on the industrial engineer and are
completely technology agnostic in the
sense that we select the 3D printing
technologies that are best for the
industrial engineer and we will work
with the engineer to determine which
type of technology is best for them to
make their part depending on what
they’re trying to do with the part. Then
we make very high-quality 3D printed
parts with a broad range of materials.”
The added versatility of 3D printing
is perfectly suited to the hyper-
specialized builds Protolabs is known for,
and constant technological advances
mean the company is always expanding
its offerings to keep pace with new
frontiers of possibility. In June 2019,
Protolabs announced the launch
production capabilities for 3D printing
using metal. The added tensile strength,
dimensional accuracy and cosmetic
appearance of metal parts has lead
to clients using Protolabs prints for
production parts rather than just
prototypes. “We’re starting to see a lot
of interest in the aerospace and medical
device areas, where people are taking
advantage of the full design freedom
that you get from 3D printing in order to
create something very unique,” says Holt. 38
LEADERSHIPAUGUST 2019