Metal prototypes and small batches, on production machines
No tooling cost, no minimum piece count, and the same machines that will make the series. What you validate on the prototype is what you get when the volume arrives.
Axinar produces metal prototypes and small batches on its production machines, with no minimum piece count and no tooling cost, because sheet metal parts are programmed rather than tooled. The same lasers, press brakes, welding stations and coating line then run the series, so the validated prototype is the part that gets delivered.
A prototype is only useful if the series can repeat it
Prototype suppliers who work differently from production suppliers hand you a trap. The one-off is hand-formed, filed to fit and welded freehand, it passes your test, and then the production quote arrives from somewhere else with different tolerances and a different price. The part you validated is not the part you will buy.
Here the prototype runs on the production floor. The same 20 kW fiber laser, the same CNC press brakes with laser angle measurement, the same Fronius welding stations, the same powder coating line. There is no dedicated tooling to pay for, because sheet metal work is programmed, not tooled, so a single part is a nesting decision rather than an investment.
We also know what a real R&D part looks like. Our shop has built a measurement rig for the large wind tunnel at the National Technical University of Athens, parts for Formula Student race cars, rocket payload hardware, a robotic exoskeleton and precision aluminium frames and test rigs. That work arrives as a sketch and a deadline more often than as a finished drawing pack.
Four things that matter when the quantity is one
DFM before cutting
We flag the bend radius that will crack, the flange too short to hold, the weld nobody can reach, while it is still cheap to change.
Revisions without drama
Rev B is a new program, not new tooling. Iterating a bracket three times costs three setups, not three tools.
Measured, not eyeballed
First articles are dimensionally inspected and reported, so your design decision rests on numbers.
A path to series
Programs, nesting and fixtures are archived against the part number, so the pilot series and the production run are the same process.
Prototype envelope by process
| Process | Prototype capability | Typical use in R&D |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber laser cutting | Any nestable geometry, steel to 40 mm, sheets to 4,000 × 2,000 mm, ±0.1 mm | Brackets, plates, frames, test fixtures, one-off panels |
| CNC bending | Up to 4,000 mm, ±0.1° with laser angle measurement, no dedicated tooling | Enclosure mock-ups, chassis, formed covers |
| Welding | MIG/MAG, TIG, handheld fiber laser, fixtured or on a levelled table | Frames, rigs, stainless and aluminium assemblies |
| CNC milling | 762 × 406 × 508 mm travel, ±0.02 mm, finishes to Ra 0.8 | Machined interfaces, bearing housings, precision plates |
| CNC turning | 4-axis with live tooling, up to Ø279 × 305 mm, Ø63 mm bar feeder | Shafts, bushes, adapters, threaded components |
| Finishing | Deburring, powder coating in any RAL, galvanizing through partner, laser marking | Presentation samples, field test units, exhibition hardware |
How to make a prototype RFQ move quickly
- Send whatever you have, a STEP file, a napkin sketch with dimensions, or a photo of the part it replaces
- Say what the part has to do, because the function tells us which dimensions are real
- Name the deadline, since scheduling a one-off between series jobs is a planning decision
- Flag the critical fit, one or two dimensions, so inspection focuses where it matters
- Say if a series follows, and roughly how many, so we design the flat patterns for it
- Tell us the finish, raw for testing is often faster and cheaper than painted
One-off, small batch or series, what changes
| One-off or prototype | Small batch | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooling cost | None, parts are programmed | None | None; fixtures may be built and kept here |
| Price per piece | Highest, setup is carried by one part | Falls as setup and nesting are shared | Lowest and stable |
| Main cost driver | Programming and setup time | Nesting efficiency and material usage | Cycle time and material |
| Lead time driver | Fitting the job between scheduled work | Batch scheduling, coating cycles | Agreed call-off plan |
| Inspection | Full dimensional report on the part | First article, then sampling | First article, then in-process checks |
| What we archive | Programs and nesting per part number | Plus fixtures and bend sequences | Plus the approved reference part |
Nothing about the process changes between these columns. The same machines and the same programs run all three, which is why a prototype approved here can be repeated later.
Frequently asked questions
Do you really accept an order for one part?
Yes. One-off parts run here every week, alongside series work. The price per piece is higher than in a batch because programming and setup are not spread over anything, but there is no tooling charge and no minimum order value that blocks a single part.
How fast can I have a prototype?
It depends on the process chain and on what is on the machines that week, so we commit a date in the quotation rather than advertising a number we cannot hold. A simple laser-cut and bent part is usually days. A welded, machined and coated assembly is longer, because coating cures on a schedule.
Will the series part be identical to the prototype?
That is the reason to prototype here. Same machines, same programs, same welders, and the nesting and bend programs are archived against the part number and revision. Where series production would change something, for example a different nesting or a fixture, we tell you at prototype stage.
Can you help finish an unfinished design?
Yes. We run TopSolid CAD/CAM and AutoCAD in-house and our engineers do DFM reviews as part of quoting. For work that goes beyond review, design and development is a service we sell, and it is quoted separately and openly.
Do you sign NDAs for R&D work?
Always, and preferably before the first file. Research hardware, student competition parts and pre-launch products are a normal part of our mix, and none of it appears as reference work without written permission.
Can you inspect and report the first article?
Yes. Dimensional inspection with a written report is standard on first articles, and the report is what you sign off before series production starts. Serial-number traceability can be added with laser marking where the product needs it.
Where to go next
Send your files, get a real quotation
Upload STEP or DXF files, tell us material, thickness, finish and quantity, and our engineers return a quotation with manufacturability notes. If a small change to a bend radius or a hole position saves you money, we tell you before you order.
Every enquiry is covered by an NDA from the first file.
- sales@axinar.com
- Phone
- +30 2310 808 159
- Files we accept
- STEP, DXF, DWG, IGES, SLDPRT, PDF
- Factory
- Bi.Pa. Oraiokastrou 1055, 57013 Thessaloniki, Greece