Hardware

Rapid Prototyping

Save money, mitigate risk, and ensure acceptance by quickly turn product ideas into realistic proofs of concept for testing, validation, and iteration.

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Fresh’s Rapid Prototyping Services and Capabilities

  • Prototyping & Modeling
  • Concept Modeling
  • 3D Modeling
  • Configuration
  • 3D printing
  • Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
  • Stereolithography (SLA)
  • Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
  • Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
  • Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
  • PolyJet
  • CNC Machining
  • Injection Molding
  • Sheet Metal Fabrication
  • Digital Engineering
  • Simulation
  • Assembly/Fit Testing
  • Functional Testing
  • Chemical Resistance
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Electrical Properties
  • Thermal Properties
  • Optical Properties
  • Life Testing
  • Regulatory Testing
  • Flammability Properties
  • EMI/RFI Properties
  • Food Rating
  • Biocompatibility
  • Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
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Accelerate product development with rapid prototyping services

With rapid prototyping, Fresh’s engineers and industrial designers help clients turn concepts into real-world prototypes, conduct testing, and gather feedback. By investing in rapid prototyping to rapidly build and refine their design concepts, your organization can spot issues early and fine-tune effectively, reducing development time.

Our rapid prototyping services facilitate a key step in product development that allows your organization to go to market with confidence and quality.

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Fast, cost-effective concept exploration

#1: Accelerate Development Timeline — By validating concepts up front, rapid prototyping dramatically reduces the time needed to turn concepts into physical, market-ready products

#2: Save Money — Our in-house engineers and industrial designers, equipped with best-in-class tools and techniques, enable you to get buy-in and sign-off while reducing waste

#3: Cost-Effectiveness — Get multiple product concepts at a fraction of the traditional cost before committing to full-scale production

Improved Design Quality and Streamlined Iteration

#1: Iterative Design and Instant Changes

Quickly test, evaluate, and refine prototypes, to work toward a polished product before bringing production to scale

#2: Minimize Flaws

Testing conducted “early and often” with a realistic prototype helps identify and fix design flaws before they become expensive problems

#3: Verify and Validate

Physical models allow for more accurate evaluation of form, fit, function, and manufacturability, ensuring the final product meets requirements

#1: Iterative Design and Instant Changes

Quickly test, evaluate, and refine prototypes, to work toward a polished product before bringing production to scale

#2: Minimize Flaws

Testing conducted “early and often” with a realistic prototype helps identify and fix design flaws before they become expensive problems

#3: Verify and Validate

Physical models allow for more accurate evaluation of form, fit, function, and manufacturability, ensuring the final product meets requirements

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Better Communication. Enhanced Innovation.

#1: Communicate Ideas Effectively — Tangible prototypes make it easier to convey design intent to stakeholders and team members, facilitating feedback and building consensus

#2: Enhanced Collaboration — Prototypes foster a shared understanding across departments, improving the efficiency and reducing the duration of product development workflows

#3: Explore Possibilities While Mitigating Risk — Rapid prototyping techniques encourage creativity by enabling low-risk exploration of new ideas and concepts

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Rapid Prototyping Approaches

Proof-of-Concept Prototypes: These prototypes help teams validate ideas, challenge assumptions, and test a product’s viability before final assembly.

Looks-Like Prototypes: These prototypes give teams and stakeholders an idea of the look and interactivity of the end product.

Works-Like Prototypes: Industrial designers and engineers follow steps and specialized techniques to test, iterate, and refine mechanical, electrical, and thermal systems.

Engineering Prototypes: Designers and engineers create a minimum viable version of the final commercial product, designed for manufacturability.

Validation Testing and Manufacturing: Create several small-batch runs, one-off custom solutions, and sub-assemblies for verification and validation.

Rapid Prototyping Tools, Techniques, and Technology

Rapid prototyping uses 3D printing, including FDM, SLA, and SLS, to quickly fabricate physical models from digital designs. These methods enable fast, cost-effective, and versatile production of prototypes and parts.

FDM builds 3D objects by melting and layering thermoplastic filament. It’s affordable, versatile, and widely used for functional prototypes and end-use parts across industries.

SLA uses a UV laser to solidify liquid resin into detailed, smooth prototypes. It’s ideal technique for high-resolution, intricate designs needing fine detail and accuracy.

SLS fuses powdered thermoplastics with a laser, creating strong, complex parts without support structures. It’s great for functional prototypes and low-volume production needing durability.

DMLS uses a laser to fuse metal powder, producing complex metal parts with excellent mechanical properties directly from digital designs.

MJF prints parts by fusing layers of powdered thermoplastic with a fusing agent and heat, delivering strong, detailed prototypes and end-use parts with good surface quality.

PolyJet jets and cures liquid photopolymer in layers, enabling multi-material, multi-color, and highly detailed prototypes, including flexible and transparent parts, in a single print.

CNC machining uses computer-controlled tools to precisely cut and shape materials into parts or prototypes, offering high accuracy and compatibility with many materials.

Rapid injection molding techniques uses machined molds to quickly fabricate prototypes or small batches of plastic parts, bridging the gap between prototyping and mass production.

Sheet metal fabrication techniques allow our team to cut, bend, and assembles thin metal sheets to create durable prototype parts and fabricate critical components like housings, brackets, and enclosures.

3D modeling uses CAD software to digitally design parts or products, enabling visualization, iteration, and preparation for all rapid prototyping methods.

Simulation software digitally tests and analyzes designs for performance and manufacturability, helping optimize and validate concepts before making physical prototypes.

Configuration customizes digital models based on specific requirements, allowing rapid adaptation and personalization of prototypes for different uses.

CAM software converts digital designs into machine instructions, automating and optimizing manufacturing processes for CNC machines or 3D printers.

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Industries we work with

Fresh’s engineers bring the transformative power of rapid prototyping services to a diversity of industries. By quickly creating and refining prototypes, businesses across industries can drive innovation, enhance product quality, and accelerate time-to-market.

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Automotive

Fresh’s multi-disciplinary engineering provides rapid prototyping services, iterating quickly to develop parts and vehicle concepts, which is crucial in the innovative automotive sector.

Medical Devices

Our team provides medical device prototyping to help medical device manufacturers fabricate concepts for surgical instruments, prosthetics, implants, and much more, accelerating medical device innovation, precision, and regulatory sign-off.

Consumer Products

Product prototypes are pivotal for companies to refine their consumer product designs, iterating and testing with users to ensure quality and enhance market acceptance before production.

Aerospace

In the aerospace industry, our rapid prototyping services aid companies in crafting components and designs for aircraft and spacecraft, meeting stringent industry demands without compromising timelines and budget.

Robotics

Our robotics team brings rapid prototyping services to the robotics industry to speed up testing and iteration for AGVs, autonomous systems, and much more.

AgTech (Agricultural Technology)

Rapid prototyping helps companies in the AgTech sector develop and refine smart farming devices like sensors and drones, ensuring they meet the practical needs of traditional farmers adapting to the demands of modern agriculture.

Electronics

Quick creation and testing of circuit boards and device components through rapid prototyping allows companies to bring their innovations to market swiftly, with confidence.

Industrial Automation

Our engineers utilize rapid prototyping services to swiftly validate and optimize new automated systems, ensuring reliability and efficiency in complex production environments.

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