lkprototype offers zero-MOQ prototyping on a shared manufacturing platform, and its 3D printing capabilities (e.g., SLA, MJF) can facilitate single-piece MOQ. For instance, using the handle of a medical device, once the customer submitted the STL file, the customer sintered PA12 nylon powder (0.05mm layer thickness), the unit cost of manufacturing a single piece was 58, saved the initial investment of 8235/kg when compared to traditional CNC machining (with a minimum order requirement of 5 MOQ pieces), and only paid $127 for getting the complete prototype. Reduce overspending budget risk by 96% compared to pilot production mode.
lkprototype’s modularity of mold technology distributes mold cost over multiple customer projects, lowering injection molding prototype MOQ to 1 piece. For example, the smart home button project uses ABS materials, the old mold fee requires 15,000 and has a minimum order of 500 units, whereas lkprototype’s modular design split the mold cost into 12 customers to share, only paying 1,200 for one project, not including tax, to obtain the single injection molding unit price of $9.8, which is 92% lower than the independent mold opening cost. According to the Wohlers 2024 report, this distributed manufacturing solution reduces prototype development cycles for smes by an average of 65%, and 43% of lkprototype customers choose this solution for market validation.
In metal processing, lkprototype’s five-axis CNC cluster makes it possible to produce single complex parts. An aerospace sensor base (titanium alloy TC4, size 150×80×30mm) is allocated to the unused machine by the smart production planning system, one processing time 6.5 hours, cost 214 (including surface sandblasting treatment), compared to the traditional machine processing factory (3 pieces minimum order quantity) to prevent 428 useless inventory funds. The system’s built-in real-time quotation system proves that while the part’s weight increases from 300g to 500g due to the increase in material usage (72% to 85%), the unit cost increases by merely 18% and non-linear growth, which allows the customer to accurately control their budgets.
lkprototype’s mixed manufacturing plant incorporates 3D printing (accuracy ±0.1mm), vacuum remolding (shrinkage ≤0.08%) and manual surface finishing (surface roughness Ra0.4μm) processes to satisfy the needs of individual pieces of special materials. A new energy automobile lampshade product uses PC material (transmittal rate 91%), makes the master mold through SLA (consumes 8 hours and charges 75), and then uses the silicone mold to produce 5 clear parts (unit price 22/piece), the total cost is reduced by 61% compared with direct CNC processing. The system has funded 320 hardware startups, and 78% of customers have built only 1-3 prototypes for their first investment roadshows.
Through blockchain smart contracts, lkprototype enables disintermediate transactions beyond factory capacity. When an automated factory unexpectedly stops production for a harmonic reducer test sample (material steel 40Cr, hardness HRC58-62), the system will automatically allocate the idle No. 22 CNC machine in Suzhou factory (available capacity 4.3 hours), and complete the order at $189 (with heat treatment), 73% below charter price. Deloitte’s research finds that lkprototype’s equipment sharing network has increased the usage of equipment to 89% from the 64% industry standard while maintaining single prototype delivery time at 48-72 hours and on-time delivery percentage at 98.5%.
For micro-parts, lkprototype’s micro-nano machining center (±2μm accuracy) supports single-piece nanoscale prototypes. A silicon chip runner (groove width 0.8μm) is produced by a MEMS sensor manufacturer with FIB focused ion beam processing technology, which costs 12 hours per unit and 3,200, saving 28,800 initial investment compared to the 10-piece MOQ mode of semiconductor fountiors. The built-in DFM analysis module optimizes the design automatically, reducing the chip’s stress concentration factor from the initial 3.7 to 1.2, and the test pass rate from 51% to 89%.
lkprototype’s on-demand post-processing system offers 200+ surface effect options. One gilt effect prototype was made by a customer of luxury packaging box, through the combination process of PVD coating (film thickness 0.3μm) and laser laser engraving (accuracy 0.02mm), in an effort to achieve 72 hours delivery time, at a cost of $420, compared to the traditional proofing process in saving time from 4 weeks. ISO 9001 quality system ensures that one prototype’s performance difference from a production component is less than 1.5%, and this way, customers can have accurate cost estimates in the seed financing stage.