Blog – DDPROTOTYPE

Prototype Manufacturing

Martin.mu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 12:58:20 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE is one of the leaders in the field of rapid prototyping in China,has more than 15 years of mature experience in prototype manufacturing and low-volume manufacturing, and is trusted by global customers. When shape, assembly and function are the priorities in product development, we usually need our prototype manufacturing process. Whether you need one customized part or multiple customized parts, we have the ability to deliver the prototype to you quickly, and the parts can be delivered within one day at the fastest. We also have the ability to easily expand all of your manufacturing projects, from prototype manufacturing to mass production.

Prototyping Service

DDPROTOTYPE has a strong team of machinists. No matter how complex prototype parts you need, or other large-scale machining parts, our unparalleled ability enables you to quickly obtain customized milling and turning parts.

low-volume manufacturing

Looking for low-volume manufacturing supplier? We are a professional, ISO 9100 certified on-demand production facility that can process up to 150 kinds of metal and plastic parts in 7 days or less.

Manufacturing automation

Your time is precious. Our quick quotation and automatic CNC machining process can quickly turn and mill parts within a few days after uploading CAD model.

Experienced employees

With our experienced production and engineering staff, we provide the same level of prototype manufacturing services for companies of all sizes, whether they are the world’s top 500 or innovative start-ups.

Why do you machine in DDPROTOTYPE?

Manufacturing capacity: unparalleled CNC machining capacity and experience, dozens of advanced CNC machines running 24 / 7.
Experience: internal engineers help solve design problems and reduce the price of prototype manufacturing.
Capacity: dozens of 3-axis and 5-axis milling and turning machines, EDM / WEDM advanced equipment from Japan
Materials: more than 150 kinds of plastic and metal materials
Standard tolerance: + / – 0.05mm

Service Industry

Aerospace Prototyping

Medical Prototyping

Robot Prototyping

Automobile Prototyping

Electronics Prototyping

Optical Prototyping

Benefits of prototypes

Why do successful products start with reliable prototypes? Because it’s easy to change the prototype. When you’ve produced thousands of parts, it’s harder and more expensive to replace them. Prototyping offers a wide range of benefits that will have a positive impact on your profits. Prototyping:

Accelerate processes – bring products to market faster
Help reduce mistakes that may waste your money
Eliminate unnecessary functions early in the process
Identify weaknesses early
Allows you to create parts with complex geometry
Reduced the need for future engineering changes
Extend the service life of the final product

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CNC Manufacturing

Martin.mu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:47:59 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE is a CNC manufacturing service supplier that provides customized CNC machining services to help our customers meet prototype machining needs. We have 100+ advanced manufacturing machines which include CNC milling machines, CNC turning machines and EDM manufacturing centers. The materials commonly used here include AL6061, AL6063, AL7075, AL5052, AL3003, AL2024, stainless steel 304, stainless steel 303, stainless steel 301,Stainless 17-4 PH, 316L stainless steel, brass, copper, acetal, ABS, PC, PP,PE, PMMA, GF filled nylon, PEEK,PTFE and so on 60+ Certified materials. We are ISO 9001:2000 and QS9000 world-class quality standards company, our service industry include aerospace, medical, automotive ,robotics, electronics, etc.

CNC Manufacturing For Mass Production

For CNC mass production, we will divide it into several processes after analyzing the engineering drawings based on different quantity. For each machining process, we will design and manufacture fixtures. At the same time, we will formulate the operation process and inspection tools to ensure stable processing quality, improve production efficiency and reduce costs. There are many factors will affect the machining price, the most important one is to design fixtures, suitable fixture makes processing affordable.

Each fixture must undergo countless clamping and unclamping actions, and need to check the fixture regularly to ensure the availability. The produced parts need full dimension inspection, only after FAI is qualified can we release mass production and next process.

Die-casting parts cannot meet the high precision requirements, so CNC mass production can also be used to machining critical tolerance dimension for die-casting parts. Die-casting parts have higher requirements in fixtures to realize cost-efficient CNC mass production.

Compared with die-casting parts, CNC mass production parts can apply more surface treatments, such as anodizing, plating, passivation, painting, and electrophoresis, etc. For example, high-end decorative parts, mobile phone case , etc. are all processed by CNC mass production.
For mass production products, we can also realize automatic assembly line processing. Each part processing time can be calculated so that the completion time of the order can be expected exactly.

Advantages of CNC manufacturing Service

DDPROTOTYPE is proud of its outstanding customer satisfaction, high-quality products, pay attention to the latest and emerging manufacturing technologies, constantly expanding and improving our CNC manufacturing services and processes to meet the growing demand of the different clients from all over the world. Our multi-axis high-speed CNC milling machine can produce complex large parts; Our CNC manufacturing provides the highest flexibility, high quality and reliable machining services. Whether it is one piece of parts or mass production, we have most suitable machining method and great efficiency to provide precision tolerance parts even 0.005mm with short lead time. On the same time, our CNC manufacturing is a quick machining method to test the shape, fit and function of the design as well as for market research with small lot production. We have always been committed to provide quality products helping customers solving problems as required. We offer fast CNC quotation, very competitive price.

Our Capacity on CNC Manufacturing

We have 100+machines and 40+ engineers, our CNC machining department equipped with the latest CAD/CAM software. which ensures that we can handle 500+ projects per month; Our machines work 7*24hours,and we can produce 9k+parts everyday , which makes us very honored that we can send 20+ parcels around the world via DHL/ FedEx/UPS/TNT and so on everyday.

