How We Create Custom Designs from Scratch: Turning Ideas into Reality with 3D Printing

At The 3D Shop, we believe that every great product starts with a great idea, but turning that idea into a functional prototype or production-ready part can be challenging without the right tools and expertise. That’s where we come in. We specialize in transforming concepts into reality using cutting-edge 3D printing and small-scale injection molding - from initial sketches to fully optimized designs,

Step 1: Understanding Your Vision
The first step in our process is collaboration. Whether you have an idea in your head, a partially completed design, or an existing product that just needs some revisions - we work with you to understand your goals, application requirements, and constraints. Our expertise ensures that your design is functional, efficient, and optimized for production.

Step 2: Designing for Success
Our team uses a variety of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) tools to create or refine your design. If modifications are needed to improve functionality, durability, or cost-efficiency, we incorporate those adjustments. This iterative process ensures your product is the best version it can be.

Example:
One client in particular come to us after he worked with other 3D printing companies and local resources for years on his revolutionary gardening invention. He had heard about us through a friend who had us design and print some furniture pieces for them and he reached out to us on our site. Once we started working with him, we were able to produce and iterate 15 different prototypes of his product and its accessories in about a 2 month timespan. In his words, he described coming by the shop each time like it was Christmas morning. We would share more about his product, but he has moved on to an industrial production company using the designs we created for him.

Step 3: Material Selection Expertise
Not all materials are created equal, and choosing the right one can make or break your project. Our materials science expertise ensures that every part is crafted with the best material for its intended use—whether it’s a high-strength FDM part or a precise SLA component. We have worked with engineers at Eastman who have deferred to our materials science experience to inform which materials would survive in each phase of their production with parts we have made for them.

Step 4: Prototyping and Testing
Once the design is finalized, we create a 3D-printed prototype to bring your vision to life. This prototype allows for real-world testing and validation before moving to production. In the examples mentioned above, we are able to produce parts out of a variety of materials in a method that is cost-effective enough to have a few materials undergo the proper testing in their actual use-case. While this can be extremely informative for finding the ideal material in edge cases, the best part about this is once the prototypes have reached the end of their use, the clients have been able to give them back to us for us to recycle.

Step 5: Seamless Transition to Production
After prototyping, we offer two main production options: keep printing the design with our print farm (often with volume discounts for high volume orders) or use our new small scale injection molding using the recycled materials from our print farm. Whether you need a few parts or a mid-sized production run, we deliver high-quality results every time.

Have an idea you’re ready to bring to life? Contact us today to learn how we can help with custom design, prototyping, and production.