plastic 3d printing

What Material Can be Use For 3D Printing?

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3D printing is a technology that we usually use in making prototyping.According to the different requirement of prototype,that different material with different specification is need.There is some material as below that can be use in 3D printing.

1.Polymer Material
With good strength,impact resistance and heat resistance,polimer material is a most widely used of 3D printing materials,which usually be use to make industrial parts.The common polymer material we use is ABS,PA,PC,PEEK,etc.

2.Metal Material
The form of metal material for 3D printing is metal powders,metal foil and metal wire.We can print these metal material by SLS,DMLS and EMB 3D pritning machine.

3.Ceramic Material.
Ceramic material with high strength,high hardness,low density and chemical resistance,is usually be use as aviation,car and home decoration material.

4.Composite Material
Carbon fiber is a emerging 3D printing material,with nice high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance

SHENZHEN E-MAKE TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED are specialized in 3D printing process and offer custom make service.If you want to get quotes for your project,is welcome to contact us!

What Surface Finish Can Be Used For Aluminum Parts?

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What Surface Finish Can Be Used For Aluminum Parts?

1.Sand blasting
Sand blasting is a process that using the impact of the high-speed sand flow to clear and coarsen the metal’s surface,which can improve the  mechanical property of the parts’ surface and Fatigue resistance.
2.Polishing
Polishing is a process that reducing the roughness of the parts’ surface to make the parts with bright and smooth appearance by the mechanical, chemical or electrochemistry.
The main polishing process is mechanical polishing,chemical polishing and electrolytic polishing.
The aluminum parts can be close to the mirror finish of the stainless steel after mechanical polishing and electrolytic polishing.
3.Wire drawing
Wire drawing is a metal working process used to reduce the cross section of wire by pulling it through a series of dies.
4.Anodizing
Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts.Anodizing not only can solve the problems about the aluminum’s surface hardness and anti-abrasion,but also extend the service life of aluminum.

CNC Machining Prototype

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CNC Machining Prototype

CNC rapid prototyping,a processing with fast producing speed,using raw material to manufacturing prototype by CNC machine.The cnc machined parts with nice surface finish,especially after painting,silk-printing and PVD coating, the surface’s effect is very closed to the moulding machining parts.
CNC manufacturing can use ABS,POM,PC,PA,metal and other material to machining prototype for satisfying different customer’s request.However,the prototype will have very great strength and toughness if the machined material is with high quality and high density.

The Cost Of CNC Precision Machining

1.The material cost is lower if using pure ABS,PP and the other pure material.
2.CNC machining process need to program the procedure and split the parts sometimes,but one cnc machining equipment needs to be operated by 3 or 4 workers,that’s why cnc machining takes more labor cost.Therefore,the cost of cnc machining is up to the complexity and the expending of material.More complex parts needs more workload for splitting and programming,which means will takes more working time and machining cost.

The Advantage Of CNC Machining
1.Using engineering plastics has cheaper price and more selection of materials.
2.The cnc machining equipment with more stable performance,is easier to operate.
3.CNC machining processing is more suitable for producing the parts with large size and simple structure.

The Material That CNC Machining usually use is ABS 、PC、POM 、PP 、PMMA、Nylon、bakelite、aluminum alloy、Zinc alloy、mild steel、copper、stain steel，etc.,

Shenzhen E-Make Model Technology Co., Ltd have many years of experience in CNC manufacturing,is welcome to contact us for custom rapid prototype!

The Difference Between CNC Machining And Urethane Casting

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What is cnc machining and urethane casting?

CNC is mean “Computer Numerical Control”.

CNC machining is a technology that machined the parts by removing layers of the material to shape the parts’ structure.


Urethane casting also called vacuum casting and polyurethane casting,is a process that making parts from a mould.It is a low cost way for making low volume plastic parts.

Difference

1.The way of machining.
CNC machining is making the parts one by one via CNC machine.
Urethane casting is making a mould according the original parts firstly,and then duplicate parts by the mould.

2.The materials.
Plastic and metal parts can be make by CNC machined.Also,CNC machining is using the pure plastic,such as pure ABS.
But only the plastic parts can be make by urethane casting.Also,Urethane casting is using the mixed plastic,not the pure plastic.Such as similar ABS,not pure ABS.

3.The processing time.
Generally,CNC machining takes more time than urethane casting.

4.The precision.
The precision of CNC machining is 0.01-0.1mm,but the precision of urethane casting is 0.1-0.2mm.We can see that the precision of CNC machining is better.

