Fathom’s Bridge Production Services
Experience the Flexibility of Bridge Production with Fathom
Bridge production is a transitional manufacturing phase between prototyping and production. It enables you to produce low-volume runs of a product that can be sold or used, while the permanent, high-volume manufacturing process is being set up. It can also fill other needs, including:
- Side-stepping tooling delays
- Meeting regulatory requirements
- Conducting market research if you’re unsure of demand for your new product
Additive manufacturing is the most frequently used technology used for this manufacturing method. But other manufacturing methods that have a relatively short turn-around time can also be used, including these in the Fathom portfolio:
- Sheet metal fabrication
- Sheet metal prototyping
- Photochemical machining
- CNC machining (metal and plastic)
- Urethane casting
- Rapid tooling for injection molding
Scenarios Where Bridge Production Can Be Valuable
It can help you solve these four problems:
Sidestep Tooling Delays
What happens when your production tooling is delayed? In the past, you had no choice but to push back your product launch. With bridge production, Fathom can produce a limited number of parts using a different method to fill this gap – enabling you to launch your product on time.
In-Market Testing
Leading companies today often test new product designs with a limited number of customers before doing a full launch. Bridge production provides them with several hundred or several thousand parts so they can gauge customer feedback and make final design tweaks before the full product launch.
Niche Market Opportunities
Some part-making opportunities are too small to justify making a mold. Bridge production expands the range of products that can be brought to market without expensive tooling. You can also make several versions of a product to see which ones your customers prefer.
Fill Supply Chain Gaps
When a supply chain disruption happens, you may be left without an adequate supply of parts to keep your production line running. Bridge production can help to fill that gap. Parts can be produced quickly using digital manufacturing, enabling you to address any shortages very quickly.
Benefits of Bridge Production
Thanks to the widespread availability of affordable additive manufacturing and other fast-turn technologies, a growing number of manufacturers are using bridge production to enhance their operations. Its benefits include:
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Accelerate New Product Development
Bridge production can help you bring new products to market faster and at a lower cost.
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Streamline Compliance
Bridge production enables a limited number of parts to be built quickly to accommodate regulatory compliance requirements.
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Accommodate Design Changes
With bridge production using digital technologies, you can continue to make design changes to a part prior to committing to the production of tooling.
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Flexible
Bridge production is flexible. It can continue for as long as you need. It can even turn into your primary manufacturing method.
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Service Part Solution
It can serve as a viable way to meet customer needs as part demand declines at the end of a product’s life cycle. Service and replacement parts can be made on demand to meet those needs.
Why Choose Fathom for Bridge Production
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Our expert engineers will help you optimize your part designs for production.
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Our engineering and production teams bring decades of expertise and problem-solving to every project.
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We offer manufacturing and full post-processing capabilities under one roof for one point of accountability
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We’re your partner from design and prototyping to bridge and full production.
PolyJet Materials Available
PolyJet 3D printing uses photopolymers that can simulate different material properties ranging from rubber to rigid and transparent to opaque. Download our materials list to learn more.
