Rapid Tooling Prototyping
Plastic or Metal
One of the most important aspects of our business here at Lemac Manufacturing (LMC) is innovative tooling including metal tooling design and plastic tooling design.
After all, if the tooling isn’t done right, the part won’t be right.
Lemac Manufacturing offers cost effective rapid tooling prototyping as well as efficient product design modifications providing extensive in house, rapid tooling services including;
Rapid Prototyping Marine
Rapid Prototyping Medical Applications
Rapid Prototyping Automotive
Rapid Prototyping Industrial Design
Requirements for Tooling Design Concepts
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, WE WILL ATTEMPT JUST ABOUT ANY TOOLING PROJECT.
That said Vacuum Forming has some requirements to consider before you bring us your tooling design.
In vacuum forming one side of a plastic sheet is stretched and formed over either a male or female mold to form the part. This means that one side of the part must be free to escape the mold.
If you are unsure whether your tooling design will work, please let us have a gander, and we will let you know if it is right for the vacuum forming process.
Rapid Tooling - Lead Times
One of the real strengths of vacuum forming is the ability of the manufacturer to generate prototypes and tooling rapidly.
Because we have a comprehensive in house, rapid tooling prototyping facility, we generate all of our tooling quickly and efficiently, getting you your parts in a timely and cost effective manner.
Another benefit of having in house rapid tooling services is that if design modifications arise, those changes can be made promptly and properly.
This means our customers (and yours) aren’t left in the lurch.
A small simple tool could take 4 hours to create, a large complex tool up to 3 weeks. When you bring us your drawing we will give you an honest assessment of how long the rapid tooling and prototyping process will take.
Engineering & Special Tooling Services
Our lead engineer has over 38 years of experience in the plastics and prototype tooling business, engineering and producing plastic parts tooling and metal parts tooling for many different industries.
When you bring us your innovative tooling design, and this can be a highly detailed drawing or a sketch on a napkin, he will create a drawing in Solidworks CAD.
During this process he will work closely with you, to ensure the tooling prototype is created to your specifications.
Solidworks CAD allows LMC to create a virtual tooling prototype. Before the tooling is made we can use the computer program to;
Test Tolerances
Test Stress Points
Test Impact Strength
Troubleshoot Tooling Designs
This is a huge advantage in efficiency and cost reduction for metal and plastics tooling prototyping.
Tooling Materials
When your drawing has been completed LMC will create a tool from any number of materials. The type of material used in rapid tooling prototyping is dependent on the quantity of parts per order, per run.
Some of the materials we commonly use for prototype tooling include, among others:
Wood
Aluminum
Polyester
HDPE Foam
Epoxy
Aluminum Filled Epoxy
Tooling Machines:
Because prototyping tooling is made from such a wide variety of materials, LMC’s shop has a vast number of tooling machines that are utilized to manufacture molds.
Keep in mind that our engineer has 38 years of experience. He’s been collecting various shop tools and tooling machines for at least that long.
One of our most effective tooling machines for creating detailed and complex tooling and prototyping is a 5 axis CNC router that works with MasterCam Cam software to take a Solidworks CAD drawing from the virtual world into the real world.
Proprietary Tooling Concerns
As an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) LMC understands that any tooling designs brought to us are proprietary. We are happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding this issue.
Ask Us About Rapid Tooling
Prototyping Services
Lemac Manufacturing delivers high quality thermoformed parts and rapid tooling prototyping to our customers through the use of the most up-to-date thermoforming systems and tooling machines.
We primarily service clients in the marine, automotive, medical and industrial sectors but we have the skill and knowledge to help you regardless of what sector you are in.
Our clients come from all over the Pacific Northwest. We’ve provided rapid tooling prototyping services to clients in Washington, Oregon, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta.
For more information about our rapid tooling prototyping or other
Rapid Tooling Services please email our
Prototype Tooling professionals or call us at
360-756-1720.
What Lemac Believes
Lemac company policy is that there is no challenge we won’t
take on! We are dedicated to excellent customer service; our goal is
to provide the highest quality parts with the shortest lead times at
the most competitive prices possible.
LMC & Environmental Stewardship:
Lemac is committed to environmental stewardship. One of our
first priorities when we moved into our new facility was
retrofitting the entire building to use low energy light
bulbs. We implemented a recycling program that encompasses
both our shop floor and our offices. All of the plastic trimmed during
the production process is reground and recycled into usable plastic.
We use that same recycled plastic to produce our parts.