Short-run manufacturing
Low-volume FDM production, 10 to a few hundred parts, in engineering plastics — without mold tooling.
You've talked to molders, the quote came back with 8-week tooling and a five-figure NRE, and your launch window doesn't have room for that. Or the mold is being cut and you need product moving now. This is bridge production — gap manufacturing while the tooling catches up. Ten units, a hundred, a few hundred per order, in the same engineering plastic you'd spec for the molded part.
We're a real shop in Albuquerque, not a network broker. Your file gets reviewed by the person who'll print it. NDA before review, sample parts before the batch, FAI documentation if you need it, material lot tracking on request. When your volumes cross the point where molding wins on per-part cost, you'll already have parts in customers' hands while you make that call.
What we make
- End-use enclosures and housings
- Bridge parts while injection-mold tooling is built
- Pilot and pre-production runs
- Kickstarter and crowdfunding fulfillment
- Trade-show and sales-demo units
- Supply-chain stockout coverage
Best materials
What to know
FDM beats injection molding on volumes under roughly 500 units, on parts still being revised, or when 4–12 weeks of tooling lead time doesn't fit the launch calendar. Above ~500 identical units, molding usually wins on per-part cost — we'll say so when we see your file.
Quality controls scale with the order. First Article Inspection on new parts, sample-first workflow (print 1–3, you sign off, we batch), material datasheets and lot/spool tracking on request. NDAs signed before file review.
Honest limits: tolerance is ±0.5 mm or ±0.2%, whichever greater — tighter than ±0.2 mm needs post-machining. Not for optically clear lenses, food contact at scale, or Class-A cosmetic straight off the machine. Volume discounts: 10% at 5 identical parts, 20% at 25, 30% at 100+.