Design Technology International | Miracle Model Makers

Model Makers and Design Technology International

Design Technology International’s founder and managing director, John Hawker, began his career in London working with leading lights in the design engineering field. In the early 1980s, John had the privilege of working with Steve Jobs, Apple Computer’s co-founder.

Steve had great vision of how computers would revolutionise how we work. In the engineering design world the impact was immense and positively so. Being able to design using computers not only changed the pace of the game but also enabled engineering designers to be more creative, flexible and innovative.

John founded Design Technology International (DTI Ltd) in 1984. The company, which designs and develops products, quickly became innovators in medical product design. Today, the UK-based company are leaders in their speciality and work with handpicked clients worldwide.

A long and positive relationship

They started working with model makers Prototype Projects in 1986. Shortly after DTI Ltd began its long and positive relationship with Prototype Projects, Roger Barnes and a long-haired, very young, Gary Turner joined the team.

In the early days of DTI Ltd the company used a number of model making companies, however only Prototype Projects stood out from the crowd. John described Prototype Projects as “an exceptional prototyping company” who have “always delivered on time”.

Investment in state of the art technologies

John commended Prototype Projects’ managing director, Justin Pringle, for taking great risk with significant investment over the last few years in state of the art technologies, meaning that the range of services they can provide is very broad. John believes that it is the technology and the team of experts employed by Prototype Projects that sets it apart from its competitors.

Over the years some of DTI Ltd’s clients have requested a tour around Prototype Projects, who have always welcomed the opportunity to demonstrate their facilities and areas of expertise. DTI Ltd’s clients have always been impressed with the range of services offered (CNC, SLA, Selective Laser Sintering and more) as well as their RPA capabilities, which include Viper SLA machines and, most recently, the ProJet 6000 SLA 3D Printer.

The model maker’s prototyping passion

A number of DTI Ltd’s US clients are leaders and innovators in the healthcare market sector. Over the last few years DTI Ltd have developed hospital infusion pumps, chemotherapy pumps as well as Endoscopy and Colonoscopy devices and disposables.

Recently DTI Ltd worked with their client to develop a Laparoscopic suturing device for use in keyhole surgery. The miniature device required high precision prototype parts to be manufactured to confirm functionality. Prototype Projects used a variety of RP processes to produce high quality components in stainless steel and engineering polymers from 3D CAD files produced by DTI Ltd. The fully functioning prototypes were used by surgeons to test and evaluate the performance of the device prior to manufacture.

John Hawker, Managing Director of Design Technology International, said:

“We have worked with Prototype Projects for nearly 30 years. They are committed to investing in new technologies and have built up an experienced and knowledgeable prototyping team. This powerful combination enables design engineers to realise their creations and tap into the considerable expertise that these model makers have to offer. Today the quality and delivery of Prototype Projects continues to be as consistent and exceptional as it was in the early days. I would (and frequently do) highly recommend them to both clients and other design engineering companies.”