Rapid prototyping: New vertical machining centres boost bureau's capacity and shorten lead times

摘要

Even though manufacturing industry in the UK is in the doldrums, rapid prototyping (RP) and the short-lead-time manufacture of components and moulds using the same technologies constitute a buoyant sector, because the quick turn-rounds being demanded by many OEMs more-or-less preclude going to overseas suppliers. One RP bureau to benefit from this market is Buckinghamshire-based Gemini Prototyping, Started by Richard Pike in 1999, the company has grown from being an industrial model-maker based in a garden shed to a business that has a ￡1.4 million turnover and employs 22 people.