Protolabs to Provide 3D Printing Services to RS Components Customers
Protolabs will provide its industrial 3D Printing capabilities and expertise in CNC machining and injection molding services to RS’ customers to improve speed to market and deliver greater production flexibility.
After using the DesignSpark CAD software and the e-commerce platform, RS customers can then use the automated systems employed by Protolabs to enable the production of parts in as little as one day, also ensuring the high precision required for complex designs and functional prototypes.
Protolabs, a digital manufacturer of custom prototypes and low-volume parts, is joining forces with RS Components, a global omni-channel product and service solutions provider for industrial customers and suppliers. As part of the collaboration, Protolabs will provide 3D printing services to RS Components customers.
Protolabs will bring its industrial 3D printing capabilities and expertise in CNC machining and injection molding services to RS’ customers as part of a comprehensive ‘Design and Manufacturing Solution’ to improve speed to market and deliver greater flexibility of production, the company says. The collaboration is designed to enable engineers, designers and maintenance professionals to execute iterative design through RS’ DesignSpark CAD software before swiftly moving to manufacture parts with Protolabs in accordance with prototyping or functional requirements.
“Our speed and excellence in digital manufacturing, rapidly creating even the most complex parts in a wide range of plastics and metals, means RS Components customers can enjoy a complete start-to-finish service — a broad offering that supports clients in all fields across the industrial sphere, giving them even more choice,” says Bjoern Klaas, vice president and managing director at Protolabs, Europe. “Digital manufacturing is a valuable addition for DesignSpark software users, as the designs they create within the software can then be uploaded to our e-commerce platform for quoting, analysis (design for manufacturability) and part production – a seamless and user-friendly process.”
After using the DesignSpark CAD software and the e-commerce platform, RS customers can then use the automated systems employed by Protolabs to enable the production of parts in as little as one day, also ensuring the high precision required for complex designs and functional prototypes, the company says. This includes access to 3D printing technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA), Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), PolyJet (3D printed silicone) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).
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