5.The price.
The price of CNC machining is higher than urethane casting if machined same parts.

Which technology is better all up to What kind of parts you need !

Introduction and advantages of CNC machining

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A.Introduction to CNC machine

CNC, short for Computer numerical control, is an automatic machine tool controlled by program.The control system can logically process the program specified by the control code or other symbolic instructions, and decode it through the computer, so that the machine tool can perform the specified action, and the raw material can be processed into semi-finished finished parts through cutting tools.
CNC machine tool processing is currently the most widely used digital milling method, but also an important part of digital manufacturing technology, the processing accuracy can generally reach 0.005 ~ 0.1mm.

B.CNC technology advantage

1.CNC machining handplate model has high speed and low cost, which can achieve high machining accuracy. Surface quality and some fine parts can be well compensated in the post-processing stage of machining.
2. Wide selection of materials for handplate model making can meet the needs of different customers, ensure the consistency of handplate model materials and bulk parts materials, and complete the manufacturing of transparent parts that are difficult to realize for rapid prototyping;
3. Combined with RIM low-pressure reactive injection technology and VCM vacuum compound molding technology, CNC machining can quickly complete small batch trial production of products at low cost
4.Applicable fields:
CNC machining centers have various types and are widely used in various fields.In addition to making product prototypes, it is small batch or batch manufacturing.CNC is especially suitable for the production of prototype and handplate of medium and large size and less complicated products. Compared with RP prototype, it can effectively save costs

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Mold industry market capacity analysis

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1, mold industry market capacity analysis

In recent years, China’s mold industry sales revenue continues to grow in 2014, the mold industry sales revenue of 2,474.19 billion yuan, an increase of 16.11%, by 2015, China’s mold industry sales revenue reached 249.848 billion yuan, an increase of 0.98%.

2009-2014, China’s mold industry sales rate in the fluctuations in the rise, 2013, 2014 China’s mold industry sales rate were 100.78% and 101.33%, indicating that China’s mold industry production and marketing convergence is better, more balanced supply and demand. China’s mold industry in 2015 sales rate of 98.33%, down from 2014.

China’s current mold industry trading market development is very rapid, showing a 15% -20% annual trend of growth rate. To 16% growth rate, to 2016, China’s mold industry sales revenue will reach 288.224 billion yuan. By 2021, China’s mold industry sales will be more than 600 billion yuan.

2, automotive mold industry market capacity analysis

The development of automotive mold industry and the downstream industry is closely related to the development of the automotive industry, the downstream rapid and rapid development of the automotive industry will greatly promote the development of automotive mold industry. Mold is a consumable, the amount of large, more than 90% of the automotive industry parts from the mold, while the use of cold work, hot work, plastic mold steel, the average consumption of 0.12 tons per million car.

The future of the automotive industry towards lightweight body design and safety, electric vehicles and hydrogen-powered vehicles, new energy vehicles, as well as smart cars and other industrial development trends, will promote the development of automotive mold. By 2021, China’s auto production will reach nearly 35.55 million, the average annual growth rate of about 6.5%, while the demand for automotive mold will reach 386 tons.

3, the downstream industry market demand analysis

(1) the automotive industry

The development of automotive mold industry and the downstream industry is closely related to the development of the automotive industry, the downstream rapid and rapid development of the automotive industry will greatly promote the development of automotive mold industry. 90% of the parts in the automobile production need to rely on mold forming, the production of a general car generally need 1,000 to more than 1,500 sets of stamping die, about the vehicle production required for all die production value of about 40%. A country’s car production reflects the overall situation of the country’s car molds to a certain extent.

In 2015, the global automotive market in the SUV and Piccaz and other positive factors, the US auto market hit a record sales of 17.77 million new cars; China’s auto market showed a steady growth trend to 2,459.76 million new car sales, for seven consecutive years reelected the world’s first ; The European auto market has changed the previous downturn, a strong recovery, most countries have significant growth; according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers data, global car sales in 2015 reached 89.68 million. Global car sales in 2016 may be close to 90 million mark, the United States and Europe, car sales growth is more certain but not too much attention, and the other China’s new car sales stimulus package, it is possible to make global car sales to moderate growth rate, Estimated 2016 global car sales of 89.8 million.

China’s auto production in 2009-2015 maintained a rapid growth momentum, from 1,379.10 million in 2009 increased to 24.5503 million in 2015, an average annual increase of 15.64%. 2016 In the first half of the year, China’s automobile production was 1,289.22 million, up 6.59% from a year earlier.

