Proto Labs joins MySolidWorks network

PROTO Labs Inc. (NYSE: PRLB) has recently joined the MySolidWorks Manufacturing Network.

 

With its objective of connecting SOLIDWORKS users with reliable manufacturers in the 3D printing, sheet metal, CNC machining, and injection molding industry, the network provides quick access to manufacturing resources such as Proto Labs, which in turn provides direct connection to more than 2.5 million SOLIDWORKS users.

 

Designers can upload a 3D CAD once connected to Proto Labs. They can receive an interactive quote with manufacturability analysis within hours. 

 

 

Proto Labs manufactures custom prototypes and low-volume production parts within just one day using its advanced additive, machining, and molding processes. A leading online and technology-enabled quick-turn manufacturer of custom parts for prototyping and short-run production, the company employs injection molding, CNC machining, and additive manufacturing to produce parts for product designers and engineers around the world.

 

SOLIDWORKS World attendees who visited the Proto Labs or SOLIDWORKS booth during the show run on February 8 to 11 in Phoenix, Arizona, received a championship-style, 3D-printed ring. The ring was manufactured using Proto Labs’ SLArmor process. This improves on stereolithography, an additive technology that uses an ultraviolet laser to cure thousands of thin layers together to build complex objects, by plating it with a nickel coating to achieve the look, feel, and strength of metal without adding to the weight.

 

“Proto Labs is indicative of the type of company we are partnering with in the network,” says Nick Iwaskow, Senior Alliances & Partnership manager, SOLIDWORKS, Dassault Systèmes. “They are a reputable manufacturer that can produce parts quickly and efficiently for SOLIDWORKS users.”

 

Robert Bodor, Proto Labs VP/general manager of the Americas, said, “We are excited to partner with SOLIDWORKS in this new way, to make it even easier for SOLIDWORKS users to access Proto Labs’ services and have their new product designs manufactured in a few days across the range of our services. Our online quoting tools have been designed to make this process seamless, and our global scale allows us to meet the needs of thousands of users a day for both prototyping and production.”