CNC Manufacturing Video | DDPROTOTYP

CAD / CAM functions

Many parts of the milling process, from tool creation to the final output of our CNC machining center, are guided by our experienced machinist team using advanced systems.And we use CAD/CAM software, eg. UG Mastercam powermill,

High standard process control

Operate accordance with the processing instruction strictly, measure products regularly, critical dimension measured while processing.

Extensive machining materials

Our milling machines and lathes can handle most aviation grade materials. Alloy, titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper and many engineering plastics.

Qualification certification

ISO 9001:2015 quality system and extensive understanding of material source requirements enable us to fully meet the expectations of prototype processing.

Service industry

Our service industries include aerospace, medical, automotive, robotic, electronic, optical parts, etc.

Trustworthy supplier

We work with 3900+clients from all over the world, and We’ve worked with most of them for about 15 years, We are proud to be their Trustworthy supplier.

Complex Prototyping Capbility

5-axis machining center is increasing 2 of A/B/C rotating axes on the basis of 3-axis, which is characterized by the increase of the two rotating axes and linear axis linkage and structure. The 5-axis linkage makes the machining efficiency faster. Inclinable C-axis structure, larger bearing, better rigidity.

For some complex multi-faceted machining products, it is difficult to achieve higher accuracy in 3-axis machining, and need much manual intervention, while 5-axis processing can achieve rapid positioning processing, mainly to increase the processing accuracy of products from the following angles:

1) Introducing 5-axis fixture;
2) Reduce clamping process;
3) There is no manual multiple clamping, The clamping error is reduced;
4) Only need to find a coordinate system, reduce manual errors;
5) Reduce the length-diameter ratio of the tool and reduce the risk of bouncing knife.

5-axis can improve the processing efficiency and surface processing quality of the workpiece from the following factors:

1) Use a tool with relatively short length and diameter to improve the processing stability;
2) Reduce the EDM process, the whole surface is more even;
3) Use the side edge of the ball knife to process and improve the surface quality of the workpiece.

Service industry

CNC drilling, milling, cutting and grinding can be done in a very short time. To meet the needs of precision prototype machining and mass production for aerospace, medical, automotive, robotic, electronic and to meet the needs of higher precision requirements, more precise CNC machine tools are needed.

Full dimension measurement and trial assembly

for all parts with 2D drawings, we will prepare a full-dimension measurement report according to the actual Inspection data and send it together with products, which is also an important step for us to ensure that the parts sent meet the requirements.
For the assembly related components, we will try assembly before shipment to ensure that the parts can match(fit) smoothly when receiving abroad.

In CNC manufacturing, there are hundreds of manufacturers, but not all companies provide the same level of quality and customer service. Since its establishment in 2003, DDPROTOTYPE has been committed to providing customers with the best service. We specialize in prototyping and Low volume manufacturing of parts. Some of our services include: milling, boring, drilling, EDM, knurling, broaching, hobbing and hexagon groove. DDPROTOTYPE focuses on quality accuracy and customized CNC machining services. Whether your project is a large project, a small project, a one-time project or a long-term project, we will provide you with excellent and competitive technical services.

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CNC Prototyping Service

Martin.mu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 09:24:45 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE is a leader company in providing CNC prototyping service, dedicated to providing the best, highly accurate visual design model, full-featured prototype and low volume manufacturing. Whether it is customized prototype machining or customized parts production, DDPROTOTYPE could provide perfect CNC machining scheme for your plastic or metal parts, and provide manufacturing services on demand through our own advanced CNC machining equipment. CNC machining is a manufacturing process, which can meet the needs of your CNC prototype machining, and can reduce the cost by machining a large number of parts.

CNC Prototyping Service

DDPROTOTYPE provides rapid CNC Prototyping Service for your project. With a strong team of design engineers and advanced 3 -, 4 -, and 5-axis CNC machining centers from the United States and Japan, we can provide various types of precision CNC prototyping services, including milling, turning, EDM and WEDM, as well as finishing services. We produce all kinds of material machining parts and patterns, including plastic, aluminum, steel, titanium, composite materials and ceramics. At DDPROTOTYPE, you can get quick CNC prototyping parts and low-cost prototyping solutions from our prototyping workshop in a few days!

DDPROTOTYPE is a supplier of 5 axis machined parts for the aerospace / defense industry. We use 3-axis and 5-axis machining centers to machine metal (aluminum, steel, titanium, etc.) and plastic materials. In addition, DDPROTOTYPE is supported by a strong quality department and has complete CMM functions.

The Complete Guide For CNC Machining

CNC Prototyping Service in China

CNC prototyping is used to create plastic prototypes and metal prototypes, work together for your design team, work closely together to simulate the appearance and function of the final product, reflect the effectiveness of physical dimensions and the simplicity or complexity of the assembly process, and of course, provide the manufacturer with the space to modify and optimize the design.

With the help of CNC milling machines, CNC lathes and advanced software from the United States and Japan, our CNC machining process is greatly simplified. Our advanced CNC prototyping service can quickly meet the production schedule required by customers, and can handle all kinds of prototyping projects requiring strict tolerances, special materials, complex parts and optimal manufacturing efficiency.

CNC Prototyping Video | DDPROTOTYPE

By our CNC prototyping service, you can get the perfect and enjoyable prototype production process. 3-axis for short-time production of simple parts; flexible 4-axis and 5-axis CNC machine tool service configuration for precision machining parts, as well as optimized NC programming and tool path workflow, which go beyond the traditional setting and machining practice, and ensure that we can provide complex CNC prototyping services on time.

