Core tips：3D printing and rapid prototyping specialist Protolabs is moving up a gear. The company is changing its strategy to position itself as a one-stop shop for the entire production chain, including composite materials.
Protolabs, the rapid prototyping specialist, is scaling up. The company is expanding its capabilities with a complete production offering, and is now presenting itself as a global partner capable of supporting its customers throughout the entire life cycle of their products. At the heart of this transformation, composite materials are increasingly present in the solutions offered.
“At Protolabs, we offer injection moulding, 3D printing and CNC machining“, explains Thibaut Jeannerot, Senior Applications Engineer at Protolabs France. This technological base enables the company to meet prototyping needs as well as mass production requirements, particularly in technical materials such as composites.
This repositioning aims to simplify the customer experience, as Rob Bodor, CEO of Protolabs, points out: “It’s a deeper partnership with our customers – product developers, engineers, buyers, purchasing management teams – to ensure complete production support from start to finish.” The approach is designed to be integrated, combining instant quoting, manufacturing expertise, logistics management and engineering support.
Composites: between technical innovation and weight savings
Protolabs is gradually investing in composite materials. “We have several composite materials, around twenty of them: short-fibre composites and thermoplastic resins,” explains Thibaut Jeannerot. These materials are used both in 3D printing, up to sizes of 600 x 600 mm, and in plastic injection moulding, for moulded parts up to 700 x 500 mm.
“Our composite materials are used for three main applications: lightweighting, improving mechanical properties and electrical conductivity (filled carbon). Protolabs has not focused on any one type of market in particular, but aeronautics comes first, mainly for lightweighting, followed by sport and leisure, the automotive industry and marketing or luxury goods for carbon parts,” explains Thibaut Jeannerot. Five years ago, we were offering far fewer composites. But with injection moulding, which we mainly use for composites, that figure has risen sharply, in particular because of the drive to make vehicles lighter“, he continues.
Today, “around 30 to 40% of the projects we carry out incorporate filled materials, with 5% for highly filled materials. For example, we are working with the Belgian company Rein4ced on composite applications with a high fibre content,” explains Mr Jeannerot. Jeannerot. This includes technical parts ranging “from 10% glass fibre to parts with 60% structural composites“, or even more. “On structural bonding applications, we have produced a part filled with over 70% carbon using recycled plastic, for structure and weight reduction“, he continues.
Protolabs has retained its traditional agility in prototyping, but now supports its customers right through to mass production. “The customer can, for example, make an initial carbon fibre print for the prototype, then have them tested by machining with the desired material, and then we can make the mould and go into series production,” explains the senior applications engineer. At the same time, the company offers personalised support via its team of application engineers. “We have a department of application engineers, including myself, for technical support (process/design/materials, etc.). The advantage for the customer is that they have a single point of contact throughout the project,” he adds.
When it comes to composites, the company adapts to the customer’s needs. “Most of our materials in stock are fibreglass-reinforced, but we process a lot of customers’ materials, supplied or purchased for them, which are reinforced with carbon fibre, Kevlar (aramid), natural, metallic or recycled fibres, or micro-beads,” says Mr Jeannerot.
Protolabs’ transformation is reflected in its structuring into four flagship service lines:
High-volume production with reduced unit costs;
High-end moulding processes;
Quality validation and certification processes (particularly for medical devices);
3D printing with advanced polymers and metals, adapted to sectors such as aerospace.
The company is supported by an international network of proprietary plants in the UK and Germany, and a dozen in the Americas. Specialist partners complete the range, particularly for large parts or micro-injection moulding. “Rapid prototyping, fuelled by automation, will always be at the heart of Protolabs’ identity. But as the market evolves, Protolabs is also evolving to better meet the changing needs of our customers,” concludes Luca Mazzei, Head of Strategic Growth at Protolabs.
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