NEED SHORT RUN MANUFACTURING?

SHORT RUN MANUFACTURING

Small batch manufacturing or short-run manufacturing are terms used to describe production runs with limited quantities, typically less than 1000 units. With Nova there is no minimum quantity on any project; you can go from 1 to any quantity.

Here’s how it works;

Send your design to info@novaproduct.com or upload it.
You select the material or give us the required material specification and we will select the material for you.
Let us know the quantity required.

Once we have the required information, Nova will do the rest and have the products shipped/ delivered to your location.

We will store your data and master moulds for years without any extra cost so that you can re-order your parts at any time without any extra cost.

SMALL BATCH MANUFACTURING GALLERY

TECHNIQUES

SPECIFICATIONS

Virtually no size limit to cast parts
Cost effective for short runs of small parts, but especially medium or large parts
Materials are suitable for production parts
Some urethanes are neutral and so are easily coloured or the parts can be painted

RAPID TOOLING FOR RIGID URETHANE

Rapid moulds are made in two to five days from master models. The models used can be Polyjet, SLA, FDM, CNC machined or existing parts. The models are finished and any surface texture on the master will be reproduced in the mould. The mould can be either a single or multi-cavity mould.

Urethanes are a group of plastics that solidify when a resin and catalyst are combined. They offer a wide range of properties and we try to match the properties you require to one of the materials available. There are urethanes similar to ABS, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate and Nylon. Various properties include, fire retardant, high heat, high impact and fast de-mould time, though not all in the same material.

SPECIFICATIONS

Virtually no size limit to cast parts
Cost effective for short runs of small parts, but especially medium or large parts
Materials are suitable for production parts
Some urethanes are neutral and so are easily coloured or the parts can be painted

RAPID TOOLING FOR FLEXIBLE AND RUBBER PARTS

Flexible materials that can be used are silicon rubbers and urethanes. Both are a group of materials that solidify when a resin and catalyst are combined. They offer a wide range of properties and durometers and we try to match the properties you require to one of the materials available. Durometers range from Shore A 5 to Shore A 60 for silicon, and Shore A 15 to Shore A 95 for urethane.

Short run injection mold overmold santap

SPECIFICATIONS

Parts can be moulded in a variety of materials, colours and finishes
Small parts can be moulded in a mould insert tool which runs inside an existing mould base (This is less expensive and is easier to cost justify for short runs)
Larger parts require dedicated moulds

INJECTION MOULDING

Injection moulding is a mass production process used for producing hundreds of thousands and millions of identical parts. However, it can also be used for short runs of parts — hundreds or thousands — depending on part geometry.

Injection moulding melts plastic, shoots it into a mould cavity where it cools and is later ejected. This cycle is repeated about every minute — 60 parts per hour.

SPECIFICATIONS

The plaster picks up all the detail of the model
There is virtually no size limit to parts
Models from plaster moulds exhibit very good surface finish
There is virtually no size limit to parts
Masters can be SLA, SLS, FDM, Polyjet or machined models
Cast parts can be machined to achieve tighter tolerances

PLASTER CASTING

The plaster casting process uses a master model to create a mould out of plaster. The plaster mould is used to cast copies in aluminum or zinc. When the metal copy is cool, the plaster is broken away to expose the part, therefore each part requires its own mould.

SPECIFICATIONS

A variety of metals can be used — aluminum, iron, steel, brass, etc…
The surface finish of the cast part is not as smooth as with Plaster Metal Casting and it does not reproduce as much fine detail
Cast parts can be machined for tolerance and details
FDM models can be used as master models

SAND CAST METAL

Sand casting, another traditional manufacturing process, uses a master model or tooling to create a mould made with a specialized sand. Molten metal is poured into the sand mould and left to cool. The sand is then broken away to expose the part.

SPECIFICATIONS

Vacuum forming can be used for prototypes, but is typically for production parts
Various kinds of sheet stock are available – ABS, HDPE, Styrene, Vivac etc…
Low cost tooling

VACUUM FORMING

This is a process where a sheet of plastic is heated and placed over a form. A vacuum from below sucks the plastic onto the form and the excess material around the edges is trimmed off.