Most Popular Questions.
To get a quote for all of our services, simply upload a 3D CAD model on our site, here are some quoting requirements:
3D/2D (3D is better for getting more accurate price)
Material
Process
Post-Treatment (If you do need it, you can write: as machined)
(If you are not clear with all the above info, Read how to choose material and process for manufacturing.)
And once we have the required info, you'll get an interactive quote within hours. If there are problems in the submitted design, our quoting engineers will provide detailed information on the potential manufacturing issues and suggest possible solutions.
In most cases, we respond within a couple of hours of receiving an RFQ for rapid prototyping project. If the quote is delayed, we will notify you as soon as possible.
Generally we do not provide drawings for our customers because the engineering department of customers are responsible for submitting 2D and 3D CAD drawings, but for some cases we can provide a 2D/3D drawing for manufacturing review upon receiving your order. Read how to prepare your CAD drawings for manufacturing.
In order to provide an accurate and timely quote, we only accept 3D CAD files in STP, STEP, PRT or IGS format. For 2D drawings with reference dimensions must be in PDF format. We must receive complete manufacturing information as part of this technical documentation.
Yes, customer-supplied material is fine so long as it fits with our machine capabilities.
Yes, master models are used to create silicone molds for vacuum casting and can be made from any rigid solid that can withstand heat up to 100℃. Models used for CNC machining will be 3D scanned to create a CAD/CAM program for production. And attention for the transportation of your masters.
We will sign and adhere to any non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement. We also have a strict policy within our factory that no photographs are ever allowed of a customer's product without express permission. Ultimately we rely on our reputation of working with hundreds of thousands of unique designs over many years and never allowing any proprietary information to be disclosed to a third party.
Although direct comparisons are difficult, GD Prototyping's prices will be typically 25-45% less for plastic injection mold tools and CNC machined / turned parts when compared to suppliers in North America and Europe.
As compared to Chinese suppliers, we choose to not to compete on price but to offer the highest levels of quality, excellent services, rapid response and professional results.
Lead times are quoted in calendar days. As per our Terms and Conditions, quoted lead times commence only after completion and confirmation of design for manufacturing review and the beginning of actual production.
Quality parts can be made in as little as two weeks if you provide us with complete 2D and 3D CAD models. More complex parts requiring or other special features will take longer. Request a quote to get more accurate lead times based on your project.
As for shipping, most of our shipments are via air freight which can take a few days from China to Europe or North America.
Generally, for European countries 3-4 days, for North American countries 4-5 days, for Australia 3-4 days, for South American countries 5-7 days, for Midest Asia countries and North African Countries 5-7 days.
But shipping time is unpredictable due to some emergency situations, it may be delayed like high-peak season, pandemic happening or other force majeure.
Yes, of course you can, there is no minimum quantity with GD Prototyping, we will recommend you with the most suitable and effective manufacturing solutions based on your quantities.
Machined parts have the true properties of the material you select. Our process allows you to get parts machined from blocks of solid plastic and metal in the same time frame.
We mill and turn low quantities of parts very quickly. Typical quantities are one to 200 pieces and manufacturing times are 1 to 3 business days. We offer product developers parts machined from engineering-grade materials that are suitable for functional testing or end-use applications.
CNC machining is more expensive than plastic 3D printing, but it is the most feasible option for metal visual prototypes given the high cost of metal 3D printing and metal casting.
We can use diverse 3D printing processes to fabricate your parts. More rapid and cost-effective compared with CNC Machining from one piece to large quantities.
3D printing has become a standard technique for developing one-off visual prototypes due to its speed, affordability, and flexibility. Printed parts sometimes lack strength and impact resistance, but this matters little for visual prototypes.
Vacuum casting is a method for making high quality prototypes or low volumes of parts formed from inexpensive silicone molds. Copies made in this way show great surface detail and fidelity to the original pattern.
Before making the investment to have injection-mold tooling made or high-volume machining processes, you likely will want to test a part that is as close to the production part as possible. CNC machining is the best option for this situation.
Additionally, engineers often need just one or maybe a few parts for test fixtures, assembly jigs, or assembly fixtures. Machining is the best option here as well, but traditional machine shops often charge a significant non-recurring engineering (NRE) charge for programming and fixturing. This NRE charge often makes getting very small quantities not affordable. The automated CNC machining process eliminates the upfront NRE costs and is able to offer quantities as low as one part at an affordable price and get parts in your hands in as fast as 1 day.
Injection molding is better suited to support larger amounts of samples for functional or market testing, bridge tooling, or low-volume production. If you need parts before a steel tool can be made (typically 6 to 10 weeks with other molders) or your volume requirements don't justify expensive steel production tooling, we can supply production parts to meet your full requirements (up to 10,000+ parts) in 1 to 15 days.