Plastic prototyping

Although there is no clear definition of plastic precision machining, we can customize it to produce challenging plastic parts precisely and repeatedly, including complex geometry, high tolerance, optical clarity and various finishes. Plastic prototyping is different from metal prototyping, different materials are facing different challenges, so in terms of tool selection, operation parameters and advanced milling technology, different methods are needed.

Meeting these standards requires advanced equipment, high-performance machines, tools and tools, efficient programming and machining, experience and a culture of accepting only the highest quality. In the whole process of plastic prototyping, we also conduct overall process inspection to ensure that the quality is guaranteed in all aspects. We have a wide range of technologies for customized plastic prototyping. DDPROTOTYPE is an expert in this field. We are confident to accept any challenge of plastic prototyping.

Metal prototyping

In addition to its extensive experience in plastic prototyping, DDPROTOTYPE also provides metal prototyping services that meet any complex design specifications. It covers turning, milling, drilling and tapping of various metal materials.
Most CNC metal prototypes are made of various grades of aluminum, magnesium, zinc, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper or brass. Some functions, such as square corner keyways, may be difficult to machine and may involve the use of EDM or line EDM.
Before formal metal prototyping, DDPROTOTYPE carefully analyzes your design and provides any special jigs and machining strategies for metal prototyping at a reasonable cost. We can carry out finishing services operations such as anodizing, painting, powder spraying, heat treatment, sandblasting and polishing.

5 axis CNC milling capacity

The standard 5 axis CNC machine tool refers to the number of moving directions of cutting tools. The cutting tool moves along the X, y, and Z linear axes and rotates on the A and B axes at the same time. Through 5-axis CNC milling, the prototype has high quality surface finish. As a result, complex parts with multiple sides can handle up to five sides of the part in a single setup. This is a powerful support for design engineers to design various parts.

5-axis CNC milling itself has a strong control, not only can greatly simplify the machining process, but also machining parts with higher precision. It is more and more popular in aerospace, ship, automobile, food equipment, agricultural machinery, energy production and other industries. The progressiveness of 5 axis CNC milling includes higher surface quality, positioning accuracy and shorter lead time, and creates huge advantages for new business opportunities.

CNC machining for Low volume manufacturing

Low volume manufacturing is a supplement between prototyping and mass production, which is very suitable for tracking orders and market testing. Before the mass production plan, CNC machining for low volume manufacturing is also a good evaluation solution. For this reason, more and more R & D companies are trying to produce in small quantities, because it can bring products to market faster. At the same time, according to the feedback of users’ usage, more improvement space can be created for product design. For prototype machining and low volume manufacturing, CNC machining is still the most popular way. It can not only improve the machining ability quickly, but also reduce the risk of improving the design flexibility, and save the production time and cost.

DDPROTOTYPE is your first choice of prototype machining factory, with dozens of first-class CNC equipment, a strong team of engineers can guarantee us to produce high-quality parts in the short term. Over the years, DDPROTOTYPE has provided customized CNC prototyping services and low volume manufacturing services for customers in different industries by manufacturing high-quality, precision milled parts. DDPROTOTYPE provides one-stop service for your prototype project. Whether you need simple parts, extremely complex parts, or several different parts, we can produce them with higher quality, lower cost and shorter delivery time. Please give us an opportunity to test our ability of CNC prototyping service.

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Prototyping Services

Martin.mu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 04:38:46 +0000

When you need precise prototyping services, innovative and fast turnaround time on machined prototype parts for pre-production evaluation and comparison, the quality and expertise of DDPROTOTYPE’s prototype machining services will exceed your expectations.
DDPROTOTYPE meets the needs of custom parts and components for the aerospace, automotive, electrical ,electronic, marine, medical and technology industries. In order to ensure the highest quality at all times, we keep the CNC prototypes to the highest standards while striving to become the fastest responding manufacturer in this field.

Prototype Machining

During prototype machining, we usually work closely with your designers and engineers to produce a small number of machined parts-sometimes even just one. At this critical stage of product implementation, it is vital that every detail is handled correctly. Therefore, no matter what the size or complexity of your parts, we will go all out to service your order so that everything from the materials you choose to the type of processing you use is submitted to your inspection as best as possible And approved.
Based on our 15+ years of custom part manufacturing, we are proud to provide a full range of prototyping services to meet your delivery deadlines.

Prototyping Service Video | DDPROTOTYPE

Multiple material capabilities

In addition to determining the size and application of prototype parts, selecting the right materials is also critical. Materials will be one of the important factors affecting the cost of prototypes. DDPROTOTYPE offers you the widest range of materials from any manufacturer in the custom parts industry.
Plastic: In the prototype stage, metal is a cost-effective alternative to metals and other more expensive materials. For almost all applications, plastic is an economical material. We have extensive experience in processing the following types of plastics: ABS, acrylic, nylon, PVC and CPVC, PVDF, polycarbonate, polypropylene, Teflon®, UHMW and HDPE-to name a few.
Metals: Our prototype macining materials include the vast majority of the world, including conventional metals such as stainless steel, copper, aluminum alloys, various alloys; unconventional titanium alloys, nickel alloys, tungsten steels, etc.

