Where it all began
Prototype Projects was established in 1980 by Dennis McFetrich; the primary focus of the business was model making. In 1999, Dennis sold the company to design consultancy A G Pringle Ltd. It’s been run by the Pringle family ever since.
40 years in the making – 200 years of experience
Our team, which is currently 22 strong, has nearly 200 years’ worth of combined experience developed at Prototype Projects alone. Some of our team have many years of prior experience working in our industry. So, we feel comfortable saying we’re highly experienced and skilled.
We take pride in developing our team to ensure we can deliver the best prototype parts to our clients. From apprenticeships to college and on-the-job training, our company is structured to enable everyone to share and learn from each other.
Click here to meet our team.
Keeping our customers happy
Customer satisfaction means everything to us. The treats that we package up with every order are a simple gesture to show our appreciation.
More importantly for us and our customers, though, is ensure we consistently deliver high-quality prototype parts time and time again. Regardless of whether a part is 3D printed using SLS, SLA, FDM or Figure 4, or if it’s vacuum cast or CNC machined or laser cut, each part represents our company and so we ensure every part is quality checked before it is dispatched.
We have also worked hard to provide a rapid service. We know how important it is for our customers to receive estimates quickly, which is why we respond to requests within four hours or faster. It’s why we offer a next day dispatch service on 3D printed parts, and it’s why we’re working hard to refine other offerings to deliver our services quickly.
Investments in technology
It’s all very well having a highly skilled team and looking after our customers, but advancements in technology mean we need to ensure we have the processes and machines to deliver the very best parts.
Over the years we have continually invested in new technology. Unlike some of our competitors, we deliver all our main services in-house so there are no hidden costs for our customers to pay.
Our 3D printing suite has continued to grow since it was opened back in 2016:
- We have more SLA and SLS machines
- We were the UK’s first provider of SLS dyeing in full colour using the DyeMansion process; we can dye parts in virtually any colour
- We deliver a texturing service for SLS and SLA parts; if you can find the pattern, we can texture the part
- We invested in the latest 3D printing technology, Figure 4, meaning we can offer even more material properties and can print parts even faster.
At the end of 2019, we increased our CNC capacity and have expanded the team delivering that service.
New for 2020
Our CNC service is our big focus for 2020. We already offer an express service for 3D-printed parts – we’re now working to implement an express service for CNC parts. We’ll tell you more about that as soon as we’re ready.
Celebrating our 40 years in business
We’re going to celebrate our 40 years in business the only way we know-how. By opening our doors to our customers and inviting them to take the tour of our facilities.
New and old customers are welcome, even if they’ve visited before. And to make the trip even more worthwhile for customers who aren’t local, we’re offering tickets to the Duxford Imperial War Museum the day before air shows so there should be lots to see!
When?
- Friday 22 May, 10.30am – 11.30am (tickets to the Air Festival Show preps are available)
- Wednesday 8 July, 10.30am – 11.30am
- Friday 18 September, 10.30am – 11.30am (tickets to the Battle of Britain Air Show preps are available)
- Wednesday 4 November, 10.30am – 11.30am
Simply go to our Eventbrite booking page to book your tour.
Thank you
Finally, on behalf of everyone at Prototype Projects, we thank you for your continued business. Whether we’re at the start of our business relationship or if you’ve worked with us since the beginning, we are grateful that you put your trust in us to deliver your prototype projects.
