Selecting a Rapid-Service Bureau

Think of RP as the right process + the right material = the right part. Do your homework and find a firm you can depend on to help slash prototyping time and costs There's nothing like the rush of a new design idea. Maybe it hit you in the shower or just clicked when you opened that can of tomato soup. You have an idea — and it's your "baby." But of the hundreds of rapid-prototyping (RP) firms that will be vying to make the prototype of your baby, how do you know which to trust? The notion of form following function is only as good as the appropriateness of the RP process and material selected. In other words, only the correct RP process will produce a prototype that acts almost exactly as the product will in the operating environment. • When selecting an RP service bureau, check out its processes, timing, expertise, and customer service. • Designs don't always call for advanced additive technologies. Sometimes a simple approach works better. First, accept the premise that you don't know what you don't know. This helps make it clear that you need to educate yourself and also look for firms that will help educate you. founder Ronald Hollis says, "Designers are too often removed from production processes. But engineers might make adjustments on the factory floor and tooling managers could invent a way to enhance manufacturing efficiencies. Obviously, the more educated the designer, the better. And this goes for innovators as well." Bottom line: Better informed users get better pricing and better solutions. Considerations in selecting an RP service bureau include: processes, timing, expertise, and customer service. Find out whether the service bureau offers the major RP technologies. They are stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), and fused-deposition modeling (FDM). These firms