Form
Size and handling
Hold the product, judge its proportions and identify surfaces, edges or controls that need changing.
3D printing
3D-printed product prototypes you can hold, test and refine.
Use an FDM prototype to check size, handling, clearances and assembly before committing material and labour to a CNC-carved batch.
Prototype before the batch
Handle the product before committing to a CNC batch.
A screen model cannot show exactly how a product feels in the hand, whether two parts are awkward to assemble or whether a control, opening or fixing is easy to reach. A printed model makes those decisions physical while revision is still straightforward.
- Check overall scale and proportions
- Assess grip, reach and handling
- Test clearances and mating components
- Review assembly order and access
- Mark changes before CNC material is ordered
FDM prototyping256
mm maximum machine travel in width, depth and height
- Machine
- Bambu Lab X1C
- Purpose
- Form, fit and handling
- Next stage
- Revised CAD or CNC prototype
What the prototype can answer
Use the print to make a decision.
Fit
Clearances and interfaces
Check how components meet, whether fixings remain accessible and where tolerance is genuinely important.
Assembly
Sequence and access
Test the order of assembly before the design is committed to slower or more expensive CNC-machined material.
Development route
Printed prototype → revised design → CNC part → repeat batch
The printed model proves the product idea and interfaces. The later CNC prototype proves the chosen sheet material, machining details and finish before quantity increases.
- 1
Define
Identify what the first printed model needs to prove.
- 2
Print
Produce a handleable model within the agreed build envelope.
- 3
Revise
Record changes to form, fit, clearances or assembly.
- 4
Machine
Move the agreed design into a CNC prototype or batch quotation.
Hybrid product development
One product, three processes.
A proposed St Albans landmark clock shows how CNC machining, laser engraving and 3D printing can each solve a different part of the same product.
CNC
CNC-machined wooden body
The clock profile, carved edge treatment, centre hole and rear recess are machined into the timber-based body.
Laser
Diode-laser engraving
The St Albans landmark, dial markings and agreed wording are engraved across the clock face.
3D print
3D-printed mechanism carrier
A removable rear cassette locates the clock mechanism and provides the designed wall spacing or hanging interface.
Functional service scope
Prototypes with a defined development purpose.
The quotation is based on what the prototype must demonstrate, the supplied geometry, orientation, material choice, print time and any checking or assembly required.