ForgeLabs Advanced ManufacturingForge Labs

Industrial Design Prototyping from Appearance Models to Production Parts

Appearance models, functional prototypes, pilot builds and launch-phase hardware, without waiting on hard tooling.

  • Nylon production batches and repeat lots without mould tooling.
  • Appearance and CMF models for ergonomic and stakeholder reviews.
  • From 2 business days, with next day shipping across North America.
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Industrial Design 3D Printing Solutions
Industrial Design Overview

Built for Designers Who Build Real Things

Industrial design teams need parts at every stage, from concept mockups through pilot runs and the launch hardware that follows. We make appearance and CMF models, looks-like and works-like prototypes, enclosures and mechanical assemblies for consumer electronics, wearables, outdoor gear, sporting goods and hardware accessories, and the production batches that carry those designs to market, using SLA, SLS, MJF, FDM and PolyJet. Materials behave like production plastics, so you can test form, fit, finish and function and preserve design intent before committing to production tooling, or keep printing when volumes don't justify a mould.

Where additive creates leverage

Unlimited iterations, no tooling changes

Forge Labs helps teams move from design validation to production-ready parts without waiting on tooling lead times. Consolidated assemblies, lighter parts, and faster revisions give engineering teams more control over schedule, cost, and performance.

Key manufacturing benefits

  • Move from appearance models to pilot runs, market trials and repeat production batches without tooling costs.
  • Make unlimited design iterations without tooling changes between revisions.
  • Get lead times from 2 business days, with next day shipping across North America.
  • Get engineering guidance on material selection, DFM and tolerances, plus CAD review and design optimization.
  • Test high-detail visual and functional parts in real materials that behave like production plastics.
  • Receive dimensional reports, material certificates and batch traceability for pilot and production lots.
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Industrial Design Manufacturing Process 1
Industrial Design Manufacturing Process 2
Industrial Design Manufacturing Process 3
Industrial Design Manufacturing Process 4
Quality and compliance

Design validation workflows that hold up through pilot production

Industrial design teams need tight fit, presentation-ready surfaces and repeatable geometry from concept models through pilot builds and production lots. Our workflows focus on design validation, material realism and revisions that stay manufacturable.

Design for manufacturing (DFM)
Every upload gets an automated manufacturability check, and our engineers give design guidance so prototypes carry over to production processes.
Material performance validation
Material selection guided by supplier data and your test results, so prototype findings carry forward to the production part.
Rapid iteration
A proven workflow for multiple design iterations within one development cycle, shortening time to market for new products.
Scale-to-production support
Move from prototype to pilot and production lots on the same processes, with production readiness checked before volume runs.
Inspection and traceability
ISO 9001-aligned processes and statistical process control across production batches, with dimensional reports, material certificates and batch traceability on request.
Ordering and repeat lots
Upload STEP, STL, OBJ or IGES files, attach drawings with tolerance callouts, add first article inspection or production sampling, and reorder lots from your order history.
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Manufacturing Capabilities

Product Design Prototypes, Housings and Pilot Production

The industrial design parts we make most often, from launch production to appearance models, with the processes, materials and material data behind each.

Market Testing & Pilot Production
Market Testing & Pilot Production

Pilot and launch production

Market Testing & Pilot Production

MJF and SLS produce pilot runs, market-test units, investor demonstration hardware and limited product launches in batches from 10 to 1,000+ units, without tooling investment or long-term commitments. Statistical process control on dimensional checks keeps part quality consistent from batch to batch. Dimensional reports, material certificates and batch traceability support commercial validation and early product launches, and repeat lots are reordered from your order history.

Typical parts
Launch enclosures, visor frames, brackets, pilot-run housings
Key properties
Batches of 10 to 1,000+ units; MJF from 4 business days
Material data
HP PA12 50 MPa tensile (ASTM D638); grey or black
Materials
HP High Reusability PA12 (MJF)Nylon PA12 (SLS)
Mechanical Parts & Assemblies
Mechanical Parts & Assemblies

Snap fits, threads and inserts

Mechanical Parts & Assemblies

MJF PA12 produces snap-fit mechanisms, threaded connections and bearing surfaces that perform comparably to injection-moulded components, with precise dimensional control and a production-like surface. Clearances as tight as 0.5 mm for moving parts let assemblies print as one part without secondary operations, and heat-set inserts and post-machining give production-ready fastening for prototype and production assemblies.

Typical parts
Snap-fit assemblies, hinged mechanisms, bearing surfaces, threaded housings
Key properties
0.5 mm moving-part clearance; M6 and larger threads; ±0.3% (min ±0.5 mm)
Material data
HP PA12 50 MPa tensile, 17% elongation XY (ASTM D638)
Materials
HP High Reusability PA12 (MJF)HP MJF PA12 Glass Filled (MJF)
Functional Prototypes & Testing
Functional Prototypes & Testing

Works-like prototypes

Functional Prototypes & Testing

SLS PA12 produces functional prototypes with mechanical properties close to injection-moulded parts, with the impact resistance, chemical stability and fatigue performance needed for functional testing. Snap-fits, living hinges and threaded connections work as printed without assembly. Accuracy of ±0.3% (min ±0.3 mm) supports tight-tolerance assemblies, and the as-printed surface is ready for testing without secondary finishing.

Typical parts
Works-like prototypes, clips, living hinges, test housings
Key properties
±0.3% (min ±0.3 mm); ready to test as printed
Material data
PA12 50 MPa tensile (ISO 527); 53 kJ/m² Charpy impact, unnotched (ISO 179)
Materials
Nylon PA12 (SLS)Glass Filled Nylon PA12 (SLS)
Forge Labs technician comparing white and black 3D-printed electronics housings.
Forge Labs technician comparing white and black 3D-printed electronics housings.

