Having it All

When it comes to making prototype parts, Haas customer Proto Labs Inc., based in Maple Plain, Minnesota USA, Telford, England and in Tokyo Japan, has radically changed the economics of getting new products to market without compromising quality. Using proprietary, web-based software and a large and growing fleet of Haas CNC vertical machining centres, Proto Labs can deliver all three sides of the project triangle. No more dilemmas for the designer; no more compromises for the buyer.

Proto Labs provides two services: First Cut and Protomold. Both use the same combination of hard and soft technology to deliver prototype parts, but as the name suggests, First Cut is aimed at the early stages of the product design process.

First Cut provides a service dedicated to producing plastic and aluminium prototype parts CNC machined directly from solid blocks of material as quickly and easily as they can be made using a traditional additive Rapid Prototype (RP) process. CNC machined parts are far superior to RP produced parts due to their greater strength, better surface finish and more accurate dimensions and First Cut allows customers to make functional prototypes much earlier in the development cycle using production intent plastics and aluminium.