There is not a given set of tolerances that fits all processes and materials. In every case, the final tolerances on your part will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:
Part size
Design geometry
The number, type and size of features
Material(s)
Surface finish
Manufacturing process
Once your order is confirmed, we will review your design and provide a design for manufacturing review, pointing out any areas where we may not be able to achieve your desired tolerances. It's helpful if you can specify which areas in your design have critical tolerances that must be met and which can be slightly modified if needed to reduce time and costs involved. Here are some general tolerance guidelines:
General tolerances for CNC machining in metal and plastic
Plastic injection molding tolerances
General tolerance for metal 3D printing is +/- 0.5mm
Shrinkage rate of +/- 0.15% is to be expected for vacuum casting
All manufacturing and technical specifications need to be clearly specified in the 2D drawings in order to be followed.
How does GD Prototyping ensure the quality of my parts?
Once your order is confirmed, we will perform a full Design for Manufacturing (DFM) review to point out any issues that our engineers feel may affect the quality of your parts.
All incoming materials are inspected and verified with a suite of testing equipment.
Final inspection reports before shipment.
We have the ability to share inspection data with you in real-time so we can work together to address any quality issues you may have during production.
We offer a wide variety of finishing services to achieve almost any look and feel on your parts. We offer treatments for metal, texturing for plastic injection mold tools, painting for metal and plastic and many more. You can also learn how to specify the surface texture you want in this blog.
Yes. We combine the machining capabilities of the best combined 3-axis, 4-axis or even 5-axis CNC milling machines. We also have adopted the latest diamond machining technology in ultra-precision manufacturing. This is a technique called Single Point Diamond Machining (SPDM or SPDT) that can match the ability of 5-axis micro-milling to produce a range of lens and light guides types of excellent optical quality in an array or freeform pattern. With the rich polishing experience, we can get amazing appearance on both inside and outside of the parts, providing fully support to clear and optical prototype development projects.
The service time of the silicone mold is directly related to the complexity of the casting part. Generally, it outputs 12-15 pieces before degradation. If the structure of the part is simple, one mold might be able to cast 20 parts; while if the part requires high quality such as the clear complicated part, one mold can only make 12 or even 10 casting parts.
The quality of the casting parts is determined by the quality of master pattern. When the requirement of a client comes to high tolerance, glossy finish or even optically clear parts, the master pattern will be manufactured with CNC machine which is characterized with high specification precision machining and high-quality surface finish. In the meantime, we also can paint parts surface for texture or satin effect to simulate the final mold texture of the product. The silicone molds will copy the details and textures from the original master, so the casting parts will come out the same as the master without any extra finish on the surface.
Yes — GD Prototyping Group has more than 80 sets of CNC machining from 3 axis to 5 axis at OUR OWN FACILITIES and in total more than 200 machines for 3D Printing, Vacuum Casting, Sheet Metal machines and Injection Molding machines that belong to GD Prototyping Group. This gives us a much higher level of production control in comparison to companies that outsource machining. You just get the price from the first manufacturer directly.
No, we do not insure deliveries. However, you are free to use your own insurance.
There is no single answer to this question but a few rules apply. For customers in Australia, new CHAFTA regulations allow for a progressive roll-out of duty-free import into Australia. Import duties vary widely between countries, and are dependent on the type of good being imported. Most countries in the world conform to the international Harmonized System (HS) codes that categorize virtually all commercial trade goods.
Our standard terms are Ex Works (EXW) for rapid prototyping and regular production orders. This means the customer is responsible for shipping, customs clearance and all other associated fees once the goods have left our premises.
For express shipments, we use Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU), which means that the client is responsible for paying import duty when the goods arrive to your destination.
Yes. However, we must explain that our tooling is manufactured to be compliant with our Modular Unit Dies (MUD). This means they are a uniform base size, so the customer must be prepared to receive tools in that size to fit into their own machines.
What if I am not completely satisfied with the parts I receive?
We guarantee our materials and workmanship based on the terms of the initial order and the information provided by you. Any disputes based on a subjective determination shall be brought to the attention of management who will act in good faith to provide you with complete satisfaction. Our continuing business relies on earning your confidence in our ability to meet and exceed any reasonable expectations.
Rapid prototyping customers must pay in advance for the first three orders, after which we will consider giving 30 days credit. Except in very special cases, all tooling orders require a 50% deposit in advance. Typically the balance must be paid after T1 approval of samples.
GD Prototyping accepts payment in two ways:
Bank to bank wire transfer. GD Prototyping has accounts in Hong Kong and Dongguan, China.
We can send you a PayPal info and you can use your PayPal account or credit card to pay.
For business identification purposes, our DUNS number is 69-748-5516.
For business identification purposes, our ISO9001 number is 19820QI1662R0M.
Firstly we guarantee our materials and process based on the terms of the initial order and the information provided by you. Every part will be controlled and inspected strictly by our engineers and QC department. Any disputes based on a subjective determination shall be brought to the attention of management who will act in good faith to provide you with complete satisfaction. Our continuing business relies on earning your confidence in our ability to meet and exceed any reasonable expectations.
GD prototyping technology(HK) Ltd
Address：2/F, Building5, No.74, Zhen'an East Road, Xiaobian Village, Chang'an Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province China
Tel：+86 769-85074062
Phone：+86 18922939267
E-mail：sales08@gd-prototype.com