Various machining types

Depending on the shape and complexity of the part, the precise production of prototypes usually involves a type of computer numerical control or CNC machining, where the movement of the manufacturing machine is controlled by computer software. One of the biggest benefits of CNC prototype parts is that they are fast to produce without losing any details of computer-aided design (CAD) or GibbsCAM software, are reproducible and consistent.
The three main options for CNC prototyping are as follows:
1 CNC milling keeps the workpiece stationary while various drills and cutting tools can be formed into the desired shape.
2 CNC turning is an automatic lathe that rotates the workpiece against the cutting edge to produce the desired cylindrical shape.
3 CNC screwing is very similar to turning, except that screwing is known for its Swiss-style ability to produce small and complex parts within tight tolerances

Engineering Design

We can meet all your needs for prototyping services, small batch production and rapid prototyping. With 15 years of experience in engineering design, combined with our in-house engineering, tools and manufacturing capabilities, we can provide you with reliable resources to quickly transform designs into 3D solid models or prototypes, which can significantly simplify your design And product development processes or effectively solving time-sensitive component problems.
As with production processing, EdgeCam, AutoCAD, Pro / ENGINEER and JobBoss are deployed throughout the prototype process to produce parts and reintegrate all functions into the work. Our team will review all prototype work and determine the tool flow. Most importantly, we give you the opportunity to make parts from production materials, which greatly reduces turnaround time.

DDPROTOTYPE — Your Full-Service Prototyping Service Partner

In order to get the best prototyping service quickly and speed up the assembly of the products you need to market, please contact us immediately or request a free quote immediately.

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Simultaneous 5-axis CNC Machining

Martin.mu — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 03:50:36 +0000

Simultaneous 5-axis CNC machining is a trend in the field of rapid prototyping and is becoming more and more popular.DDPROTOTYPE is one of China’s leading rapid prototyping manufacturers, with 15 years of mature prototype machining experience. Our machinist is the “” database “” of CNC machining and can provide a range of prototyping to mass production solutions. In 2018, DDPROTOTYPE invested two HAAS UMC750, five-axis simultaneous machining equipment from the United States.

5-axis CNC machining has brought great convenience to DDPROTOTYPE, improved CNC machining efficiency, and the precision of machining can reach 0.005mm. Of course, more and more customers rely on DDPROTOTYPE, which is our responsibility and proud of it.Now, DDPROTOTYPE summarizes some experiences and shares them with everyone.

While purchasing advanced equipment, we also purchased the corresponding 5-axis CNC machining software. We can control the tool path in all directions during processing, and can check the tool path for collision. At the same time, it also has a very friendly user interface.

Choose from a wide variety of cutting strategies from the most complete library of 5-axis simultaneous cutting strategies, allowing you to cut instantly.

1 Supports collision check of tool shaft and tool holder. When a collision is detected, alternative tool paths are generated to avoid related collisions. The 5-axis simultaneous machining machine simulation provides a complete tool and tool holder collision check function.

2 Each five-axis simultaneous machining strategy provides a variety of control options for tool path control of tool path in / out, machining process, and collision check.

3 Both the cutting tool path and the advance and retreat tool paths have related interference checks. You can use different cutting tool strategies according to the different lengths of the continuous tool path. When generating a continuous knife path, we can change the speed of the continuous knife to make the tool smoother when cutting into the part! It also controls the angle of the tool axis of the related advance and retreat tool path, so that the final generated tool path can be completely controlled.

For 5-axis simultaneous machining, such as side-edge milling, high-low impeller machining, pipe bending, 5-axis contour machining, multi-axis drilling, and conversion to high-speed milling.
In the process of pipe bending, DDPROTOTYPR mechanics will follow the milling tool path related to the shape of the pipe.
Five-axis linkage uses advanced tool axis control, which can provide unlimited tool control angles.
In the process of finishing multi-curved surfaces, the tool can be made perpendicular to the related surfaces to produce smooth finishing paths.

DDPROTOTYPE mechanics provide multiple cutting increments for multi-channel roughing technology through advanced software and are perpendicular to the tool. Options include borders and reduce stock. Supports collision check of tool shaft and tool holder. When a collision is detected, alternative tool paths are generated to avoid related collisions. The 5-axis simultaneous machining machine simulation provides a complete tool and tool holder collision check function. Using 3D simulation diagrams, a comprehensive collision check was completed.

Introduce the operation of 5-axis simultaneous machining

CNC machining for Multi-blade impeller

When machining multi-blade impellers, DDPROTOTYPE mechanics can easily control the tool paths produced by impellers and rotor blades. Rough machining and finishing of impellers have multiple machining strategies to process these complex shapes. The multi-blade impeller part machining function is only used in some production workshops. This machining strategy is mainly aimed at the different settings of such parts to generate the necessary tool paths.

Pipe bending

Pipe bending mainly uses standard tools or baseball knives to make simple and easy-to-use machining of tapered pipes. When the whole tool is being processed, the tool will be checked for collision. At the same time, roughing and finishing strategies are also provided for the corresponding castings or blanks.

5-axis contour machining

In the 5-axis contour machining strategy, the tool is processed along the 3D driving curve. When the tool axis is automatically calibrated according to the defined tilt line, the designer of DDPROTOTYPE will chamfer the part or optimize the 5-axis linkage tool path. Trimming.

Multi-axis roughing

The new multi-axis roughing can be used for roughing of open grooves. By specifying the bottom, side, and top faces, constraints on the roughing toolpath can be determined. Two strategies are available: matrix offset and adaptive thickening.

Rotary machining

The new rotary machining strategy is generally used for parts processed on four-axis machine tools, such as rotary mold parts, bottle molds, cores and electrodes. And the calculation of the tool path is directly based on the model itself, without the need to choose a winding 2D contour.

Multi-axis drilling

The designer of DDPROTOTYPE uses the automatic drilling identification function in the software, and then quickly generates a drilling, tapping or boring processing cycle for the corresponding hole position, no matter which direction the hole is facing. Advanced multi-axis drilling, tilt and collision check strategies can be set in multi-axis drilling to provide complete tool path control.

