New Startup Market Trends
According to the Startup Genome Report's trend survey of the global startup market, growth in virtual reality-related industries is gradually slowing down, while new manufacturing is heating up again. Venture capital investment in startups reached a ten-year peak of $140 billion in 2017, increasing by approximately 25% every two years. The growth of digital media is declining; it is being replaced by blockchain, "advanced manufacturing," and AI, with business owners preferring stable and cost-effective prototyping tools.
The internet was once the preferred choice for businesses because of its relative ease of use (e.g., you can create your own website using WordPress), with startup costs for these micro-enterprises as low as $3,000. "But physical products require consideration of many factors, and cost-effectiveness is very important," emphasizes the co-founder of Sinterit . When Sinterit was first established in 2014, it was also a startup, and time and money were the two key factors for survival.
The startup "LOCKY," which developed the world's first smart key, faced this challenge. Prototyping was at the heart of most of the problems. While ordering parts in bulk helped lower prices, it was too risky for a startup's budget. After developing the visual concept, producing the first successful prototype was the most difficult task.
Traditional prototyping equipment uses CNC milling machines to machine prototypes, which takes 1-2 weeks to outsource, is time-consuming, costly, and difficult to operate. Another option is injection molding or plastic injection molding, but mold costs are expensive and preparation time is 2 to 8 weeks. In particular, new products need to prevent the concept from being copied, and even with confidentiality agreements, there is still a risk of leaks. Therefore, LOCKY prefers in-house manufacturing.
Fortunately, the large machines that were previously only seen in factories are being simplified. In addition to 3D printers and desktop CNC machining centers, small vacuum forming machines can now directly mold shells , injection mold samples, and create molds inside the factory. These manufacturing devices not only reduce prototyping costs but also help shorten the product delivery time for the final prototype.
Printing four sets of LOCKY takes only about 18 hours, after which the keys can be inserted and all functions tested. The Sinterit Lisa is large enough to print 16 sets at a time. "Getting real, functional samples is much easier than getting sponsor and customer orders from pretty visual renderings," emphasizes Sebastian Religa, Chief Technology Officer of LOCKY smart keys.
Because desktop 3D printers are simpler to operate than industrial equipment, production can begin with just a basic molding concept. Even complex parts requiring repeated testing can be completed in a single print run without additional assembly, making the Sinterit Lisa the best choice for LOCKY.
"We decided to use the Sinterit Lisa to create a functional prototype of LOCKY in order to manufacture samples with the characteristics of the final product." The main reason for their choice of this technology was that desktop SLS 3D printers could produce quickly while maintaining detail accuracy. Compared to large machines using similar technologies, desktop prototyping equipment is about 20 times cheaper, which has led to their proliferation in R&D offices.
Does your company have similar development needs? Is your R&D struggling to keep up with new product delivery times? Now, by using more diverse desktop rapid prototyping equipment, you can join the ranks of "advanced manufacturing" after "Industry 4.0".
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