Protolabs has joined with RS Components to form a comprehensive ‘Design and Manufacturing Solution’ that aims to improve speed to market and deliver greater flexibility of production for RS Component’s customers.
The link-up sees RS Components’ global product and service solutions look to add industrial 3D Printing capabilities to its offering, as well as the potential for expertise in CNC machining and injection moulding services
Initially, the service will be available to UK customers only, but both parties expect the partnership to be expanded to the wider European market.
The deal will enable users to design parts through RS Components’ own DesignSpark CAD software before moving to manufacture parts with Protolabs in accordance with prototyping or functional requirements.
This includes access to Protolabs’ 3D printing technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA), Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF), PolyJet (3D printed silicone) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS).
“Our speed and excellence in digital manufacturing, rapidly creating even the most complex parts in a wide range of plastics and metals, means RS Components customers can enjoy a complete start-to-finish service; a broad offering that supports clients in all fields across the industrial sphere, giving them even more choice,” said Bjoern Klaas, VP and MD at Protolabs Europe.
Klaas continued: “Digital manufacturing is a valuable addition for DesignSpark software users, as the designs they create within the software can then be uploaded to our e-commerce platform for quoting, analysis (design for manufacturability) and part production – a seamless and user-friendly process.”
Mike Bray, Group Lead, Innovation, R&D and DesignSpark at Electrocomponents, added: “At RS, our mission is to help customers maximise the opportunities around Industry 4.0, both educating them on the latest technology innovations and making them accessible. Our partnership with Protolabs supports that mission perfectly.”
RS Components Design Spark software is free to use, and it reports has a community of over million users globally, offering PCB and electrical design tools as well as 3D mechanical CAD and a parts library.
