Prototype to production with less risk
Blue Ridge Industries' Prototype-to-Production Program helps manufacturers verify designs earlier, identify potential issues before production tooling is built, and confidently move toward launch. Because our engineering and production teams work together, every prototype is developed with production in mind—helping to eliminate surprises later in the process.
Three Levels of Prototype Support
PROTO 1
Perfect for before making an investment and when you need to quickly evaluate:
Fit and form
Ergonomics
Assembly
Packaging
Visual appearance
Includes:
FDM or MJF printed parts
1-2 PARTS
Parts in as little as 5–7 business days
PROTO 2
Take the next step by printing an insert to produce molded parts using production resin.
Ideal for:
Design for Manufacturing verification
Functional testing
Design refinement
Low-temperature commodity resins
Includes:
Printed mold insert – limited mold life
5–10 molded parts
Owned by customer, but run at BRI
2–3 week turnaround
PROTO 3
When your project requires real production conditions before launch.
Designed for:
Mechanical testing
Pilot production
Customer approvals
Low-volume production
Production resins, including glass-filled materials
Includes:
Steel or aluminum production-intent insert
50–1,000+ molded parts
4-6 wks (no action) / 6-12 wks (with action)
Path-to-production credit available*
*Path-to-Production Credit – Receive a 50% credit on dedicated production tool. Must be exercised within 180 days of PROTO 3 part shipment.
Is rapid prototyping Right for your project?
Rapid prototyping is valuable when you need to:
Validate a new product design before investing in production tooling
Verify fit, function or assembly
Test production materials
Conduct customer or field evaluations
Produce parts for pilot builds
Reduce time-to-market
Minimize tooling risk
Build confidence before production launch
Why Choose Blue Ridge?
When you work with Blue Ridge, you're partnering with the engineering and manufacturing team that can ultimately produce your parts at scale. That means design decisions made during prototyping are based on real-world manufacturing expertise, helping to reduce costly revisions later.
Our 3-step process