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Aluminum Prototype

Martin.mu — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 23:21:21 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE has rich experience in aluminum prototype machining, could control the tolerance within ± 0.005mm. Our CNC operators use unique experience and skills to make high-quality aluminum prototype parts. In particular, we are good at aluminum prototype machining with complex structure. From prototype to mass production, DDPROTOTYPE can do it. We invite you to give us an opportunity to show us the benefits you can get from our company.

Advantage of Aluminum Alloy

Aluminum alloy has a wide range of properties, such as flexibility, weldability, high strength, corrosion resistance and light weight, and excellent anodizing surface treatment. Due to its low cost and formability, aluminum is usually the first choice for prototyping and widely used in industry. With the in-depth study of aluminum alloy materials, high-strength aluminum alloy with its excellent comprehensive properties has been used in commercial aircraft more than 80% of its structural quality, so it has been widely concerned by the global aviation industry. Aluminum has been gradually used in medical, mechanical, automotive, military, science and technology and other fields.

CNC aluminum machining can be divided into several common types: 3-axis, 4-axis, 5-axis, turning and EDM. Although there are other CNC machining processes, such as drilling, they are listed in one of the CNC machining guidelines.

Aluminum grades available for CNC machining on DDPROTOTYPE:

2000 Series Aluminum

2011, 2011-0

2011-T3

2011-T6

2011-T8

2024, 2014-0

2024-T3

2024-T351

2024-T6

2024-T851

3000 Series Aluminum

3003, 3003-0

3003-H12

3003-H14

3003-H16

3003-H18

3003-H32

5000 Series Aluminum

5052, 5052-0

5052-H32

5052-H34

5052-H38

6000 Series Aluminum

6061, 6061-0

6061-T4

6061-T6

6061-T6511

6061-T8

6063, 6063-0

6063-T4

6063-T5

6063-T52

6063-T6

7000 Series Aluminum

7050, 7050-0

7050-T3511

7050-T7451

7050-T452

7050-T651

7075, 7075-0

7075-6

7075-73

Available Surface Treatements for Aluminum Prototype:

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Design for CNC Prototyping

Martin.mu — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 19:03:54 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE has many years of CNC machining experience, has accumulated a large number of designs for CNC prototyping, and are very willing to share with customers, hoping to bring you design help.CNC machine tool is an excellent technology, which can provide various possibilities for precise CNC prototyping and make your final product as good as your original design. When CNC machining any prototype, some main considerations must be taken into account, including its complete geometry.

So far, such a guide is more a rule of thumb than an actual agreement. Industry standards are rare, and technology is constantly changing, and exciting new innovations have been proposed, which have reached the limit of possible and impossible things. However, there are many practices that have become real rules to try and follow. These are some limitations and considerations attached to the design of CNC machining parts.

Basic Rules

In general, it is best to design prototypes with larger diameter tools to machine them. This helps avoid the use of special tools and ensures faster CNC machining. It is better not to design a cavity four times its width. It is essential to ensure that the design functions are consistent with the main directions allowed by the machine. This involves the number of axis of CNC machines needed for machining.

When you try to machine text or letters, it is best to use engraved text instead of embossed text. The relief text will eventually use a large number of materials that need to be removed in the whole CNC machining. Of course, a minimum of 20 point sans serif font is recommended to avoid unnecessary trouble in engraving text.

It is better to submit technical drawings when working with our machinist, and it is better to mark the tolerance in key parts. These parts must have a very specific format, but can greatly help you complete the design of the prototypes and display the best quality.

Machine types

Before considering prototype machining, we should pay attention to the limitations and advantages of CNC machine tools. All kinds of CNC machine tools can control some prototype machining shapes and tolerances. Some of the most common types and their benefits are listed below.

CNC lathe is usually used for the prototype machining of complicated cylinder shape. Because of its powerful function, the lathe usually has accurate tolerance and cost-effective operation, so it is most commonly used in the processing of these circular prototypes. When a lathe is used, the material rotates while it remains stationary in the turning tool, so the geometry of the prototype depends on the motion and feed speed of the stationary tool as well as the speed control. The lathe is designed for turning, so it has no greatest advantage. The accuracy of the lathe will decrease with the thickness of the materials used.

There are many kinds of CNC milling machines. The main difference between them and lathe is that the movement of cutting tool is opposite to that of material. The vertical milling machine has a spindle axis and a cutting tool aligned perpendicular to the machine bed. The cutter of the horizontal milling machine is installed on the horizontal spindle of the workbench. Generally, they can be used when a cutter is required to remove a large amount of material or when the accuracy requirements are low. Machines with more shafts can take advantage of and combine the advantages of lathes and milling machines in one setup.

Tool restriction

One of the most common rules of thumb in machining is the ratio of tool diameter to cavity depth. The recommended depth of any cavity in the design is within four times its width, because the cutting length of the end mill is limited. This is usually three to four times the diameter of the tool. A lower aspect ratio will result in increased vibration, tool deflection and chip evacuation.

Another common limitation that must be remembered is the geometry of the milling tool. A large number of CNC milling tools are cylindrical, and the milling length may be limited. This shape has an effect on the final milling. For example, the inside corner of a block always has a radius. This is true even when they are machined with very small cutting tools.

Special tools can help solve some of these problems, but they can avoid them as much as possible, depending on the economic benefits and time. If the length of the tool gives you the problem of not being able to reach the depth of the cavity in the workpiece, you can use a special tool with a longer axis, but bear in mind the disadvantages. Longer tools increase vibration and reduce the accuracy you can achieve. The design of parts should usually be aimed at using tools with larger diameter and shorter length, which is the most feasible for users.

