Services

Custom Part Design

By utilizing RPP’s in-house design services you can remove the hassle of product prototyping. We have the expertise to handle all of the following:

  • Tolerance Stack-ups
  • Blueprint Creation
  • Finished Part Renders
  • Rapid Iterative Prototyping
  • Revision History Documentation
  • Design for Manufacturing

Already have an existing part design? No problem! We can help improve existing designs or begin the manufacturing stages with our 3D Printing or Urethane Casting services. 

To lean how RPP can help you with your plastic part design request a quote today!

3D Printing

You can rely on 3D printed parts produced by RPP to have the quality and characteristics to suit your needs. We offer a variety of materials to help you tackle any manufacturing challenge. 

Currently we offer the following additive manufacturing technologies:

  • FDM (Fused deposition modeling)
  • SLA (Stereolithography)
FDM

FDM technology creates parts by melting plastic and depositing it in a thin layer. These layers are stacked on top of each other to form a finished part. FDM  printing is compatible with a wide range of materials which makes it ideal for both proof of concept and end user applications, and with a tolerance limit of ± 0.15% and a lower limit of ± 0.2 mm.

SLA

SLA is a method of additive manufacturing where a liquid resin is cured in layers by an ultraviolet light. This process results in extremely high detail parts which require minimum postprocessing. SLA parts boast an accuracy of ± 0.15% and a lower limit of ± 0.01 mm Due to this extremely high level of detail SLA parts make excellent mold masters. 

Available FDM Materials:

PLA Details

Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a basic filament which can be used in many non demanding applications. It is derived from corn and sugarcane, making it renewable and importantly biodegradable. PLA has high strength and stiffness but is unable to withstand high heat, water, UV, and many chemicals. PLA is relatively inexpensive and easy to 3D print. It is suggested to use PLA for all applications that do not have specific requirements. 

PLA Properties
Ultimate Strength (65 MPa)
3.5/5
Stiffness
3.75/5
Durability
2/5
Max Working Temp (52 °C)
1/5
PETG Details

PETG is a Glycol Modified version of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). PET is commonly used in the manufacture of plastic bottles. PETG is a semi-rigid material which provides it with good impact resistant properties but makes it more prone to wearing. The material also has very good thermal properties allowing for it to heat and cool with minimum warpage. 

PETG Properties
Ultimate Strength (53 MPa)
3/5
Stiffness
2.5/5
Durability
4/5
Max Working Temp (73 °C)
2.5/5
ABS Details

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is one of the first materials to be 3D printed. It is still used today because of is low cost and good properties. ABS is a rigid material with good impact resistance and toughness. It is very resistant to wear and makes excellent hard working parts. ABS is also resistant to high temperature meaning it is able to be used in high temperature applications. These properties make ABS the perfect choice for long lasting mechanical parts. 

ABS Properties
Ultimate Strength (40 MPa)
2.3/5
Stiffness
2.5/5
Durability
4/5
Max Working Temp (98 °C)
3.6/5
ASA Details

Acrylic Styrene Acrylonitrile (ASA) is a similar material to ABS. This material has excellent impact resistance, temperature resistance, and, thanks to a special formulation, UV resistance. Due to it’s increased UV resistance ASA is commonly used to replace ABS in outdoor applications. 

ASA Properties
Ultimate Strength (55 MPa)
3.2/5
Stiffness
2.5/5
Durability
5/5
Max Working Temp (95 °C)
3.4/5
Nylon Details

Nylon (Polyamide) is a widely used plastic. Nylon is popular due to is high toughness and flexibility. Different manufacturers include different additives within their brand of Nylon which affect the strength and working temperature. These changes are made to improve the 3D printability of the material. One note about Nylon is that it is very hygroscopic. This makes the material not suitable for moist or humid environments. 

Nylon Properties
Ultimate Strength (40-85 MPa)
3.5/5
Stiffness
2.5/5
Durability
5/5
Max Working Temp (80-95 °C)
3.4/5
TPE Details

Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) are a type of hard plastic rubber. These plastics are very elastic and can be stretched and flexed easily. There are many different types of TPE that have a variety of elastic properties. Some TPE materials can be a hard semi-flexible material such as tires or it can be an extremely soft and elastic material like a rubber band.

TPE Properties
Ultimate Strength (26-43 MPa)
2/5
Stiffness
0.5/5
Durability
4.5/5
Max Working Temp (60-74 °C)
1.5/5

Urethane Casting

Urethane casting is used in many industries due to its ease of use, low tooling costs, and fast turnaround times. The process consists of three parts: 

  1. Creating a silicone mold. The silicone is poured over the master part to create the mold. The master part can either be 3d printed or an already existing part. The SLA 3D printing process is widely used to create mold masters.
  2. Determine which urethane resin to cast. Choosing the right resin can be tricky. There are many specialty resins which range from high temperature, and flame resistant, to flexible elastic resins. 
  3. Casting the resin and post processing. The silicone molding process is so precise it is able to capture surface features such as matte or shiny finish, thus the casted parts will turn out looking exactly like the master. The only postprocessing usually needed is to remove the casting sprues and occasional material flashing.

Urethane resin casting is RPP’s solution to helping our customers create specialty parts without needing to create expensive tooling or molds. This process is also scalable and allows us to keep pace with our customers by producing parts quickly and effectively. 

To learn more about how RPP can help you produce Urethane resin casted parts request a quote today!