Prototype Machining in South Dakota | CNC Prototyping
Prototype machining in South Dakota. Prototyping is an essential step in taking your product from idea to shelf. To do it correctly the first time around, you should choose a prototype machine shop in South Dakota that can not only make your designs come alive, but have engineers on staff that can also make revisions to the product to make it even better.
At Roberson Machine Company, we are a leader in rapid prototyping in a number of businesses. If you can dream it, we have the capabilities to make it a reality—no matter the complexity! Our team of contract manufacturing professionals are prepared to help in your product development initiatives.
Contact us or call 573-646-3996 for a free quote on CNC prototype machining in South Dakota.
Prototype Services South Dakota
We have a large factory floor with mills, lathes, and EDM machines for all of your precision CNC prototype needs. The entire team at Roberson Machine Company is committed to ensuring your product development efforts go off without a hitch, which is why we meticulously oversee all designing, programming, and fabricating to make sure every last detail is perfect.
Finally, we know how important it is to move a completed prototype to production so that it can get on the market as soon as possible. Once the prototypes design has been approved, we can easily transition it to our in-house production side. We want to be your one-stop machine shop for all prototyping services.
CNC prototyping services we offer:
- 3, 4, and 5-axis machining
- CNC Milling
- Wire EDM
- CNC Turning
- High-level surface finishing capabilities
- Metal fabrication
- Variety of capabilities such as extrusion, bending, folding, stamping, welding, cutting, spinning, etc.
- Variety of materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, etc.
- Both complex and simple part geometries
- Tight tolerances (as tight as 0.0001” inches for some parts)
What is a Prototype?
A prototype is a first-attempt physical model of a product that’s made through a special manufacturing process like CNC machining. It can be used for many purposes and is usually the first step in the mass-production of a product. For instance, many businesses turn to Roberson Machine Company to build a physical part quickly in order to capture a sales opportunity or validate a design.
Prototyping is a very beneficial technique that is used for:
- Showcasing the physical model of a product to investors and customers in a relatively short amount of time
- Demonstrating the appearance, features, and dimensions of your product
- Generating multiple separate versions of the product with different textures, colors, and finishes
- Ensuring that all parts are standardized in terms of size, shape, dimension, and quality
- Testing the market with your product before production
- Finding and correcting potentially costly design defects before it ever touches the market
- Streamlining and improving upon the entire production process
Overall, rapid prototyping in South Dakota saves time and money by creating a single run of a product that can be tested and optimized to peak performance before investing in thousands of units. Contact us to learn more about how this process can help your company realize a variety of cost savings.
Who Uses Prototype Machining?
Multiple South Dakota industries have recognized the benefits of prototype machining and utilize it to limit the chance of disruptions in the development process. Roberson Machine Company has successfully contracted with a notable number of companies, both large and small, to achieve their prototype manufacturing requirements. We have worked with the following South Dakota industries and others develop prototypes quickly and efficiently:
- With the advent of “just-in-time” manufacturing processes, the automotive industry requires new parts to be produced as quickly as possible and in any quantity. Roberson Tool partners with South Dakota automotive manufacturers ranging from small custom shops to well-known OEMs to produce prototype parts in multiple materials, delivered quickly and within costs.
- Oil and energy firms have unique demands for prototypes: they must be made to withstand the heavy pressure of underground pipeline burial, mining, and refining. Roberson responds to these demands by specializing in machining prototypes made of exotic materials such as brass, alloy steel, and even plastics.
- The South Dakota medical industry mandates that parts are developed to some of the most exacting tolerances in the machining industry: above all, ensuring that defective parts do not make it to market is truly the difference between life and death. As well, medical parts are often quite small and complicated in design. Roberson Machine Company is equipped with the latest 5-axis CNC machining tools that can not only rapidly produce medical part prototypes regardless of size, but also provide process and tracking reports required by the FDA.
- Aerospace manufacturers demand parts with highly technical geometries and dimensions, and in many cases using rare metals that do not deform at high temperatures and altitude. As well, the unique pressures and characteristics of flight require parts made to exacting tolerance and design standards. Our highly-trained technicians are ready to tackle the challenges of aerospace prototype manufacturing, and our ISO 9001:2015-certified South Dakota machine shop is devoted to delivering aerospace manufacturers parts built to the highest standard of quality.
This history of prototype manufacturing for multiple South Dakota industries makes Roberson Machine Company a true partner throughout the manufacturing process. Our highly-trained team of engineers and machinists can help you recognize flaws in your product, suggest design and usability improvements, and otherwise improve the quality of your South Dakota finished product while reducing your R&D costs.
Reasons to Use CNC Machining for Rapid Prototyping in South Dakota
Prototyping can use a variety of methods to complete projects, but CNC machining is by far the most effective. Also known as computer numerical control, CNC allows you to digitally design your product, input that data into a computer, and let the CNC machine take it from there, cutting away bits from a piece of raw material to create the desired end-shape.
Using computers improves the efficiency of cuts and virtually eliminates human error which, in turn, means that you can produce quick, flawless parts the first time AND every time thereafter. There are a variety of other reasons to choose CNC machining for prototyping, such as:
- More accurate – Computer-controlled machines use modern cutters that are very accurate and precise in order to create parts with very tight tolerances.
- Faster – Modern CNC machine tools work with sophisticated computer programs that can convert files into finished parts within a matter of hours, which is invaluable towards getting products to market faster.
- Many different materials to work with – CNC machine tools can work on virtually any material that is machinable, which includes many types of metal and plastic substrates. This is a great advantage to product developers who want to test from one different material to the next.
- No fixed tooling necessary – CNC machined parts do not require the use of separate dies and tools, which helps diminish the initial investment costs and lead time for new product development.
- Can easily change design – New product development often requires a series of improvements and modifications to the original design. Altering digital instructions is simple and only takes a few minutes with CNC machining.
Prototype Manufacturing Near Me South Dakota | Roberson Machine Company
CNC machining is used by many businesses who need fast-turnaround and high-quality parts in small volumes for prototyping, engineering, and testing samples. When you choose Roberson Machine Company, we will work with you at every point to ensure that your designs are crafted to perfection on time and that all of your needs are met.
Contact us for CNC prototyping South Dakota services of all kinds. Call 573-646-3996 for a free quote.