Inner edge

When designing the inner edge of a prototype, the most commonly recommended vertical corner radius is one-third or more of the cavity depth. When using the recommended corner radius, use a diameter tool that follows the recommended cavity depth guidelines. In order to obtain a higher quality surface finish, it is better to make the corner radius slightly higher than the recommended amount. This allows the tool to cut along a circular path rather than a 90 degree angle. However, if you want to use a 90 degree angle, it is recommended to use a T-bone undercut as described below, rather than selecting a reduced corner radius.

Thin-Wall

Thin walls can be tricky because reducing the wall thickness reduces the stiffness of the material, increasing vibration during machining and reducing the accuracy that can be achieved. In addition, for plastics and other materials susceptible to temperature, it is best to monitor softening and residual stresses. Larger minimum wall thickness can reduce these factors. The recommended minimum values vary depending on the material and tool, but the general mechanic guidelines are: 0.8mm for metal and 1.5mm for plastic.

Hole

When there are holes, it is best to keep the drilling depth low unless it is absolutely necessary, and do not enter the flat bottom holes, because these holes may be very difficult or require special tools. When machining holes with drill or end mill, reamers and boring tools are needed to finish the holes with small tolerance. For high precision holes smaller than 20 mm, standard diameters are strongly recommended. Non standard diameter holes shall be machined with end mills. In this case, the maximum cavity depth limit applies. Use a special drill (minimum diameter 3 mm) to machine any hole deeper than the typical recommended value of the tool.

For extended holes, parts can be drilled from both sides, but it is important to recognize that the location where the two holes meet will not match. In order to solve this mismatch problem, users can apply jig.

For edge drilling, it is important to ensure that the entire diameter of the bit is contained in the part. If this is not the case, the bit may break, the surface finish may deteriorate, and the sharp edges formed at the corners may fold. If absolutely necessary, drill the part first, then mill off the material to leave a local hole.

Chamfer and Fillet

A chamfering is a beveling cut in which two surfaces meet at sharp edges. This helps simplify the assembly of the bolt into the hole and reduces the risk of injury when handling sharp objects. Deburring can achieve similar purpose, but the edge of the part should be damaged. In many cases, this reduces the size, so chamfering the material is better for a specific size. In addition, the edges of chamfers shall be maintained at 45 ° unless the use of another angle is essential.

Fillets need to fillet the inside or outside corners of the part. It is better to make any radius on the part larger than the tool radius, so as to make the machining process easier. On the other hand, the internal fillets should be as large as possible to allow the use of large diameter tools, thus reducing processing time. Generally, the radius of the internal fillet should be greater than 1 / 3 of the cavity depth to avoid tool damage.

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Advantages of Rapid Prototyping

Martin.mu — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 17:50:03 +0000

As a leading rapid prototyping manufacturer in China, DDPROTOTYPE has a unique understanding of the advantages of rapid prototyping. Rapid prototyping is a modeling technique that can accelerate and improve the development of new products. Prototype manufacturers and product designers use computer-aided design tools and rapid prototyping techniques (such as 3D printing) to create and analyze whether physical models are ideal. Each finished product undergoes a series of tests before being made available to the public to find out how the product works in the real world and if any changes are needed to make it more functional. At DDPROTOTYPE, we offer a variety of different services, usually quickly and efficiently delivering the prototypes you need in 10 days or less. Let’s take a look at the advantages of rapid prototyping and the reasons behind it.

How to get started

Every designer or developer needs to consider how their product serves the public and what is behind the creation of that product. The designer / developer starts drawing a blueprint or sketch of his design on the design software on his computer. Then, after making a series of examples with different in-depth details and designs, they ended up choosing their favorite one. After that, they will start preparing to prototype the design, but it doesn’t have to be 100% identical, because it covers different aspects of the product, so multiple tests can be performed. After trial and error, and then switching back and forth between the design and the original prototype, designers sometimes need a prototype that accurately replicates the final product being studied.

What is rapid prototyping?

Essentially, this is a physical test of the products to understand how they work and look. But some designers may not be able to do it alone or have the ability to achieve it, so they may deal with other companies that can reach an agreement. DDPROTOTYPE believes that it should fully support developers to innovate next-generation products. Designers and developers use a range of different techniques to implement 3D scale models in software. They have full control, a way to quickly and efficiently explore every detail. Rapid prototyping modeling technology speeds up the early development process through different methods such as stereolithography and selective laser sintering.

Rapid prototyping applications

Conceptual models provide designers with the opportunity to validate their ideas and assumptions behind them, and explore concepts to prove that they can effectively serve the public.

Functional prototypes allow designers and developers to effectively grasp the details of the accurate representation of the final product. Before transferring the prototype to a full production model, you can test the product’s assembly, design, manufacturability, and functionality, which is a more costly process.Another application of rapid prototyping is that prototypes can be manufactured and economically viable. Rapid prototyping can achieve a satisfactory balance between functionality and aesthetics while being cost-effective.

Opportunity for innovation

Rapid prototyping removes the limitations of traditional prototyping and opens up new opportunities for innovation. Prototype production tools and physical components of traditional prototypes do not meet strict tolerances. Designers can create models that include complex shapes and surfaces that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture with traditional prototypes.

save time

Rapid prototyping reduces the time between initial design and analysis by eliminating the time required for stencils, patterns, and specialized tools required for conventional modeling. Accurate models can be quickly used to test shape, function, performance and usability. Rapid prototyping is a highly automated process that enables designers to quickly modify products based on feedback, saving time and gaining advantages by bringing new products to market faster than competitors.

lower the cost

Rapid prototyping helps reduce product development costs, eliminating the need to develop specialized tools for each new product. Rapid prototyping uses the same CAD and printing equipment every time. Automated prototyping processes also reduce staff costs and lower waste costs because prototyping technology adds modeling materials only where needed. When the tool creates the finished model, traditional prototyping techniques create waste by cutting materials or debris.

