Prototyping

Owing to the fact that moulding methods are not suitable for prototyping due to the high cost of tooling, plastic and rubber prototyping is sometimes seen as a specialist service - however, it is absolutely necessary if manufacturers want to avoid costly errors at a later stage. Prototyping allows you to test the feasibility of a design before stumping up for expensive tooling, ironing out any potential problems before the project goes into full production.

Prototyping of plastic and rubber parts is often carried out via machining, or even 3D printing. In other instances, less costly methods of plastic forming - such as vacuum forming - may be used. The techniques used to produce prototype plastic and rubber components will depend on the design requirements and the material.

Some companies will offer both plastic & rubber prototyping as well as full production moulding, meaning that you can keep the entire process with one supplier. Others will offer prototyping as a specialist service.

Used to produce

Prototype parts made from plastic and rubber.

Materials

The material used for the prototype will often be the same as the planned material for full production - this is done to provide a complete replica for testing purposes.

Advantages

Allows manufacturers to test the feasibility of a design and make any changes before paying for tooling.
Some companies will offer both plastic & rubber prototyping as well as full production moulding, meaning that you can keep the entire process with one supplier.
A range of methods can be used to produce prototype plastic & rubber parts.

Disadvantages

The cost per part will often be higher within the prototyping stage than in full production.

Project Statistics Industry

1. START A PROJECT

Upload your drawings in almost any format, such as PDF, DXF, DWG, or Solidworks.

2. RECEIVE QUOTES

Interested suppliers will get in touch with you and provide a quote directly, saving you time.

3. TRACK PROJECTS

Use our Buying Platform to track the progress of your project and receive messages from suppliers.

100% FREE

This service is 100% free for buyers to use - this is because we are a supplier-funded network.

Drag, Drop, Source.

Drop files here to upload them

or

Select files
Maximum 10 files.
20 MB limit.
Allowed types: pdf, jpg, zip, dxf, dwg, doc, igs, stp, step, tif, xls, docx, xlsx, jpeg, slddrw, sldprt, ipt, bmp, edrw, pptx, rar, xps, ai, dae, stl, sat, gif, easm, pdx, txt, rtf.
Qimtek can post your project(s) to our Supplier Members with a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that will need to be signed before they access any of your drawings or contact details. You can either upload your own above or use the generic Qimtek form.
Project Deadlines

Project Deadlines

Although it is widley known that Qimtek can help you to get quotes the same day, we suggest that to maximise your response you provide our Supplier Members up to five days to quote. If your project is more urgent than this please check the box below and we will be in touch.
We will endevour to get back to you within 2 hours to discuss and publish your project. (Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm).
Quantity, Frequency & Project Description

Quick Post: Project Details

To help you to get the best possible response, prices and right type of suppliers in contact with you, please be as specific as you can. For example by letting the potential supplier know if there could be future work available might produce better quotes.
You can add up to 5 parts in this section. However, if you have more you can always upload a bill of materials file above or discuss this with your sourcing account manager when they contact you.
Your details

Your details

Name

What is the best method for suppliers to contact you?

We will be putting suppliers in contact with you directly so they can quote your project. Some suppliers may have questions so they can quote you correctly. Additionally, most suppliers usually like to follow up to see how they got on and all we ask is that you provide them with feedback, whether they have won the project or not. With this in mind what is the best method to reach you on (you can choose both)? 
 
Terms