Rapid prototyping
Rapid Enclosure Prototyping: Low-Cost Forming for Plastic Enclosures
A prototype plastic enclosure machined and thermally bent from the same sheet your production run will use, delivered in 5 days to 3 weeks with no mold or tooling. If the prototype misses the approved design, we rerun it at no cost.
How it works
Cheap forming for a plastic enclosure, without a cheap result.
The cheapest way to form a plastic enclosure prototype is to skip the tool. Toolless machines a flat pattern from pre-colored ABS, polycarbonate or acrylic sheet on a CNC router, scores V-grooves halfway through the sheet on a table saw, bends the panels on a computerized thermal bender and solvent bonds the joints. Nothing in that chain is built for one design, so the non-recurring engineering is a CAD model and a program rather than a mold.
Low-cost forming of a plastic enclosure this way produces a part that compares with an injection-molded one in appearance, finish and durability. The prototype is the production part, cut on the program that will run your quantities later.
Rapid enclosure prototyping in three steps
Nothing is cut until you sign the model.
A prototype starts from whatever you have: a bare circuit board, a sketch on a napkin or a fully dimensioned STEP file. Quotes go out within 48 hours.
Send the board or the model
Use the RFQ form or send CAD files in STEP, IGES, SAT, SolidWorks, STL or DXF. Some projects call for the PCB and internal parts to be shipped to Everett so we can test-fit the prototype.
Approve the 3D model
Our designers build the enclosure around your components in SolidWorks and send the model for review. Fit, cutouts, printing and finish are agreed on screen; allow a few days for the first model. The design belongs to you.
Build, test, revise
The prototype is cut, bent, printed and assembled, then test-fitted with your electronics. Changes go back as a program edit; small ones are made within a day. When it is right, the same program runs production.
Compared with 3D printing
Same prototype cost. Only one is your first article.
A Toolless ABS enclosure of approximately 8” × 5” × 2” runs around $500. A 3D-printed equivalent varies from $300 to $950 by complexity. The printer wins on overnight speed; the sheet process wins on everything that happens after the prototype is approved.
For medical devices this matters twice. A prototype cut from Royalite flame-retardant ABS or Boltaron 4335 (both UL94 V-0) is the same material the certified product will use, so what you test is what you ship. Read the full 3D printing comparison.
Lead times customers report
Days, and sometimes fewer.
Guideline lead time for a prototype is 5 days to 3 weeks, depending on complexity and designer availability. We have made prototypes in under 5 days when a trade show was on the line. Bossa Nova reported a prototype in 10 working days; Open Flight Solutions had the FlightBox ADS-B receiver case prototyped in a week for its Kickstarter campaign. Both accounts are on the testimonials page.
The shop behind those numbers is 13,000 square feet in Everett, Washington: seven CNC mills, custom V-groove saws, computerized thermal benders, two digital UV printers (one dedicated to prototypes) and a quality lab. One person runs multiple machines because 95% of cuts use a single 2 mm cutter, and setup for a new part takes 30 seconds.
What the prototype includes
A finished part, not a test piece.
Every prototype passes through the same stations as a production unit, so finish options are available from the first piece.
- Complete 3D model set in prt, igs, stp, stl or sldprt, submitted for approval and owned by you
- Pre-colored ABS in white, black, light grey or dark grey; FR ABS, Boltaron, polycarbonate, PETG or acrylic on request
- Full-color UV digital printing of logos and legends on the prototype printer
- Heat-staked brass inserts, bosses, acrylic windows, light pipes, hinges and latches
- EMI/RFI conductive coating and paint as secondary operations
- Test fit with your electronics before shipping, and a no-cost rerun if the part misses the approved design
Questions we get asked
Prototyping FAQ.
Answers from the engineers who quote these jobs. For anything not covered, contact us or read the full FAQ.
Is Toolless a prototype process?
It can be, with one caveat. Our engineering pricing is based on repeat production, and a prototype should simulate your production process or you learn nothing about your manufacturing issues. If Toolless will also make your production units, prototyping with us is the ideal path.
Can I prototype with you and injection mold later?
Yes. We can simulate the function of your product, but form and fit will not match a different production technology. Many customers run 500 units, revise, run 500 more and revise again before releasing tooling.
What does a prototype cost?
An ABS enclosure of approximately 8” × 5” × 2” runs around $500, with no tooling charge. Pricing depends on quantity, complexity and branding; the RFQ form returns a quote within 48 hours.
Can I order one unit?
Yes. There is no minimum order. One or two units carry a setup charge, and a credit card is enough to start a prototype. Production from 100 to 10,000 units follows on the same program.
Related
After the prototype.
Pricing, changes, production and the comparison with molding.
Affordable prototypes
Off-the-shelf pricing for a custom prototype with no tooling charge.
Learn moreFlexible changes
Design changes on the fly with no mold to modify.
Learn moreLow volume manufacturing
Runs from 100 to 10,000 units on the prototype's program.
Learn moreVersus injection molding
Cost, lead time and design changes without a mold.
ReadStart your enclosure
Send the board. We’ll send the box.
Quotes come from an engineer, not a form robot. Attach CAD, photos or a sketch and we reply within one business day.