Make changes quickly:

When designers and developers can use the physical model, they can immediately modify and implement changes by simply getting feedback from testers. There are several steps that need to be performed before completing the product design. With each step of the process, the design is further improved. Therefore, there is confidence in designers, developers, and end users. This also helps to determine the actual needs of the market, making it possible to come up with useful and competitive products and gain recognition.

reduce risk

By performing detailed physical analysis early in the development process, rapid prototyping can reduce the risk of costly errors. The development team can identify design errors or usability issues and quickly make any changes. Iterative processes provide accurate models of production tools, reducing the risk of future manufacturing problems.

Support customization

Rapid prototyping is an iterative process, so it is easy to meet the needs of individual customers and create custom products in a cost-effective manner. The development team does not have to design every custom product from scratch. Customization can provide a strong competitive advantage by giving customers more choice and flexibility.

Better understand the product:

When you fully understand what you are creating, it will bring better functionality and overall performance of the final product. By giving creators the opportunity to implement concepts beyond virtual visualization, this enables them to understand the look and feel of the design, not just making assumptions through computer-aided design models. This can also help designers advance their ideas and implement them with images they see fit before completing the process. It also provides proof-of-concept for end customers, and may even generate demand that customers have never actually thought of, leading to more sales and profits in the future.

Its beautiful

Rapid prototyping enables people to turn their innovative ideas into reality in a very accurate, beautiful and imaginative way to fit multiple purposes. It is a high-end tool that can be used for preoperative planning, conceptual modeling, diagnosis, and detection of defects in the early stages of design. This technology has spread to almost every aspect of our lives. From engineering, education, art, architecture, medicine and manufacturing. In the early stages of production or manufacturing, it has become a critical part of the life cycle of any product. Testing it thoroughly with one or more different technologies can really change the overall image and use of the product. The great thing is that this is just testing, not the real thing that is made available to the public,

Rapid prototyping work for you

By choosing advantages of prototype machining, you can shorten the design-to-production timeline from months to weeks, reduce the cost of prototypes by 2-10 times, and test new materials, component geometries, and engineering project possibilities . In addition, DDPROTOTYPE has no minimum order quantity, so you can choose 3D printing or other manufacturing services such as CNC machining, injection molding or polyurethane casting to build components for rapid prototyping.

DDPROTOTYPE offers a variety of rapid prototyping solutions to accelerate the delivery of traditional manufacturing processes and guarantees that parts are produced by 3D printing within 2 days.

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Prototype Development

Martin.mu — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:26:10 +0000

Our prototype mechanics and tool manufacturers can complete high-precision prototype development projects in two weeks or less. With more than 15 years of prototype development experience, DDPROTOTYPE can meet your prototyping needs for almost all materials from prototype to completion, including manufacturing and sub-assembly.

Advanced CNC Machining Shop

As an advanced CNC machining shop, we can process your prototype directly from the solid model without detailed drawings or step models. This is a successful knowledge accumulated over 15 years of prototype development experience, not a capability possessed by every prototyping company.

Internal engineers and mechanics will continuously evaluate your prototype manufacturing design and tolerances and provide a unique feedback program that will help reduce manufacturing costs.

Working closely with our customers, we can quickly and efficiently report any dimensional errors or inconsistencies by checking tolerances, bringing you closer to production readiness.

DDPROTOTYPE will provide a full range of services for your parts from start to finish, including post-treatment processes such as: anodizing, galvanizing, black oxide, powder coating, spray painting and penetration inspection.

Manufacturing Design Tips for CNC Milling

The corner cavity radius of the designed part is 10% larger than the diameter of a typical end mill. Adding an angle cutter radius of .20 or .30 that is greater than or equal to the end mill size will reduce the surface area in contact with the cutter. If possible, avoid deep milling of the shoulder.

For a 1.2-inch end mill, the design corner radius is 10% greater.

As the corner diameter increases, the surface area of the end mill in contact with the corner of the part decreases. This helps prevent chatter and maintains a good surface finish for the part.

Due to cost and availability, parts should be designed to accommodate standard inch-sized tools as much as possible.

This prevents the end mill from fluttering. Carbide end mills have a longer life and deeper cavity walls, while CNC milling end mills are more likely to tremble on deeper cavity walls.

If you need sharp corners for the mating parts, cut off the inside corners of the pocket. Extra long end mills are available with cutting lengths 4 times the diameter. However, cutting performance is much slower and mold costs are much higher.

Tolerance cost

Check part tolerances and do not apply strict tolerances to each feature on the drawing. Tight tolerances increase your part costs.

The greater the number of CNC machined parts, the greater the difference in cost per unit. This will allow the costs of installation and programming to be distributed to spread across more parts. The ability to process similar parts together can save reprogramming and fixing time.

DDPROTOTYPE has been working hard to point out processing problems in our part design. They have one of the best CNC processing equipment in China.

I am glad to recommend their manufacturing engineering services to you.

—— Hoyte Hollywood director

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CNC Machining Shop

Martin.mu — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 11:54:21 +0000

DDPROTOTYPE is an excellent CNC machining shop and has a team of prototype manufacturing experts to meet the various needs of customers’ prototype machining. DDPROTOTYPE works with certified suppliers to provide multiple finishing services for a variety of prototypes. This allows us to provide one-stop solutions for innovative OEMs. Tolerances affect product design, manufacturing, and quality control, which is critical to the successful operation of the final prototype. Customers sometimes ask us why prototype machining or production of parts is so expensive. Many times, designers don’t realize that adding a decimal point to the overall tolerance will increase the cost of prototype machining by two to three times.

