Wie schnell ist Rapid Prototyping wirklich?

Einzelne Bauteile in gängigen Werkstoffen gehen in 24 bis 48 Stunden raus. Bei größeren Baugruppen oder Hochtemperaturwerkstoffen liegt die Laufzeit bei 3 bis 5 Werktagen. Entscheidend ist nicht die Druckzeit, sondern wie sauber die Daten ankommen.

Reicht ein gedruckter Prototyp für einen echten Funktionstest?

In den meisten Fällen ja, wenn Werkstoff und Orientierung zur Belastung passen. PA12-CF und PC halten Lasten und Temperaturen aus, die ein PLA-Muster nie überlebt. Für Dauerlast und Zyklen prüfen wir gemeinsam, ob der Prototyp aussagekräftig ist oder ob es ein Serienverfahren braucht.

Welche Daten brauchen Sie für ein Angebot?

STEP ist ideal, STL geht ebenfalls. Dazu Werkstoffwunsch oder Einsatzbedingungen, Stückzahl und ob Gewinde, Passungen oder Dichtflächen vorhanden sind. Alles andere klären wir vor dem Druck, nicht danach.

Wie viele Iterationen sind sinnvoll?

Meist zwei bis drei. Die erste Runde klärt Passform und Bauraum, die zweite Belastung und Montage, die dritte Oberfläche und Optik. Wer alles in eine Runde packt, zahlt am Ende mehr, weil sich Fehlerursachen nicht mehr trennen lassen.

Rapid prototyping for engineering and design

From CAD model to a prototype you can actually load, with no tooling and no waiting. We print prototypes in engineering materials you can test, assemble and present, not just look at.

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Single parts ready to ship in 24 to 48 hours

The prototypes we build

Designers and engineers need a different kind of sample in every project phase. A concept model may be rough, a functional sample may not.

Concept and design models

Volume, proportion and feel in your hand early. Inexpensive in PLA or PETG, several variants in parallel.

Functional prototypes

Parts that take load, heat or media. PA12-CF, PC and ASA often already stand in for the production material during testing.

Fit and assembly checks

Check packaging, cable routing and tolerance stacks before injection mould tooling is released.

Trade show and investor samples

Finished models, sanded and painted, for when the sample has to sell.

Suitable materials

A prototype is only as meaningful as its material. We choose by operating condition, not by what happens to be loaded.

Read the materials guide

So the first round already fits

01Tell us the operating conditions: temperature, load, UV, chemicals. The material follows from that, not the other way round.
02Mark critical dimensions and fits so we can plan orientation and tolerances around them.
03Provide threads as pilot holes for heat set inserts instead of printing them directly.
04Wall thickness from 1.2 mm in load bearing areas, thinner walls only on purely visual models.
05Tell us which faces stay visible. We align supports and finishing to that.
06Say whether more iterations are coming. Then we plan material and cost across the whole loop.

Full DFM checklist

Rapid prototyping: iterate fast without misleading results

Rapid prototyping is often equated with pure speed. In practice what matters is whether the prototype answers the question that is actually open at that stage. For proportions and ergonomics an overnight PLA model is enough. For a statement about load it has to be printed in the production material, otherwise you are testing the wrong part.

The second lever is the number of variants per round. Three variants in one build cost barely more than one because setup stays the same. Deliberately printing variants together typically saves a whole iteration round, which is worth more than the extra material.

What many underestimate is the move to production. If prototype and series run in the same process with the same documented parameter set, the approved part stays reproducible. Switching process after approval effectively restarts validation.

Manufacturing data at a glance

Location: Schleswig, Germany
Part size: up to approx. 250 x 250 x 250 mm, larger parts split and joined
Quantities: 1 to several thousand, no minimum order quantity
Tolerances: approx. ±0.2 mm for PLA, PETG and carbon grades, ±0.3 mm for ABS, ASA and PC
Layer height: 0.10 to 0.30 mm
Materials: 20 engineering filaments from PLA to PA12-CF and PC FR
File formats: STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, IGES up to 200 MB
Lead time: 2 to 4 working days for samples, 4 to 15 working days for series

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Rapid prototyping FAQ

How fast is rapid prototyping really?: Single parts in common materials ship in 24 to 48 hours. Larger assemblies or high temperature materials take 3 to 5 working days. The deciding factor is rarely print time, it is how clean the incoming data is.
Is a printed prototype good enough for a real functional test?: In most cases yes, provided material and orientation match the load case. PA12-CF and PC survive loads and temperatures a PLA sample never will. For sustained load and cycle testing we check together whether the prototype is representative or whether a series process is required.
What data do you need for a quote?: STEP is ideal, STL works too. Add the preferred material or the operating conditions, quantity, and whether threads, fits or sealing faces are involved. Everything else we clarify before printing, not after.
How many iterations make sense?: Usually two to three. The first round settles fit and packaging, the second load and assembly, the third surface and appearance. Packing everything into one round costs more in the end because failure causes can no longer be separated.