Our detailed QMS system combined with tools such as our PCD documents, allow LPE to manufacture repeatable and reliable parts. Over the last number of years, additive manufacturing processes have increasingly started to be used for low-volume production requirements.
At LPE, we specialise in low-volume production of parts made in both plastics and metals. We can advise on the most cost-effective method to produce your parts by utilising a wide range of 3D Printing Technologies, Vacuum Casting and CNC. Not only can we make parts in functional materials but we can also fully finish the parts to match exactly your production specifications.
Rapid Manufacturing Technologies
LPE offers a wide range of Rapid Manufacturing technologies in-house including
- Stereolithography
- Selective Laser Sintering
- Metal Sintering
- Digital Light Processing (DLP)
- Hybrid Photosynthesis (HPS)
- Vacuum Casting
- CNC Machining
With an extensive range of technologies and materials available in plastics, metals and rubbers we are confident we will be able to offer our customers a solution whatever their low-volume production requirement. Unsure which process best suits your project?
View process comparison tableWhy Choose Rapid Manufacturing technologies for low volume production?
- True replacement for traditional methods of manufacturing
- Ability to create previously unimaginable geometries
- Exact colour and finish matching (to Pantone/RAL specifications)
- Range of functional materials – Plastics, Rubbers & Metals
- Highly competitive pricing
- No minimum order quantity
- Parts produced in days
- Range of processes to match customer requirements (SLS, Vacuum Casting, DLP, DMLS, CNC, SLA)
- Certificate of Conformity & First Article Inspection Reports available on request
- Design modifications – quick, easy & cost-effective
Your Additive Manufacturing Partner
-
Quailty
Quality is at the heart of everything we do and we ensure that our quality procedures are incorporated into and actively reviewed and improved for all our processes.
We are both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485: certified and copies of our quality certificates are available here.
-
In-house Post Processing Capabilities
LPE are able to fulfil a wide range of customer requirements in relation to low-volume production due to the in-house post-processing capabilities that we offer including:
- Heat treatments available in-house for both reactive and non-reactive metals (ASTM F2924)
- Post-machining and inspection capabilities (5-axis and 3-axis CNC machines along with EDM machines and CMM)
- Tapping and reaming available
- Shot peening available
- Wide range of painting and finishing techniques available including metal polishing and advanced metal finishing expertise
Find out more about out post-processing services here.
-
Measurement, Inspection and Quality Documentation
As LPE has become more and more involved with low volume production work we have increased our in-house testing and measurement capabilities.
LPE can now offer:
- In-house mechanical tensile and density testing capabilities. This includes physical analysis, including porosity and density, and surface and dimensional analysis.
- Certificate of Conformity & First Article Inspection Reports (including CMM reports)
- Heat treatment certification reports from our fully instrumented in-house inert gas box furnace
- Metal production parts controlled using PCD (based on ISO/ASTM 52904)
- Powder analysis and material traceability. Batch control with full traceability and MILL certificates with the option of additional chemical elemental analysis carried out for each production build
- Machine certification (calibration certified, in-build laser power monitoring)
- Machine quality reports are available for each metal build
Research
Over the last few years, we have been involved with a number of R&D projects which have examined the qualification process for production parts for different industries. It is as a direct result of these R&D activities that we have developed some of our in-house measurement and inspection control documents.
LPE is happy to work with our customers to develop the inspection documentation that they require to allow them to have the confidence they need to use our processes for their low-volume production projects.
Interested in discussing this further? Contact us