China in 2009 to push the car to the countryside policy, proposed a total of 4 trillion yuan subsidy measures, making China’s car sales in one fell swoop than the United States, becoming the world’s largest car market. In 2009, China’s auto sales showed a rapid growth trend. In 2009, the sales growth rate of automobile was the highest in recent years, reaching 45.42%. By 2011, car sales were 2,198.41 million, up 13.87% year on year and sales in 2014 increased to 2,349,900 Vehicles, an increase of 6.86%. Car sales in 2015 was 2,459.76 million, an increase of 4.71%. China’s car sales in the first half of 2016 was 1,282.98 million, an increase of 8.27 percentage points over the same period last year. China’s auto sales growth has slowed, but still maintain the momentum of successive years of growth. China Automobile Industry Association estimated that China’s auto sales in 2016 26.28 million units, an increase of 6.8%. 2025 car sales will reach 30 million.

China as the world’s largest auto market, but thousands of people average car ownership is much lower than the level of developed countries in Europe and America, China’s thousands of car ownership of about 120, compared to Western Europe and North America about 500, or a big gap, with With the increase in income and living standards, consumer demand upgrades, new car market demand is still large, so China’s future growth expectations and space is still great.

(2) home appliance industry

Household appliances industry needs a variety of stamping dies and injection molds, mold is another big user industry, the current home appliance manufacturing mold market share of more than 80%, fully self-sufficient, and domestic mold manufacturing enterprises in large LCD TV plastic mold, Backplane stamping die and other molding technology requires a higher mold production is also fully capable, with the appliance market competition is heating up, shell design has become an important part of the home appliance shell color, feel, precision, wall thickness and so on New requirements, the demand for new molds, the downstream home appliance industry, the rapid and rapid development will greatly promote the development of home appliance mold industry.

2015 China’s total sales of LCD TV 12,224 million units, an increase of 1.6%. Domestic sales, China’s LCD TV in 2015, total shipments of 5,120,30 million units, an increase of 2.6%. According to the enterprise, the six major brands for the Skyworth, Hisense, TCL, Konka, Changhong, Haier; Skyworth, Hisense shipments have more than 900 million units. Export, the main market, according to the country do not look, the continents are showing positive growth in 2015, China’s total exports of LCD TV 7,103,200 units, up by 0.9% year on year.

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Mold maintenance and maintenance instructions

