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Arrow Pattern & Foundry provides in-house rapid prototyping, engineering and tooling services. Our capabilities include three dimensional drawings, machining, and solid modeling. All these capabilities are utilized in our development of rapid prototypes.
Rapid Prototyping is defined as a class of related technologies that can be used to automatically construct physical objects from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) data sources. Rapid prototyping methods are used to quickly make prototypes rapidly for testing and communication purposes. These three dimensional prototypes allow engineers and designers the ability to communicate their design much easier with co-workers and customers. Rapid Prototyping essentially leads to substantial cost and time saving, which is why the pattern making industry has adapted rapid prototype methods.
Rapid Prototyping is used widely in the automotive, medical, aerospace, and consumer products industries.
Rapid Prototypes are a very important way of testing a design to see whether it performs as desired or if it needs improvement. Engineers have always tested designs using prototypes, but Rapid Prototyping expands that capability. The ability to produce a prototype rapidly and inexpensively makes it much easier for engineers to perform methodical testing: build a prototype, test it, redesign the prototype, build and test, etc. This avenue would be far too time-consuming using traditional prototyping techniques, but Rapid Prototyping makes it much easier.
Arrow Pattern & Foundry can produce prototypes based on our customers’ concept drawings. Our prototype parts are created using methods of rapid prototyping. We help customers with the design and development of new products, working from their sketches, samples, or basic ideas. These capabilities allow Arrow Pattern & Foundry to work closely with our customers on prototype design, development, and innovation.
Rapid Prototyping, as stated earlier, is defined as a class of related technologies that can be used to construct physical 3-D objects from computer data sources. The methods of prototyping consist of various technologies that have been established within the past 25 years. These techniques include:Stereolithography, Laminated Object Manufacturing LOM), Selective Laser Sintering, and Fused Deposition Modeling
Stereolithography started the rapid prototyping revolution since its patent in 1986. This technique builds three-dimensional models from polymers that solidify when exposed to ultraviolet light. Stereolithography is regarded as a standard by which other technologies of rapid prototyping are judged.
Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM) is the process where layers of adhesive-coated sheet material are bonded together to form a prototype. The material consists of paper laminated with heat-activated glue and rolled up on spools.
Arrow Pattern & Foundry provides these capabilities to produce rapid prototypes for our customers. Of course, “rapid” is a relative term. Most prototypes require from three to seventy-two hours to build, depending on the size and complexity of the object. This may seem slow, but our customers know it is much faster than the traditional machining to make a prototype. Our dramatic timesaving allows manufacturers to release products to market faster and at a lower cost. As for services, Arrow Pattern & Foundry can create a prototype on-site for testing and validation in as little as 3 weeks!
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Pattern & Foundry