Short-Run Plastic Components Made in Canada — Without a Mould
As Close as You Can Get to Injection Moulded Without the Mould — 5 to 5,000 Units or More
3D Prototype Design Inc., custom 3D printing SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) production-grade Nylon 12 plastic components in small batches without expensive moulds or tooling. Operating from our facility in New Hamburg, Ontario since 1996, we produce functional, durable, and flexible Nylon 12 parts on demand for Canadian and U.S. businesses. Whether you need 5 parts or 5,000 or more, our parts deliver mechanical strength and flexibility as close as you can get to injection moulded without the mould—while having a distinct matte finish rather than a glossy moulded surface. You get faster turnaround, $0 in tooling fees, no excess inventory to warehouse, drop-shipping options, and the freedom to modify your CAD design or run different part versions between batches.
At a Glance: On-Demand Plastic Manufacturing in Canada
- Manufacturer: 3D Prototype Design Inc. (Established 1996)
- Location: Made in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada (Shipping across Canada & CUSMA tariff-free to the USA)
- Service: Industrial SLS 3D printing for mould-free, on-demand short-run Nylon 12 components
- Batch Sizes: 5 to 5,000 units or more (Order only what you need)
- Design Flexibility: Modify CAD files anytime or run multiple part versions simultaneously
- Fulfillment: Bulk delivery or direct drop shipping to your customers or assembly sites
- Material: Production-grade Nylon 12 (strong, functional, and flexible)
- Lead Time: Days instead of weeks (No mould or tooling wait times)
- Warehousing: free inventory storage at our Ontario facility at no additional charge
Why Canadian & U.S. Manufacturers Choose On-Demand Nylon 12 Over Low-Volume Injection Moulding
| Feature | On-Demand Plastic Components (3D Prototype Design) | Traditional Low-Volume Injection Moulding |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Mould / Tooling Cost | $0 (Prints directly from CAD) | $3,000 to $50,000+ for moulds |
| Turnaround Time | Days | 4 to 12+ weeks (tooling + setup) |
| Ideal Order Volume | 5 to 5,000 units or more | 5,000+ units to justify tooling |
| Design Revisions & Versions | Submit Updated CAD Anytime between batches or print multiple versions together (no re-tooling fees) | Expensive & slow mould re-machining |
| Warehousing & Fulfillment | Free Inventory Storage & Direct Drop Shipping (Standard shipping rates apply) | Bulk freight & paid warehouse storage required |
| Plastic Material | Production-Grade Nylon 12 (functional, flexible & durable) | Moulded Nylon, ABS, or Polypropylene |
| North American Shipping | Made in Ontario, Canada (CUSMA tariff-free to USA) | Often delayed by overseas shipping |
1. SAVE MONEy by eliminating mould Costs & Unused Inventory
One of the biggest ways short-run SLS 3D printing saves you money is by letting you order only what you need—from five to five thousand units or more. Traditional low-volume injection moulding forces you to pay thousands of dollars upfront for mould tooling and buy massive minimum quantities, leaving you stuck paying to warehouse excess stock—or worse, throwing away thousands of dollars in obsolete parts if your design changes or demand shifts. With on-demand Nylon 12 manufacturing, you pay $0 for moulds and never waste money scrapping dead inventory.
2. Modify As You Go
As mentioned, 3D printing doesn’t use moulds, so far there’s greater flexibility to modify your short run production parts as you go without the repercussions. Changing a mould is not only expensive but also can add huge time delays. With a 3D printed SLS model, you can create a small batch, test and sell your design, and then quickly modify your CAD drawing in time for your next short run 3D printing order.
3. Create Multiple Versions At The Same Time
You can easily create many versions of the same design at the same time with the use of 3D print for short run production. By printing multiple versions at once, you can test and compare various design iterations to see which works best — all in the same day. In most cases, ordering multiples can save you money, even if each part is slightly different from one to the next. For more info about printing multiple versions simultaneously, visit our page on rapid prototyping.
4. 3D Print The Difficult To The Impossible
Our SLS nylon parts are the perfect solution if you need highly customized parts or if your design may seem impossible to manufacture. As the SLS 3D printing model process uses nylon powder to act as its own support structure while building, it is rarely a challenge to create intricate pieces or complex assemblies with this single process. Find out more about how SLS compares to FDM for complex designs in short run production.
5. Access A Stopgap Solution
Need a stopgap solution for a problem with your existing product or a long-term fix to repair old machinery with obsolete parts? It’s not uncommon for us at any given time to be creating thousands of temporary parts that are used to retrofit existing products or to replace parts for machinery that customers just can’t get their hands on any more.
Beyond the advantages of 3D printing for low volume production, there are even more reasons why customers select 3D Prototype Design, Inc. as their short run manufacturing experts of choice. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more, or have questions about using our 3D printed short run production parts for your project.
6. Free INVENTORY STORAGE & DIRECT DROP SHIPPING
Need parts stored safely until your team is ready for them, or shipped straight to your end customers and assembly partners? We store your short-run Nylon 12 inventory at our New Hamburg, Ontario facility at no extra charge and can drop ship orders directly where they need to go—saving you warehouse space and double-shipping delays.
FAQs
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What do I need to make a 3D printed part?
In order to quote or make a 3D printed part, you need to have a 3D CAD file drawing created. We do not offer drawing or scanning services. If you don’t have a CAD drawing of your part you should find a mechanical engineer/design to draw your part. See what is 3d printing.