Through a combination of our in-house expertise and trusted manufacturing partners, we offer access to a wide range of advanced manufacturing processes. We can also help evaluate your design and recommend the manufacturing method best suited to your application, performance requirements, production volume, and budget.
Metal 3D Printing
Metal 3D printing uses processes such as laser powder bed fusion to selectively melt metal powder layer by layer, producing fully dense metal components directly from a 3D CAD model. Its major advantages are the ability to manufacture extremely complex geometries, internal passages, lightweight lattice structures, and low-volume parts without conventional tooling. Disadvantages include relatively high equipment and material costs, slower production rates, and the frequent need for heat treatment and finish machining. It is particularly useful for aerospace, energy, medical, automotive, tooling, and industrial equipment components where complex geometry or low production volume makes conventional machining difficult or expensive.
Stereolithography (SLA)
Stereolithography uses a laser or other light source to selectively cure liquid photopolymer resin into solid layers. SLA produces very smooth surfaces, fine details, and excellent dimensional accuracy, making it one of the best additive processes for visually refined prototypes and precision models. Its primary disadvantages are that photopolymer materials are generally less durable than engineering thermoplastics and can degrade with prolonged exposure to heat, UV light, or chemicals. SLA is especially useful for dimensional prototypes, housings, patterns, fixtures, casting masters, and components where surface finish and fine detail are important.
Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
Multi Jet Fusion uses a powder bed, typically nylon, combined with selectively applied fusing and detailing agents that are heated to create each layer. It provides strong, dimensionally accurate parts with relatively uniform mechanical properties and is well suited to producing multiple components simultaneously. MJF generally offers faster production and better consistency than many filament-based processes, although equipment and production costs are higher and available materials are more limited. It is particularly useful for functional prototypes, production housings, brackets, clips, ducts, fixtures, and low-to-medium-volume industrial components.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Selective Laser Sintering uses a laser to fuse powdered polymer material, most commonly nylon, layer by layer. Because the surrounding powder supports the component during printing, SLS can create complex geometries without dedicated support structures. Parts are strong and functional, although surfaces tend to have a slightly rough or granular finish and dimensional tolerances are generally not as precise as machined components. SLS is especially useful for functional prototypes, mechanical housings, ductwork, brackets, snap-fit assemblies, jigs, fixtures, and small production runs of durable industrial parts.
PolyJet
PolyJet printing works somewhat like an inkjet printer, depositing extremely small droplets of photopolymer resin and curing them immediately with ultraviolet light. It can produce exceptionally fine detail, smooth surfaces, multiple colors, and even multiple material properties within the same component. Its disadvantages include relatively expensive materials and mechanical properties that are generally less suitable for long-term structural applications. PolyJet is particularly valuable for highly detailed prototypes, ergonomic models, seals and overmold simulations, transparent components, medical models, and assemblies where several different material characteristics need to be demonstrated.
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
Fused Deposition Modeling extrudes heated thermoplastic filament through a nozzle and deposits the material layer by layer to form a component. It is one of the most economical and widely available additive manufacturing processes and can use engineering materials such as ABS, nylon, polycarbonate, and fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. Its disadvantages include visible layer lines, lower dimensional accuracy than some other processes, and directional strength differences between layers. FDM is particularly useful for rapid prototypes, large components, tooling aids, jigs, fixtures, equipment guards, brackets, mock-ups, and low-cost industrial replacement parts.
CNC Machining
CNC machining is a subtractive manufacturing process in which computer-controlled milling machines, lathes, and other machine tools precisely remove material from a solid workpiece according to a CAD/CAM program. CNC machining provides excellent dimensional accuracy, repeatability, surface finish, and access to an enormous range of metals and engineering plastics. Its primary disadvantages are material waste, machining time, tooling requirements, and geometric limitations associated with cutting-tool access. CNC machining is particularly valuable for precision machine components, shafts, housings, fixtures, tooling, replacement parts, prototypes, and low-to-medium-volume industrial production where tight tolerances and high-strength materials are required.
