Do you need EV parts fabrication? If you’re an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, the challenges begin during prototyping and extend through production. If you need an alpha or a beta prototype, you probably want it quickly. You also want something that’s representative of the final part and that’s cost-effective to produce. Iterations should be easy to make, too. When it’s time for manufacturing, delivery times are important. Yet, you’re also concerned about quality and consistency.

Elasto Proxy is ready to support you throughout the life cycle of your EV project. Because we provide design assistance and help with material selection, we’re like having an extension of your engineering team. The value we offer doesn’t end there, however. From prototyping through production (and beyond), our solutions providers can help your company get to market faster and then stay ahead of the pack. Contact us to learn more or keep reading to find out how we can help.  

EV Parts Prototyping

When you hear the words “rapid prototyping”, do you automatically think of 3D printing? There’s a place for additive manufacturing during product development, but 3D printing isn’t the only way to get the prototypes that you need quickly. At Elasto Proxy, we use water jet cutting for prototyping and for low-to-medium volume production. There’s no tooling to wait for or pay for, and that means we can get to work right away and without charging you for a new tool if your design changes.

But why not just use 3D printing instead? It’s also tool-less, and it’s certainly fast. Speed is important, but it’s not the only concern. Importantly, 3D printed materials don’t have the same end-use properties. Take a plastic such as polypropylene (PP), for example. There are many 3D printers that can use this polymer, but the PP that’s 3D printed isn’t identical to polypropylene that’s extruded. The same is true for elastomers – and you won’t find a 3D printer that can process EPDM, a rubber used in door gaskets.

You could 3D print a door gasket in another material, but this prototype wouldn’t be representative of a production-quality part in terms of its end-use properties. So, you couldn’t use your prototype to validate an adhesive, test for compression set, or determine environmental resistance. With water jet cutting, however, it’s easy to produce an EPDM cut length. Even if the shape of the rubber profile isn’t exactly the same as in your application, you’ll get more than just an idea of what the gasket looks like.

EV Parts Manufacturing

Industrial 3D printers can be expensive. Unless you’re prototyping or producing a high volume of parts, can you really justify the expense? When it comes to manufacturing, you could find an overseas company to do gasket fabrication. The initial costs might be lower, but your true costs would be higher. With distant supply chains, container ships – and your parts – can be delayed for weeks or months at a time. If you’re pitching to investors, do you want to delay an EV launch because of a missing door gasket?    

At Elasto Proxy, our water jet cutting equipment can produce the low-to-medium volumes of the parts that you need, and with the consistency and complexity that many designs require. But what if you don’t need complexity, and what if you need high volumes? Elasto Proxy can also provide you with die-cutting services to cut simple shapes such as circles, or to produce higher volumes of EV parts (such as with electric cars). Unlike other suppliers, we can grow with you and will support you every step of the way.

Choose Elasto Proxy for EV Parts Fabrication

Do you need EV parts fabrication for prototyping or production? How about both? Then it’s time to talk to Elasto Proxy and learn more about why the EV industry is choosing us.

Leave a Reply