Calgary is a city situated in the province of Alberta in Canada. It is encircled by the Bow river and the Elbow river in the south of the province. Calgary has a population of 1,096,833 according to the census conducted in 2011. In fact, it is the largest city in Alberta and the third largest municipality in Canada. The economy in Calgary is widespread with activities in the energy sector, financial services, health & wellness, aerospace, automotive, film & television, transportation & logistics and tourism sectors. Calgary is one city in Canada where advanced manufacturing services such as 3D printing, additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping are playing a key role for companies in the new millenium.
Prototyping is a practice of building models of new products or revising existing products before the final approval for full scale production. This will allow the designers to identify the flaws of their products before they go into full scale production, thereby saving vast amounts of money and valuable time in the process. There are several popular types of rapid prototyping. SLA prototyping or Stereolithography is also known as optical fabrication. It is a technology used to produce prototype models, layer by layer, by combining a photo-reactive resin with a UV laser. This method is quite speedy and functional parts can be made within one day.
SLS Prototyping or Selective Laser Sintering uses a laser in order to sinter power based materials together in forming a solid form. Fused deposition modeling or FDM prototyping functions by laying down materials in layers, while a plastic filament is unwound from a coil to supply material in order to produce a part or model. DMLS Prototyping or Direct Metal Laser Sintering is another popular type of rapid prototyping. It helps to produce metal prototype models within hours. There are many more popular types of prototyping including object prototyping, rapid tooling, rapid manufacturing, finishing and foundry patterns.
There are many industries in Calgary which could benefit from these various rapid prototyping services in the city. The aerospace industry is a good example in this regard. They can use these prototyping services to cut cost and improve productivity in the long run. Medical services, especially dental service providers are another targeted group in this regard. The automotive industry too has good potential in using prototyping services to their benefit.