Prototyping

Stereolithography (SLA)
Produces complex parts in an acrylic-like material to tolerances of plus or minus 5 thousandths of an inch. The material can be machined, sanded and painted if required. Surface finish is good. This process is excellent for finely detailed parts.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Produces parts to a similar level of accuracy as SLA, but in a more comprehensive range of materials. Parts can be made in polycarbonate, nylon and reinforced nylon. This process produces finely detailed parts comparable to SLA; parts have a higher heat resistance but an inferior surface finish.

Laminate Object Manufacturing (LOM)
This paper-based process is excellent for producing larger parts of thicker sections, the final product resembling wood. Tolerances are similar to the other processes but typically this process is best employed for bigger components where fine tolerances are not important.

Silicone Rubber Molding
Allows for multiple parts to be cast in a variety of resins using patterns produced by the above rapid prototyping processes. Parts may be coloured during the casting process. The process also produces wax models for investment casting of either ferrous or aluminium parts.

CNC Machining
Many prototypes are produced by this process, which has the added advantage of allowing the checking of tool paths generated from the original design data. Material types can range from metals and plastics, to high density foams. Tolerances are as high as for normal machining.

Sheet Metal Prototyping
This process is ideal for electronic enclosures and casings, and is one DTI has a great deal of experience with. Typically, the parts are laser cut, then each is custom bent. The parts can be finished by several processes such as zinc plating.