Enclosures and wearables

Consumer Electronics Housings

SLA and SLS produce electronics housings with precise component fit and a professional finish for user testing and demonstration. SLA holds ±0.25% (min ±0.25 mm) for PCB mounting, connector alignment and button clearances. Clear resins diffuse LEDs, flexible TPU suits wearable interfaces, and PA12 ESD and ABS-ESD7 make static-dissipative housings. Snap-fits, cable management and heat-staking posts are built into the part, so assemblies stay simple.

Typical parts
PCB enclosures, button and connector housings, LED diffusers, wearable housings
Key properties
±0.25% (min ±0.25 mm); over 10 in ±0.4% (min ±0.5 mm)
Material data
Clear ClearVue resin; TPU 88A, no cut growth after 100,000 flex cycles
Materials
Accura ClearVue (SLA)Accura Xtreme White 200 (SLA)TPU 88A (SLS)Nylon PA12 ESD (SLS)
Design Iteration & CMF Studies
Design Iteration & CMF Studies

Appearance and CMF models

Design Iteration & CMF Studies

SLA high-definition resins produce concept and appearance models with a smooth, paint-ready surface for colour, material and finish (CMF) studies, client presentations and user research. SLA resins simulate rigid engineering plastics and PolyJet Agilus30 adds flexible, rubber-like parts, and models can be textured, polished or painted. Fast turnaround supports multiple design iterations within one development cycle.

Typical parts
Appearance models, CMF samples, presentation and user-research models
Key properties
50–100 micron layers; smooth, paint-ready surface, textured, polished or painted
Material data
Accura 25 and Xtreme White rigid resins; Agilus30 Shore A 30–95
Materials
Accura 25 (SLA)Accura Xtreme White 200 (SLA)Agilus30 (PolyJet)VeroClear (PolyJet)
Forge Labs technician inspecting a full-scale 3D-printed automotive dashboard prototype on a workshop bench.
Forge Labs technician inspecting a full-scale 3D-printed automotive dashboard prototype on a workshop bench.

Full-scale and outdoor products

Large Format Prototypes

FDM builds ASA and ABS parts up to 914 × 609 × 914 mm for full-scale prototypes of outdoor gear, sports equipment and mobility products. PAHT-CF carbon fibre reinforced nylon gives the structural performance for load testing and real-world validation, and ASA adds UV stability and weather resistance for products with extended outdoor exposure. Parts larger than the build volume are sectioned and assembled with integrated joinery.

Typical parts
Outdoor gear, sports equipment, mobility products, full-scale mockups
Key properties
ASA and ABS to 914 × 609 × 914 mm; ±0.25 mm or ±0.3%, whichever is greater
Material data
ASA UV stable, 10 colours; PAHT-CF 92 MPa tensile (X-Y)
Materials
ASA (FDM)PAHT-CF Carbon Fiber Nylon (FDM)ABS (FDM)
Case Studies

Industrial Design Outcomes

Wearable hardware carried from ergonomic prototypes into launch-phase production, and consumer product enclosures developed through rapid iteration.

3D Printed VR Headset Visors in MJF PA12: Prototype to Production

Case study

3D Printed VR Headset Visors in MJF PA12: Prototype to Production

A VR hardware developer took its headset visor from ergonomic exploration into launch-phase production with MJF. The team refined face-fit geometry, held alignment-critical features through each revision, and ran fit-test builds on SLS for faster turnaround, then moved to MJF on the same PA12 for production, where the finish was slightly better, as the design matured into repeatable production hardware.

Key outcomes

  • Ergonomic visor geometry refined without tooling lock-in
  • Optics-adjacent mounting features held through design revisions
  • SLS fit-test builds carried into MJF production on the same nylon
  • 1,000+ wearable components delivered every 72 hours
Read the VR visor case study
Robbox: Developing Power Tool Enclosures with FDM Prototypes

Case study

Robbox: Developing Power Tool Enclosures with FDM Prototypes

Robbox used rapid FDM iterations to develop consumer hardware enclosures while the product language was still evolving. Each round tested hand feel, packaging of internal components, assembly logic and presentation quality, so enclosure development moved faster without losing functional feedback.

Key outcomes

  • Grip, enclosure and assembly decisions validated in real hardware
  • Investor-demo prototypes produced without mould tooling
  • Historical prototype costs reported 50–100x lower
  • Development reported 10x faster with FDM prototypes
Read the Robbox case study
Manufacturing Technologies

3D Printing Technologies for Industrial Design

Evaluate each process by geometry freedom, material options, and throughput so you can pick the right path from prototype to production.

Not sure which process fits? Our application engineers map your requirements to the right technology, material and finishing workflow before you commit to a build.

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Material Library

Materials for Industrial Design

Nylons, elastomers, clear and appearance resins, and engineering thermoplastics chosen to look and behave like production plastics. Compare full properties on each material page.

Explore the complete material matrix. Compare certifications, mechanical properties and application fit across the full portfolio before locking your production material stack.

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Ready to Build Your Next Product?

Upload your CAD files for an instant quote or speak with our application engineers about your specific requirements.

  • Instant pricing with automated manufacturability analysis
  • Production workflows built for repeatable quality
  • Engineering support from prototype to production
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STEP, STL, OBJ, 3MF and IGES supported

Manufacturing technologies
6
Engineering materials
50+
Part quantities
1-500+