooling. Unlike other methods,
it is a faster and cheaper process to create extrusion prototypes. Most of
the times, it is mainly used for manufacturing plastic and aluminium products
such as pipes, window frames, and conduits.
To Understand The Process In a Better Way, Let’s Take an Example of Aluminium and Plastic.
Extrusion Prototyping with Aluminium and Plastic:
What can we produce using extrusion prototyping services? There are several options and if you are working with a reputed and experienced service provider, you may have more choices than that of providers with less experience and knowledge.
In the case of aluminium, you can wire erode. If the part required is in sub 600mm in length, wire eroding is a good option. While the process is relatively slow in this case, the wire you get will be very fine with good detail and surface finish. If the part is longer than this and the form is simple, it is still possible to CNC the prototype up to lengths of 1 meter. However, this is extremely sensitive to geometry and wall section and will not be suitable for all cases. With this process, other good options to create are sections, tubing, rods, and co-extruded parts.
When it comes to plastic, the most widely extruded material used is PVC. In plastic extrusion, the plastic is melted and shaped into a continuous profile and cut to length. It can be used for producing a wide variety of items made with different materials such as PC, PS, PP, ABS, and PMMA along with PVC.
Do you need aluminium or plastic extruded prototypes? Hire an experienced and reputed extrusion prototyping service provider to ensure quality, accuracy, and low cost.