Protogenic works exclusively with rapid prototyping, production urethanes and direct manufacturing.

When customers need an expertly manufactured prototype or conceptual model, they turn to Protogenic, Vice President of Development Tim Nakari says. The company was founded in 1990 by President Steve Stewart and Executive Vice President Horst Lambrecht. They had both worked in the injection molding business and wanted to get into prototyping using the newest technologies, Nakari says. The company now works exclusively with rapid prototyping, production urethanes and direct manufacturing, using stereolithography, multi-jet modeling, laser sintering and RTV molding.

“People come to us because they want to work with experts,” Nakari says. “We strive to provide a lot of upfront analysis and recommendations. People who like working with us tend to not know exactly what they need at the start, and they rely on our expertise to guide them to the correct fit. Most people don’t know the language of rapid prototyping, and they want to work with someone who does.”

Protogenic serves customers nationwide, but many are located near its headquarters in Westminster, Colo. The company worked with a customer on a new pen called the Z Writer. The pen clips to a finger and allows the user to type while holding it. “It was a clever idea, but the customer wasn’t sure on the design,” Nakari recalls. “We made several models as he proved the design out, changing one angle one degree, or modifying the diameter by a few thousandths. The customer wasn’t sure of the colors, material or feel, but by taking advantage of RTV molding, the customer was able to experiment with a variety of things.

“One great advantage of rapid prototyping is you can play around with a number of ideas without a huge amount of cost change,” he adds. “Once we make a soft tool, we can pour a number of different polyurethane combinations into it.”

The firm enjoys much repeat business from large OEMs such as Motorola and Hewlett-Packard. It also works with manufacturers of defense, medical device, pet products and other consumer goods. “If it’s plastics, it could be a fit,” he says.
    
Rapid Changes
The technology behind the company’s machines and materials changes constantly, Nakari says. “The machines today are better and faster, they’re more accurate and they print faster,” he explains. “In fact, most of what we provide customers with now couldn’t have been done when the company started 17 years ago.”

The materials have come the longest way, he says. “There used to be a connotation with an SLA TM [Stereolithography Apparatus by 3D Systems] – the paradigm was that an SLA is nice, but don’t drop it, or even look at it too hard, because it’s so fragile you might break it. Those resins have come a long way and are now much more durable. It allows users to be more aggressive in handling, even light machining, drilling and tapping.”

The next direction for the firm is direct manufacturing. With the emergence of better machine capabilities, more predictable sizes, better resins and better materials, the models produced have the potential to be used as end-products.
    
Spreading the Word
The company sponsors a program at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s mechanical engineering department that allows students to learn about 3-D CAD and receive their very own solid models. “I do a lecture in the class where I introduce them to the industry of rapid prototyping,” he says. “There is more to be gained by reaching out to new markets and bringing new people in than there is to think the only way to get new customers is by taking them from someone else. There is a lot to be gained by spreading the good word of rapid prototyping. By working with the university, some students remember us after a number of years and come back as customers.”