Rapid Tooling for Faster Lead Time
Vista makes prototype molds and low-volume production molds within 2-3 weeks. Using high-speed milling, automated software, and a proprietary fixture system, hundreds of molds are completed each year. These molds are not only open and closed. We excel in making complex molds capturing undercuts with hand pickouts and manual slides. These molds can be polished, textured, modified, and welded on to make sure you get the most from your rapid tool.
Once you have your mold, you can now shoot most any engineering grade material. We have sampled ABS, Polycarbonate, Nylon, Glass-filled Nylon, PVC, Ultem, Delrin, etc. Along with sampling spec material, these molds can also run low-volume production.
Rapid tooling is becoming a new norm for the industry. It's used as prototype tooling and for low-volume production. Vista has made molds that have produced over 40,000+ parts. 2,000-10,000 shots are run frequently for our over 900 customers. Depending on the part design and the choice of the material being injected, you can expect thousands and thousands of parts off these tools.
Our rapid prototype tooling services create precise molds faster with high-speed milling capabilities. Our machine runs at up to 42,000 RPMs with a tolerance of .0002" - the most accurate method of any rapid prototyping equipment used for rapid tooling.
We use aluminum for mold inserts for several reasons. Aluminum can be machined about twice as fast as tool steel, and it dissipates the heat better at the press. All these factors help us deliver molds to you faster with higher quality.
Rapid Tooling - Acceptable File Formats
We recommend you provide as much data as you can upfront in the quotation process to ensure best cost, lead-times and results.
3D CAD files are used for quoting, mold splits and programming:
- Pro-E (prt)
- Solidworks (sld)
- Iges
- Step
2D CAD files are used for budgetary quotes and for gathering dimensions and called out notes:
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