Custom Tips for Rapid Prototyping

A very important step in producing a high quality prototype is to design with the process tolerance in mind. Each rapid prototype process has build tolerances that will affect the accuracy of the CAD model provided. If tolerances are not designed into the model, parts will not fit together as intended, wasting time and money.
The table below shows standard tolerances for each rapid prototyping process.

Based on this data, the tolerances can either cause a part to be slightly oversized or undersized. Keep in mind that tolerances are additive, meaning that as the part dimensions get larger, tolerances will have more of an effect on the overall part size.

How much tolerance should I factor into my part dimensions?

For parts fewer than a few cubic inches, you can design a
0.010″ – 0.015″ clearance and receive prototypes that meet your needs. For parts close to the maximum process build space, a clearance of 0.025″ – 0.040″ is needed to accomplish the same success.

If you would to learn more, be sure to visit www.quickparts.com for all your rapid prototyping and injection molding questions.