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First, the purpose:
So that equipment can maintain the best performance status and extend the service life, to ensure the normal production.
two. Scope of application:
For mold maintenance and repair.
three. Regular inspection, maintenance:
Need to be repaired by the mold, the upper and lower mold staff for regular maintenance and inspection.
1. Daily routine inspection and maintenance:
1.1 Whether the mold in operation is in the normal state
a. Whether there is low-voltage mode-locked protection;
b. Activities such as guide column, mandrel, line wear and tear, lubrication is good? Requires at least 12 hours to add an oil, the special structure to increase the number of refueling.
c. The mold of the fixed template of the screw and the clamping clamp is loose;
1.2 production of normal conditions: check whether the product defects and mold;
1.3 under the machine to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the mold and anti-rust treatment: wipe dry cavity, core, the top of the body and the location and other parts of the water and spray mold rust or smear butter.
1.4 under the machine after the mold to be placed in the designated location and make a record: (1) mold status: intact or to be repaired. (2) when the mold when the rust treatment.
2. Quarterly check:
Mainly on the placement of more than two months did not use the mold to clean up maintenance.
2.1 open the mold, check the internal anti-rust effect, there are abnormal circumstances, to be re-rust treatment. Long-term use of the mold to be coated with butter.
2.2 put it back in place and make a record.
four. Maintenance Note:
1. Non-professional maintenance personnel or without professional maintenance personnel to allow, not self-mold repair.
2. The production process of a small fault, transfer personnel can be resolved according to the situation. Such as: 2.1 into the plastic mouth sticky mold: the application of copper needle at the feed mouth at the knock, can not be used steel and other hard objects beat the mold. 2.2 cavity slightly die marks, according to the cavity of the finish to select the polishing material.There are not used sandpaper and other polishing materials, generally dipped in diamonds with diamond brush or diamond paste, by the professional maintenance staff to complete. 2.3 product sticky mold: generally covered with hot plastic products and the top of the site, to be cooled after the top out. Do not damage the mold surface with fire.
3. Professional maintenance mold, not free to change the structure, need to change the structure subject to the consent of the quality engineering department before proceeding.
4. To ensure the quality of maintenance, select the appropriate equipment, materials, tools and methods to solve the problem, the fastest speed to complete.
Fives. Quality Records:
1. Injection molding machine and mold maintenance records.
First, the purpose:
1.1 to regulate the use and maintenance of plastic injection molds to reduce the damage to the mold to ensure that the quality of products to meet customer needs.
Second, the responsibility
2.1 This standard must be trained through the training of qualified technical staff 2.2 injection collar is responsible for the implementation and inspection supervision, in charge of regular supervision.
Third, the injection mold maintenance content is divided into:
1.0 mold before the production of maintenance
1.1 to the surface of the mold on the oil, rust clean clean mold cooling water hole whether there is a foreign body, whether the water barrier nowhere.
1.2 Check whether the arc in the mold sleeve is damaged, whether there is any foreign matter, whether the moving parts are abnormal or not.
2.0 mold maintenance in production
2.1 Check the mold all the guide pillars, guide sleeve is damaged, including the mold guide column. Position and other parts, regular refueling maintenance, daily maintenance work twice.
2.2 Clean the mold parting surface and the exhaust tank of foreign body glue, foreign body, oil and so on and check the mold thimble is abnormal and regular oil. Parting surface, runner surface cleaning twice a day. Guide the tip, bush, position to determine the tip of the oil once a day.
2.3 regularly check the mold of the waterway is smooth, and all the fastening screws to fasten.
2.4 Check the mold limit switch is abnormal, oblique pin. Slanting is abnormal.
3. Maintenance of downtime mold
3.1 before the shutdown must first turn off the cooling water, blowing the water within the mold of the remaining water, check the surface of the mold whether there is residual plastic wire, foreign matter, etc. to clean it even after spraying rust inhibitor, accurate fill in the relevant records.
Fourth, the maintenance of plastic mold management points
Mold maintenance management focus, the main maintenance items are:
1. Mold PL surface, mold point, heart surface and other parts of the clean,
2. The movement of the mold part of the lubrication, the relaxation of the bolt fastening,
3. Cooling water hole rust, electrical parts of the disconnection check
Continuous production should be carried out in the production of regular maintenance, intermittent products in a mass production must be shut down maintenance, to make it in the best maintenance state.
Mold maintenance should be carried out daily maintenance and regular maintenance, are in accordance with the “mold maintenance and maintenance”, and “mold maintenance checklist” to confirm and make, and then each mold production recorded in the record table, this record is The history of the mold records, in the future check on a great help. Maintenance of the main point is that the fixed frequency and time in the fixed, carefully implement the mold maintenance management. “It is not to repair the accident immediately after the accident, but to prevent the occurrence of the accident.”
Injection mold management
Test mode refers to the mold after the initial installation of the experimental stamping or embryo to assess the performance of the mold and the quality of the embryo. How to control and manage the different test application, the development of the corresponding test plan, by the injection of uniform arrangements for trial planning.
Test mode notice: try mode notice is to remind the participating departments, personnel to do the appropriate preparation work in order to be able to arrange a reasonable test work, including the notice to participate in the test department, mold number, plastic parts number, test date, The number of molds, the number of molds, the type of test mold, the cost of test mode, the status of test mode, mold data and other information.
Mold / change management: the system provides mold, change the processing tasks such as management, according to the processing tasks to be arranged to optimize the mold workshop to rationalize the production schedule, and plan the processing of the required costs, hours , Personnel and equipment to ensure that the processing tasks can be successfully completed.
Test mode report: After the completion of the test mode, the need for quality inspection departments issued a test report, reflecting the trial process in the process of various situations, including mold injection and plastic parts defects, and indicate the model number, mold number, Plastic parts name, the reasons for the test, the number of trial mode, test mode date, plastic parts batch, test machine and other details.
Mold test pass rate: test pass rate reflects the number of mold test mode, as well as the success rate of mold test mode, is a measure of mold processing division and design department of an important technical indicators.
Mold acceptance management: mold in the test after the success of the customer to confirm the test results, and acceptance of mold acceptance of qualified single. Customer acceptance of the mold acceptance report to be assessed from the following aspects: the quality of plastic parts, mold performance, technical documents (model), delivery and so on. Mold base file: the name of the mold, cavity, assembly drawings, product drawings and related requirements and technical instructions (test or original samples, materials and shrinkage, assembly requirements, volume); mold state (normal, , Failure, damage, scrapped).
Mold test mode record: mold test mode record the main record mold mold test date, test mold personnel, test mode, test equipment, test materials, test mode conditions, test sample, quality inspection report.
Mold acceptance records: mold acceptance of the main record of the mold acceptance process, including the acceptance of personnel, acceptance date, acceptance location, acceptance model, test mode report, mold status and acceptance of technical quality.
Mold into the factory (storage) records: mold storage records recorded the mold into the factory (storage) situation, including storage date, supplier name, address, zip code, contact telephone and person in charge.
Mold matching machine: mold matching machine records the mold to match the corresponding model, including its specifications, name, performance, the top way, the installation area, the maximum molding pressure, clamping force, injection volume and so on.
Mold maintenance records: mold maintenance records mainly record the maintenance of the mold number, name, date, personnel state, after the maintenance of test records and precautions.

