Engineering & Prototyping

Development of your series-ready HMI solution

The second phase of your project comprises project management and the development of the input solution through to prototype production. Here we support you with all our know-how.

We use the concept developed for you to create a detailed 3D design that is compatible with all common applications. This enables uncomplicated data exchange and gives you the opportunity to integrate the design of the input element into the 3D model of your product. In this way, the product can be viewed in detail and sources of error can be eliminated before it is used as a template for prototype production. Various manufacturing processes such as 3D printing, vacuum casting and milling techniques enable us to produce prototypes in series quality quickly and cost-effectively.

Project management

We manage and control the development meticulously and keep an eye on the project goals at all times.

Development

We take care of the design of your input solution and all the tools required for production.

Prototyping

We deliver prototypes in series quality with the shortest lead times.

Construction in our company

As soon as the desired product has been specified as part of the project planning, the design process begins in our company. Here, we usually create two or more 3D drawings to illustrate all the possibilities for our customers. In this project phase, the pooling of our expertise at our headquarters in Steißlingen in southern Germany proves to be a great advantage. As design and sales work door to door, there is a smooth exchange of information, which makes the entire design process very efficient and enables us to present our customers with a prototype ready for series production in the shortest possible time.

From the sketch to the prototype

Even from rough ideas and the simplest sketches, our design department creates drawing derivations and 3D models that serve as a planning basis for further project discussions and are refined in detail with our customers' requirements until the finished design is ready. Thanks to the direct exchange between design and sales, no information is lost and the details discussed flow seamlessly into the product design. Our customers are supported by the project manager throughout the entire project planning process and can clarify all technical questions directly with him. In some projects, there is also a direct exchange between our design department and our customers' development department, which makes joint product planning even easier in some cases.

As soon as our customers are fully convinced by the product designs, sample production begins. We take over the entire coordination of the prototyping of the various components, such as plastic parts from 3D printing or vacuum casting, the production of glass parts and the printed circuit board development. We prepare a fully thought-out and functional prototype for you.

We also prepare the tool construction for all plastic and silicone parts and have the injection molding tools required for series production manufactured. We take care of the entire process and coordination with our long-standing suppliers and production partners in Germany and Asia. All you have to do is look forward to the result and always have the same personal and competent contact person for any queries.

The use of 3D printers has become indispensable in development and prototype construction. This process allows individual plastic parts to be produced easily and cost-effectively. Previously, when plastic parts were needed, elaborate moulds had to be produced first. This was time-consuming and subsequent modification was correspondingly expensive. 3D printing is therefore predestined for single pieces and small series of plastic components. Our designers are thus able to realise our customers' ideas within a very short time and implement changes efficiently.

Rapid prototyping using the 3D printing process

Rapid prototyping is the umbrella term for various processes for the production of sample components based on design data. This therefore combines techniques that enable product prototypes to be produced quickly and cost-effectively. Rapid prototyping is often used in product development to test the functionality and durability of prototypes and to make improvements before the final product goes into production.

A major advantage of rapid prototyping is that prototypes can be produced within a few days, which speeds up the development process considerably. This offers the possibility to produce several prototypes in a short time and test them extensively to achieve the best possible result. Although it takes considerably longer to produce a single part using the 3D print process than with injection moulding, it still makes a lot of sense for short runs. After all, once the printing process is complete, you already have a finished plastic component in your hands.

Only the surface structure of the printed product is coarser than that of injection-molded parts. To create an effect comparable to that of injection moulding, the printed product is finished, for example by grinding. Particularly in the case of workpieces where haptics and optics are the main focus, as well as in the case of light guides from 3D printing, it is also important for sample production to achieve a surface structure that corresponds to the later series product.

Prototyping in our company

The acquisition of an FDM 3D printer opened up a wide range of new possibilities for our in-house designers. The aim was to become more independent of external suppliers in prototype and sample construction. We can also respond even faster to our customers' wishes and changes. Our 3D data serves as the basis, which we read directly into the printer software without conversion and send to the printer from there.

We can manufacture housings or small plastic parts from ABS ourselves. With the processing of TPU92A (a thermoplastic polyurethane with 92 Shore A, which is flexible and stretchable), we also have new possibilities in the development of soft parts. This enables us to provide our customers with prototypes at the touch of a button and in the shortest possible time.

