Business plan? Check. CAD Drawing? Check. We know, you’re like, “I did all of it so now let’s get freaking printing!!!” But before we do that (trust us, we really like the printing part too), we need to establish the goals of your prototype … Because it’s going to determine the type of manufacturing you use.

Your business plan will be beneficial for this step. So pull that puppy out. Review your business plan and identify and clearly define the purpose of your prototype. What is the goal of prototyping for you? Are you going for proof of concept? Are you planning to present an investor show and tell? Are you prototyping for a look and feel? Are you looking for areas of improvement? Maybe you’re looking for quality assurance? This may come as a shock to you, but you wouldn’t print your prototype with the same material for every goal. We’ll explain…

First, let’s establish your goal

Even if you didn’t specifically state in your business plan, “____ is my goal of prototyping,” we’re confident that you can identify the goal of your prototype within it (as long as it’s a well-thought-out plan). Review your business plan and look for mentions of making design adjustments, establishing look and feel, finding investors, and improving manufacturability. For any of those things, you will need a prototype. As you go through, find a way to mark each time you think you’ll need a prototype. In some cases, you can use the same prototype for multiple goals. In others, you may need various iterations of your prototype or different kinds of prototypes, such as one for display and another for look and feel.

Why would goals change prototype manufacturing?

Because it will change your material, if your goal is to establish a look and feel, then you will want to use a material that most closely resembles the end product. For example, you would use nylon 12 SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) to approximate the look and feel of injection-molded ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). If your goal is to aid in pitching to investors, then you should use a material that is sturdy and has as few parts as possible (less opportunity to break with regular handling and packing). If your goal is to prototype for improvement, you will want to test different materials that offer various potential enhancements.

Why would my material choice impact my manufacturer?

We know it isn’t very clear. We all call ourselves 3D printers, so we should all print with the same material, right? Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), no, that’s not the case at all. For example, we do SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), which means that lasers (yes, freaking lasers!) melt layers into powder to create a product. The materials we use for this include nylon 11 and 12, both plain and filled with cool materials like carbon fiber or glass. Desktop printing, which you probably associate most with 3D printing, uses plastics like ABS and PLA in filament form.

Every type of 3D printing and every material has its merits. What you need to do is match those merits with your prototype goal. Fortunately, we have a Technology Material Chart. This chart breaks down the technology used, the common name you’ll hear them by, how they work, the materials used, and characteristics of note. Once you find a material and printing process that sounds like a fit, take a deeper dive into understanding the pros and cons specific to your project, such as:

• Durability and flexibility
• Printing more than one component together
• Color or no color
• Smooth or rough finish
• UV light exposure

We know what you’re wondering … Can I print my prototype now??? Yes! Are you done prototyping? It depends …

Now that you have your business plan in place, your engineered or industrial-designed CAD file “in hand,” your goal established, and your materials and 3D printing technology chosen, you are ready to print! You can easily find a 3D printing company based on the technology that fits your prototyping project, and don’t hesitate to reach out to more than one company. You’ll notice that different companies will be more hands-on or hands-off, provide different printing timelines, offer suggestions, or send back a quote. Find the company that fits both your budget and your project needs!

And you're done prototyping … Maybe …

If your 3D-printed prototype turns out the way you wanted or needed it to be, then you’re done (yay!), and you can move on to the production process. As you can imagine, that’s not often the case. So, if you need to make design changes, then you aren’t quite done, and this printed prototype is the first of the x-number of iterations until you get what you need to move on to manufacturing. Once you have the prototype you want in your hand, you will complete a design review and then determine the next steps — do you go straight to production? Will your production be with Injection Molding (IM) or something else? Do you continue SLS until your Injection Molding tool and sequence are up and running?

Since you’ve established a solid foundation with your business plan, CAD file, and goal, printing multiple iterations of your prototype is just fine-tuning. You’re no longer just a person with an idea on a napkin. You’re an entrepreneur perfecting your product before sharing it with the world. Now go forth and create! With some hard work and confidence, your idea can become the prototype and, eventually, the product you’ve always thought it could be.

For more information, please don't hesitate to contact us at or request a quote and upload your file today!