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How is the quality and safety of plastic molds guaranteed?

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Plastic mold processing refers to the plastic molding and plastic blank tool processing, with the upper mold and the next two parts, its basic features are as follows:

(1) high precision machining requirements

A mold is generally composed of die, punch and mold frame, and some may also be more than a split module. So the combination of the upper and lower molds, the combination of the insert and the cavity, the punching between the modules requires a high degree of machining accuracy. Precision precision of the mold is often up to a micron level.

 

(2) complex surface

Some products such as car covers, aircraft parts, toys, household appliances, the shape of the surface is a combination of a variety of surfaces, so the mold cavity surface is very complex. Some surfaces must be processed mathematically.

 

(3) small batch

The production of molds is not mass production in batches, and in many cases it often produces only one pay.

(4) process more

Mold processing always used milling, boring, drilling, hinge and tapping and other processes.

 

(5) repeat production

The use of mold is life-long. When the use of a pair of mold over its life, it is necessary to replace the new mold, so the mold production is often repeatable.

(6) profiling

Mold production sometimes no pattern, no data, but also according to the physical copy processing. This requires high imitation precision, no deformation.

 

(7) mold material is excellent, high hardness

The main material of the mold is made of high quality alloy steel, especially the high life mold, often used Crl2, CrWMn and other lignocellitic steel. This kind of steel from rough forging, processing to heat treatment are strict requirements. So the preparation of processing technology can not be ignored, heat treatment deformation is also the need to seriously deal with the problem.

Understand the basic characteristics of plastic mold processing, in the selection of machine tools to meet the processing requirements as much as possible. Such as the function of the CNC system to be strong, high precision machine, rigid, thermal stability is better, with copy function. Official website: http: //www.szckr88.com/

Shenzhen Chuangkai Rui Technology Co., Ltd. is a company engaged in product design, mold making, plastic products production, set of plastic electronic products manufacturing technology companies. Since its establishment in 2004, has experienced seven years of wind and rain. From the original single plastic mold manufacturing workshop, the development of today set design, research and development, manufacturing and services as one of the modern technology enterprises. Today, the company has a wealth of service and innovative sense of high-quality professional team, the production of gifts, daily necessities, electronic plastic parts and other products exported to Europe and the United States, Asia-Pacific, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries and regions. And today all this is derived from the original flash of the idea – the aesthetic must adhere to.

Kay people insist that design not only gives people a sense of beauty, but also give a new definition of value. Products due to emotional design and the United States, because of emotional design and human nature, because of emotional design and have a new value. Modern industrial products in addition to high efficiency, high quality, but should meet the higher aesthetic requirements of modern people. Kay people adhere to the personality of the artistic creativity and common science and technology, adhere to the aesthetic design and high-quality manufacturing concept, in order to give the product content and soul.

Chuang Kai Rui look forward to working with your win-win cooperation. Main products are: plastic shell, plastic mold, plastic daily necessities, etc., want to know more about plastic products, please call to the plastic mold company or large injection molding machine processing plant.

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Why build prototypes in China?

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This is a mini series on rapid prototyping in China. 

You’ve got an investor meeting in two weeks. The electronics and software look solid and the mechanical and industrial design is ready. All that remains is re-creating this design in real life. You could work with the local machine shop. Or you could try making the prototype in China.

Why build a prototype in China? Cost and delivery time. Our clients in Silicon Valley have received prototypes from us faster than local shops (yes, even including shipping time!) and at significant cost savings (even including shipping cost!).

You might ask, where do the cost advantages come from? In short, labor and economies of scale.

