Guide 03 · Scaling up

From prototype to low-volume production

You have a working prototype. Now you need 50, 100 or 500 pieces — but injection molding tooling is months and a fortune away. Here is how to bridge that gap.

Why not just keep 3D printing?

For very small runs, SLA or SLS is fine. But per-part cost stays high and consistency across dozens of pieces is harder to guarantee. That is where dedicated low-volume methods earn their place.

Vacuum casting for 10–200 pieces

Vacuum casting builds a silicone mold from your master and pours polyurethane copies. A single mold yields ~10–20 parts, and several molds cover up to ~200. The result feels like injection-molded ABS, PP or soft-touch TPE — at a fraction of tooling cost. Perfect for pre-production, market trials and crowdfunding batches.

CNC for precision and solids

When parts must meet tight tolerances or use solid metal and engineering plastics, CNC machining is the bridge. It scales cleanly from one piece to several hundred and delivers the dimensional accuracy printing can't.

A typical path

  • Prototype: SLA or SLS to validate form and function
  • Master: refine the approved part as the production master
  • Bridge run: vacuum casting or CNC for the needed quantity
  • Production: move to injection molding only when volume justifies tooling

Planning a low-volume run?

Tell us the quantity and material — we'll recommend the most cost-effective method.

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