Vacuum casting enables us to produce plastic parts for samples of customer-specific input systems quickly and cost-effectively. The basis for the subsequent casting of a sample is the 3D design drawing created by us. This model is first produced in the 3D printer and serves as a molded part for the silicone mold, which is created in the vacuum casting process. For this process, we work together with a supplier specializing in rapid prototyping. Below we describe the basic process of vacuum casting as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

Manufacturing process of an injection molded part during vacuum casting

First, a 3D printer is used to produce a molded part from the 3D model file of the desired product. As the surface of the component from the printer has a rough surface structure, which is generally not desired, the surface of the plastic part is reworked to meet the requirements of the subsequent series product. This initial sample can now be used to produce a mold made of silicone rubber, which serves as an injection mold. This is where the actual vacuum molding process begins.

The silicone mold is poured in a vacuum casting system to avoid air pockets in the cast part. Only with this process is it possible to produce cost-effective silicone molds of sufficient quality for sample production. The molded part is encapsulated with rubber and then cures. This curing process can be accelerated by additives in the rubber or by heat. However, it should be noted that silicone shrinks to varying degrees during curing, depending on the process, which can lead to dimensional deviations in the cast part.

Once the silicone mold has hardened, the master model enclosed in it is removed with sharp cutting tools, the rubber mold is heated and closed again. The mold can now be used to cast the parts. It is filled with liquid plastic, which hardens in the mold, removed and trimmed if necessary. In this way, the silicone mold can be used up to 30 times to produce a sample part.

Advantages of vacuum casting

Molds with smooth surfaces can be produced
Quality of samples comparable to series-produced injection-molded parts
Cost-effective and short-term mold production
High reproduction accuracy
Wide range of casting resins available that simulate series plastics
Integration of molded and standard parts such as threaded bolts into the plastic parts possible during casting
Rapid wear of the mold (max. 30 castings)
Processing temperature of the casting material must be feasible with the silicone mold

Prototyping in our company

In order to make the prototyping process as efficient as possible, we use different methods for sample production depending on the requirements. 3D printing always plays a key role in the sample production of plastic parts. Based on our 3D design data, we have individual parts produced in a 3D printer by one of our selected suppliers and reworked to injection molding quality. We then assemble the initial sample in-house from these plastic parts and the other mechanical, electronic and connecting components.

In many cases, it makes sense to produce several samples before deciding on series production. For small sample series and for simpler production of particularly smooth or finely structured surfaces, the 3D printed product provides the basis for a silicone casting mold. With the vacuum casting process, several identical parts can be produced cost-effectively for sample production, eliminating the need for time-consuming post-processing of the surfaces.

Our in-house milling machine enables us to quickly and cost-effectively machine parts for prototype construction. Large parts in particular, for which 3D printing or vacuum casting is no longer profitable, can be processed easily and quickly on our CNC machine. This process is therefore a useful addition to our prototyping capabilities for housing parts, among other things.

Advantages of CNC milling technology:

Cost-effective and fast production of large parts;
Different materials can be processed with different parameters and tools;
Milled parts can be duplicated as required by repeating the milling process;
CNC technology enables very precise work and therefore accurate results;
Very small parts with complex geometry can only be realized to a limited extent;
Surface structure depends on the milling tool.

Using 3D scanning technologies in-house allows us to combine speed, precision and flexibility in prototype development, helping our customers to realize their product ideas faster and with confidence in quality. By using 3D scanning, we support innovation at every stage of development, from initial concepts to production-ready prototypes.

3D scanning is an innovative technology that captures the shape, dimensions and surface details of physical objects and converts them into precise digital representations. With 3D scanners, we can create a high-resolution 3D model of the object, regardless of its complexity.

Rapid prototyping through 3D scanning

There are two main tasks for which we use 3D scanners in development and prototyping.

3D scanners offer unparalleled accuracy in capturing the dimensions and details of an object, ensuring that every curve, edge and feature is accurately represented. For this reason, we use 3D scanners to check the quality of milled parts.

3D scanning enables the rapid capture of physical objects in 3D data, which is later converted into realistic models through 3D printing. In this way, we can simplify and speed up the design process when it comes to integrating input solutions into an existing system. By 3D scanning and then 3D printing, an accurate model of existing parts for which 3D data is not available can be created and incorporated into the prototype as an individual body part. This approach saves time in prototyping without compromising accuracy.