In the rapid prototyping business, after the initial fixed costs of purchasing equipment, one of the largest expenses is labor. I’m sure you know that wages are significantly lower in China than in the USA or Europe, but here’s some context. Take a CNC programmer for example:

CNC Programmer Pay (USD/year)

 cnc programmer

By CNC-ing prototypes in the USA, you are paying a wage premium of 4x – 6x!

And don’t think for a moment that you are supporting tyrannical machine shop owners who are artificially depressing wages. Wages in Shenzhen, China have grown healthily in recent years. Again, take a CNC programmer for example:

CNC Programmer Wage Growth (USD/year)

 cnc programmer2

CNC programmer wages have grown from about USD5.5k per year in 2009 to about USD11k per year in 2015, which comes out to about a 12% increase YoY. With a 12% wage increase YoY, wages will still be significantly lower than that of the USA in the foreseeable future. In addition, with China’s GDP growth slowing down, it will probably take a few decades for wages here to come close to other developed nations.

The other comparative advantage of economies of scale is a little more subtle. Some rapid prototyping shops have many different kinds of equipment to be able to make the right part and/or apply the desired finishing. However, having such a wide variety of equipment typically results in under-utilization.

Equipment under-utilization costs are, unfortunately, borne by the customer.

Here in the Shajing district of Shenzhen, China, each factory (or machine shop) is extremely specialized. A CNC shop would only do CNC; a power coating shop would only do powder coating. You might ask how does this work when your prototype requires many different processes? Well, this is the beauty of making prototypes here. Take a look at the manufacturing ecosystem around us:

Many, many, many factories all around us, all within a 30 minute drive.

Many, many, many factories all around us, all within a 30 minute drive.

Need the anodized aluminium finish like Apple’s Macbooks? There’s an anodizing factory about 1 km away. Need parts SLA 3D printed? Hop over to an SLA shop on the other side of town. Just take a look at the sheer number of factories around us in the map above (工厂 means factory in Chinese). And this doesn’t include the factories that are not listed on Baidu maps!

The ecosystem here allows prototypes with many processes to be made quickly and economically by extremely specialized personnel

Another benefit of this density of factories is competition and availability of resources. There are literally tens of thousands of CNC machines in Shenzhen and countless shops operating them, which means competition keeps job prices low for customers. More machines in a given area also means more parallel processing. If a project is extremely urgent and needs to be done as soon as physically possible, jobs can be sub-contracted to other shops to get your prototypes done in time for a big deadline.

The rich hardware ecosystem of Shenzhen also includes countless gurus of every industry (people who have been working in a particular field or job for 20-30 years). This is a hidden gem resource for many teams, particularly start-ups, as they can get invaluable feedback from these experts just by working in this environment and talking to the people, and ultimately get a few steps closer to launching the final product!

With such cost savings, why don’t you try making a prototype in China? To work with us, request a quote today!

References:
1. Self reported salaries in Shenzhen, China
2. Self reported salaries in USA

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What is the difference between the CNC’ed parts and 3D printed parts?

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3D Printing and CNC machining process both are one of the most common ways of rapid prototyping,but you may not know what is the difference between them for a lot of people. Here our company’s engineer will help you to analyze the difference between them.

 

  1. Different material processing principle

3D printing a programmed laser is used to fuse the powder into a solid one layer at a time to create the finished product, just the SLA’s raw material is the liquid plastic, and the SLS’s raw material is a fine powder. But the CNC processing is removing layers from a block of raw material in order to form a desired shape.

 

  1. Different processing range

3D printing materail is mainly plastic material, such as UV Curable Resin, ABS and so on, the available printing size usually can not over 600mm, if so, it needs to be separate printing, also the cost is very high if printing large parts as charge by weight. But the material of CNC machining is more extensive, almost all engineering grade plastic and metal sheet material can be processed (such as ABS, Polycarbonate, Acrylic, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), and the available machining size is very large at least over 1 meter, such as Gantry CNC machine which can processing size can even to be processed 2 to 3 meters of a whole part.

 

  1. About Strength

Usually the 3d printing is good at small and complex parts. Because the material of 3d printing is the liquid plastic or fine powder, thus the strength of the part from 3d printiung is not good, usually just look, also it can not resist high temperature. But the part from CNC very strong, it can choose difference material performance to processing, such as high strength, good wearproof, High temperature and so on, It can often be used as a finished product.

 

  1. About Precision

The part from 3d printing is rough and low precision, but the CNC’ed part is high pricision,  usually can reach +/- 0.1mm for plastic, +/- 0.05mm for metal.