Articles
Protoshop’s Dylann Ceriani on “The Selling Podcast” with Mike Williams and Scott Schlofman
On her guest appearance on The Selling Podcast, Dylann Ceriani, co-founder of Protoshop, chats with hosts Scott Schlofman and Mike Williams, providing a unique sales perspective from the standpoint of an engineer. Though Dylann loves technical work, she has stepped into sales out of necessity and devotion to her position as a new business co-founder. She discusses her lead generation tactics, leveraging LinkedIn and her website to find customers without a sales team. Dylann also clarifies her consultative approach, where she guides potential clients on the best part design for efficient manufacturing. Throughout the episode, Dylann gives an inside look
Prototype Injection Molding for Product Designers: A Comprehensive Guide to Success
As the industry of product design evolves, innovation and efficiency have become more significant. Prototype injection molding offers designers flexibility, speed, and precision in bringing their concepts to life. In this comprehensive guide, we embark on a journey to understand prototype injection molding, equipping product designers with a robust toolkit for success. Understanding Prototype Injection Molding for Product Designers Prototype injection molding allows designers to iterate on designs and swiftly validate concepts with precision. At its essence, this process is identical to injection molding used for production-quality plastic parts in that it involves injecting molten material into a custom-designed mold
From Concept to Completion: A Step by Step Guide to Prototype Mold Fabrication
Prototyping is a critical step in product development, allowing product developers and engineers to create physical manifestations of product concepts and test them before committing to full-scale, expensive production molds. However, prototyping can be a major investment, requiring custom mold fabrication, material selection, process setting, and quality testing. For manufactured plastic and rubber parts, injection molding has become the most common method of producing prototypes due to its ability for rapid fabrication coupled with precision results. With the right approach to prototyping, product developers can gather critical product feedback, optimize designs, and minimize tooling rework down the line. This reduces
Overmolding Challenges and Solutions: Navigating Complex Prototyping Projects
Overmolding is a specialized manufacturing process that involves molding one material over another to create a single part. This technique often adds soft-touch surfaces on hard plastics, combines different materials for aesthetic appeal, or encapsulates metal components. Overmolding is used widely across various industries, including consumer electronics, automotive, medical devices, and more, enabling the creation of products that are not only functional but also ergonomic and visually appealing. By combining different materials, manufacturers can design products that meet specific performance criteria, enhance user experience, and comply with safety standards. For instance, overmolding can create a soft, rubber-like grip on a
Overcoming Challenges in Prototype Tooling for Injection Molding
Injection molding is the primary manufacturing process for producing plastic parts across most industries. The process involves injecting molten plastic into a mold cavity, after which it cools and solidifies into the final part geometry. While full-scale production injection molds are meticulously engineered, less sophisticated prototype molds play an equally important role in bringing new plastic products to market. Prototype injection molds allow engineers to iterate on part designs, evaluate manufacturability, and validate critical features before committing to high-volume production tooling. However, prototype tooling brings its own set of distinct challenges. Compared to production tooling, prototype molds typically demand faster
ABS vs. PLA: Choosing the Right Plastic for Your Prototype
Selecting the appropriate materials for prototyping is crucial to represent the final product accurately. Prototyping enables designers and engineers to test concepts, refine designs, and validate functionality before moving to full-scale production. It’s essential to use materials that can endure prototyping demands while closely simulating the end product’s mechanical properties. With various materials available for injection molding, choosing the right one is critical to creating effective prototypes. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) are commonly used plastics in injection molding prototypes. Each has unique advantages and disadvantages, making it important to consider the specific needs of your prototype.