menu

chevron_leftBack

close

Services

Services
Injection Molding Service
Plastic Injection Molding Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding Overmolding and Insert Molding Prototyping Production Quality Secondary Operations

CNC Machining Service
CNC Milling CNC Turning Production Machining Precision Machining Threading Options Finishing Options

3D Printing Service
Metal 3D Printing Stereolithography Multi Jet Fusion Selective Laser Sintering PolyJet Advanced Photopolymers Large Format Inspections Finishing Options

Sheet Metal Fabrication
Laser Cutting Punching Forming and Bending Fabricated Assemblies Prototyping Production Design Guidelines Quality Finishing Options

Ready for Full-Service Production?

We are your manufacturing partner to scale projects to production. Get complete program management with a team who can tailor our capabilities to optimize cost, quantity, and quality control of your production order.

Explore Production
Materials

Materials

Material by Service

Injection Molding
Molded plastic prototypes and production parts
CNC Machining
Machined prototypes and production parts in as fast as 1 day
3D Printing
Additive manufacturing for quality plastic and metal parts
Sheet Metal
Flat and formed sheet metal for custom parts

Material by Type

Plastics
Various grades of plastics across molding, machining, and 3D printing
Metals
Extensive library of metal materials for machining, sheet metal fabrication, and 3D printing
Elastomers
Flexible materials for injection molding and 3D printing

Colors
View color options for each manufacturing service
Customer-supplied Resin
Guidelines on how to supply custom resin for your next project

New 3D Printing Materials!

Tough Black (Loctite Henkel 3843) and Ceramic-Filled (BASF 3280) are two new advanced photopolymer materials now available for 3D printing.

Learn More
Industries

Industries

Industries We Serve
Medical
Accelerated development of medical devices and health care products
Aerospace
High-quality components from early prototyping to hot-fire testing to launch
Automotive
Rapid prototyping and ramp-up production for traditional, electric, and autonomous vehicles
Robotics
Complex end-use production parts for robotics and automation applications
Consumer Electronics
Functional prototyping and on-demand production of consumer and computer electronics parts
Industrial Equipment
Durable jigs, fixtures, and other components to streamline assembly and reduce production costs

Industry Resources Medical Injection Molding Medical Materials Aerospace Manufacturing Guide Aerospace Machining EV/AV Automotive Guide Industry Case Studies

Industry Certifications Medical: ISO 13485 Aerospace: AS9100 Defense: ITAR

Protolabs x NASA

We partnered with NASA to machine a crowdsourced, generatively designed part that was delivered in only 36 hours so the design could be presented at the PowerSource Global Summit.

Read Story
Resources

Resources

Design Tips
Advice on common manufacturability issues and material selection

Blog
Your source for design resources, in-depth features, and industry news

Guides and Trend Reports
In-depth guides and reports on a range of digital manufacturing topics

Product Life Cycle
Leverage Protolabs across the product life cycle for prototyping and production

FAQs
Answers to common questions across our service lines

Help Center
Get assistance with our digital quoting and manufacturing analysis platforms

Toolkits
Resources to optimize your parts from prototyping to production

Partnerships
Real-world success stories from innovative companies

Design Aids
Get physical tools and resources to improve part design

Events & Trade Shows
Join industry events and on-demand or live webinars

Videos
Explore our facilities, technologies, material selection, and more

Educators and Students
Resources for the classroom and aspiring engineers

Design Cube

Our helpful design aid demonstrates part features that are too thin or too thick, bad bosses, right and wrong ribs, and other considerations to be mindful of while designing parts for injection molding.

Request Design Cube
About Us

About Us

Protolabs Network
Factories x Network What is Protolabs Network? Quality Assurance at Network

Our Company

Why Protolabs? Research and Development Online Quoting and Manufacturing Analysis Investors Charitable Giving and Community Impact Careers Locations Press Cool Idea Award

Contact Us

Proto Labs, Inc.
5540 Pioneer Creek Dr.
Maple Plain, MN 55359
United States

P: 877-479-3680
F: 763-479-2679
E: [email protected]

Manufacture like a Pro

From custom prototyping to end-use production, we're your trusted manufacturing partner helping you drive product development and innovation forward.

Learn More
search close

search

Get Instant Quote

chevron_leftBack

close

The Upload

Your blog feed for digital manufacturing resources, in-depth features, and industry news.

Past 'product design' posts

Return to blog home

Manufacturing process

3D Printing

November 28, 2022

Leveraging EDM to Rapidly Scale Metal Additive Manufacturing

New EDM technology rapidly removes printed parts from build plates, reducing cost and lead time.

An engineer checks settings on his CNC mill prior to machining a part.

Digital Manufacturing

November 7, 2022

What is NPI Manufacturing? New Product Introduction Explained.

Properly conceived new product introductions can mean the difference between success or failure.

By Gurvinder Singh

3D print cad design

3D Printing

November 1, 2022

5 Ways 3D Printing Enriches Product Design

3D printing offers a wealth of opportunities to iterate rapid prototypes for testing and more.

Man writing on clear surface

Digital Manufacturing

September 27, 2022

Accelerating Hardware Prototyping for Startups and Small Companies

Doing the right things in the prototyping phase is a bit more complex than it looks at first glance. Hardware requires special rules to get the results you need.

Finishing Options for Sheet Metal Parts

MFG 360

April 7, 2022

Benefits and Considerations for Sheet Metal Part Finishing

Finishing options for sheet metal vary depending on your needs. For instance, are you looking for an aesthetically pleasing part, a part that needs to withstand environmental challenges and wear, or are you testing overall functionality?

By Amanda Tierney

parts finishing department for 3d printing

Tech Tips

February 19, 2022

How to Improve 3D Printing Surface Finish Quality

It’s no secret that 3D printing processes don’t produce injection molding-quality surface finishes right off the printer, but there is good news. Technologies exist to help, and there are new developments all the time.