Therefore, failing to specify additional decimal tolerances for technical reasons can cost thousands of dollars for prototype manufacturing. This is because tighter tolerances require extra care during machining and inspection to ensure the desired accuracy.

Interacting With Customers

In the early stages of product development, DDPROTOTYPE interacts with our customers to understand their functional requirements and help them optimize part designs to reduce manufacturing costs. Choosing the right tolerances can help you ensure product quality, ease of manufacturing, and shorten time to market. If you don’t know or are unsure about the tolerances that fit your project, please feel free to contact us.

DDPROTOTYPE will guide you through the key points of the decision, help you determine critical tasks and determine the appropriate tolerances for the part, of course, within a reasonable budget.

Choosing the right CNC machining shop

CNC machining is the process of removing material from a raw block of metal or plastic, which we can describe as a subtractive manufacturing process. Starting with a solid piece of material, the tool will remove excess material until it is machined to the desired shape and size. Compared to 3D printing, using 3D printers to build parts or components layer by layer is an additive process.In CNC machining workshops, mechanics can use almost any material, such as stainless steel, copper, steel, PC and polypropylene.

DDPROTOTYPE can process more than 150 materials, including various special materials, special steels, titanium alloys, nickel alloys, aluminum alloys, etc., and we have a global procurement team. We have corresponding inventory of special materials required by customers. Check out our library of commonly used materials.

Can you guess what happened in the CNC workshop? It turns out that a lot has happened. I can imagine that a rough aluminum alloy block, after three hours of work as a mechanic, presents a magnificent work of art, is it incredible? From beginning to end, the whole process is complex and impressive. In fact, becoming a mechanic is not easy. It requires not only knowledge of the tools, but also the skills required to perform the job correctly and effectively.

Choose the best CNC machining shop for your project.

Before placing an order with the mechanical workshop, it should be ensured that it has the required expertise, precision equipment and production capacity to meet the project requirements. Precision prototypes and components should be produced directly by the prototype manufacturer, who may have a formal idea of your part plan. In many cases, the parts should be machined to your specific combination and the prototype should be delivered to your hands on time. Of course, prior to this, the prototype was subjected to CMM quality inspection to ensure that there is a tolerance between the part and the design file. If the part or assembly you need requires a high level of skill to produce, choose an experienced machining shop to create the type of part or assembly you need and understand the requirements of the application when using the part.

CNC Machining equipment

Every customer always wants to get the right quality service from the CNC machining shop. You need to consider not only the level of qualifications of your employees, but also the equipment in the machine shop. Often, a machining shop’s capabilities are defined by the type of complex machine it has when it executes a project. Learn about DDPROTOTYPE’s dozens of CNC processing equipment from Japan and the United States, as well as other advanced equipment.

Production capacity

The size and number of items vary. Some machining shops are limited by capacity, while others can handle as many orders as possible. Before meeting your needs, you should look at the number of parts currently being processed in this machine shop. You don’t want to choose a shop that mainly produces 200 or 500 items that require the following parts. However, if your project is disposable and involves smaller parts, the machining shop that handles such projects should be reasonable. This is because small machining shops provide personalized services and can effectively handle customer needs.

Custom CNC Machining services

The evolving business environment is constantly changing in terms of technology and component manufacturing. Therefore, the new manufacturing process using new equipment and unique technology can successfully complete the task of prototype processing. This requires the services of a custom machining shop that can provide such parts that are not currently on the market. Therefore, custom prototyping requires a custom shop that will meet your goals and coordinate with manufacturing and auxiliary processes. DDPROTOTYPE is one of them. It is a CNC machining and mechanical workshop that produces high-quality metals and meets customer requirements.

CNC machining service fee

The prices of CNC machining workshops vary, and different quality services are also provided. Due to the ever-changing level of competition in the market, the fees charged by machining shops are different from each other. Negotiation is one of the key factors in always choosing the right machine processing plant that can charge you the right service price based on your budget and project requirements. If price is a major factor in your decision, you can always find a local machine store online and compare costs. In contrast, stores with lower offers are not necessarily the most suitable. Their delivery scores may be poor, or the quality of the work is not good, which is why sometimes the cost is lower. Search and compare price information before deciding which machining shop to buy.

After sales service

Several mechanical processing plants provide after-sales service to customers. These services are provided to ensure that customer expectations for product and service quality are met. Its scope includes free inventory, free DFM feedback, spare parts provided during designated periods and free maintenance. Because of the positive word of mouth associated with satisfied customers, most stores use it as a marketing tool. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a machine shop that provides this service to take advantage of the free service. Workshop services include tool management for everything from aerospace precision parts to electronic housings. If repair shop services are needed, make sure to choose a company with proficient, advanced hardware and production capabilities to handle your request.

Why choose DDPROTOTYPE for your next project

When you partner with DDPROTOTYPE, our customers can take advantage of our free manufacturing design feedback to help reduce the cost of their CNC machined parts. More than thirty advanced multi-axis CNC machining centers use synchronous milling and turning technology. Our ability can produce parts with high precision sizes from 1 inch to 80 inches required by customers. We have become a value-added source of turnkey turnkey services for high-tech companies. DDPROTOTYPE Advanced Manufacturing works with certified suppliers to provide multiple finishing services for a variety of prototypes. This allows us to provide one-stop solutions for innovative OEMs.

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