Business Ideas

[Steve Clarkson]

I'm meeting with a company next week that specializes in rapid prototyping.....Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Urethane Castings, Metal Castings, Sheet Metal and Injection Molding.

They do not have a CO2 laser. What could I make as a sample to show something that I can do that they can't?

[James Stokes]

Not much, I have been thinking about getting in to the rapid prototyping Business myself. I do not really belive there is any thing you can offer them.

[John Noell]

Maybe stick-on labels for the prototypes.

[Joe Pelonio]

Thinking about my more industrial jobs, I'd think about engraving logos onto anodized aluminum parts, cutting gaskets, cutting acrylic and ABS parts. Also, laser-cut logos from adhesive backed Rowmark ADA material to apply to manufactured items. While they have some pretty fancy machines what you do on the CO2 can be done for a lot less money than what it might cost on theirs. You need to become very familiar with what they do ahead of time and plan to show how your work can compliment theirs.

[David Fairfield]

If this is a model shop there's plenty you can do. I prefer laser cutting over SLA rapid prototyping for certain applications. For one thing you can use real wood, where they can only simulate. Also, laser cutting can cut perfectly smooth parts from plexi, where some SLA machines leaves nasty grainy rasters everywhere that need to be hand finished or puttied over. You can also make incredibly fine parts that SLA would struggle with, and even if it came out of the machine, the material would render them extremely brittle and fragile. You can also surface engrave fine details and textures that might be difficult for their machinery to handle.

Personally, I think the laser is more versatile for model making than current 3d printers. So I'd look into what sort of clients they cater to, and try to anticipate some very fine, repetitive pieces. For example, if they make architectural models, I'd crank out a sheet of trusses or large factory type window frames.

Hope you get the gig!

Dave

[Randy Digby]

You might inquire if they are into Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma. If so, there is a large amount of signage, labeling, bin identification and tool storage location identification that goes along with these diciplines. Not knowing their signage or labeling needs before getting "in" makes it a crap shoot on what to carry. The labeling, etc. mentioned earlier would be safe, I would think. Some adhesive backed generic parts labels maybe. A silhouette cutout of standard hand tools (adjustable wrench, etc) for tool storage location identification might be handy to have in your "bag of tricks". Some examples of markled aluminum and/or stainless might be helpful. Sounds like this is a high-end operation, so some high-end engraved business card samples may be in order, especially if you could capture their logo from their web site or other source.

Good luck.

[Steve Clarkson]

Thanks for the ideas. I guess I'll just walk in with a few different things and see if I can get them to tell me what they need.

[Dan Hintz]

Steve,

I'm with Joe... for this one, I'd look at what you can offer to compliment their line of services rather than trying to modify what they create. They can't lay out a piece of clear acrylic layer by layer (even though they do have materials that are relatively translucent), so you could offer ribbing for cut-away models, windows/buttons for cases, etc. As mentioned earlier, wood can't be manufactured, so offer laser-cut laminates for inlays. Some companies are now doing sintered metal designs, and you could offer Cermark-style marking. Plenty of options, I just don't think they're what you were initially going after.

[Jim Beachler]

When you walk in with your samples, do not ask what you can do for them. Rather ask to take a tour of their operation. This way you can walk through the plant, see what is and isn't there.

then you should have an idea or two about possible areas where you can help them. Remember that you are not trying to sell them something, you are trying to help them reduce costs, save money, reduce labor, etc. This way you come across not as a salesperson but rather as a partner that wants to help them become better.

By you doing the things that you notice, you can make their job better or easier because: they can put labor toward design or sales, they can find tools / parts easier and save time because all spots are marked.

Use these ideas to help get the deal done.

[Scott Shepherd]

Pick up an application when you are there, that sounds like a cool place to work!

[Brian Robison]

Strange topic, I just got back from the biggest SLA shop in the US a couple hours ago.

[Gregg Vaughn]

Steve,

In a "kind-of-related" to your question sort of way, I was approached by an architecture student at a university near me asking for various shapes to be cut from poster board and wood for a project he was doing. This worked out well for his project and I received work from other students that blossomed into a fair source of repeat work. The great part of this was that the students do their work on autocad, so transfer to Coreldraw was not a problem and there was no set-up time on my end.

[Rodne Gold]

We make tons of masters for metal casters...out of perspex..things like incredibly complex medals/keytags and so forth .. the Pex works in their vulcanising moulds but comes out destroyed but allows the moulds themselves to be perfect.


They can never get the quality and detail you can do on your laser. Apart from that you can make many identical masters for them far quicker and cheaper than they can do.
Problem is , as soon as you show em what you can do , a shop like that with machinery of that price will buy their own laser as soon as it proves viable for em..

[Jim Good]

Steve,

I work with SLS, FDM, SLA, EBM, and other additive manufacturing processes. First, if they have an SLS, they do have a laser that can do certain things. I've cut gaskets with the SLS laser after I've made some components out of titanium powder in the EBM machine.

Also, the SLA resins have some a long way in the past few years. The strength has gotten much better and there are elastic type materials available, too. SLA has come a long way from the yellow brittle plastic they once used.

If you tell me who you are going to see, I can tell you what they might need. Post it here or shoot me an email.

Jim

[Jamie Collins]

pardon the thread revive, but I was wondering what became of your tour? good, bad or indifferent.