3D Printing with Formlabs - Our Rapid Prototyping Process
Rawrycat Wasn't Built In A Day!
From living room floor to bonafide lab.
We're all slowly getting used to working from home, but Rawrycat HQ in New York City didn't always have the equipment needed to do so. From the very first day of development of The Rawrycat Mask™, we began to realize that Rawry's home was about to change.
Bookshelves, yoga mats, and even the couch had to be moved to make way for our Formlabs Form 3, Form Wash, and Form Cure. For the first few months of the project, we worked hunched over on the living room floor. We churned out nearly 30 different prototypes from over 100 different 3D prints before the Rawrycat Mask™ entered its final form.
Rawry was there every step of the way to provide critical oversight and management duties.
Ever the curious cat, Rawry inspected every piece of equipment and each new prototype. As Senior Meowngineer, she took her role very seriously. Special care was taken to ensure the resins and other toxic chemicals were properly stored, sealed, and kept far far away from Rawry. She was only ever allowed near clean and safe surfaces.
But a living room floor is no place for a Rapid Prototyping Lab.
It didn't take long before our necks started to hurt, and we began to realize it was time to turn this Living Room Lab into a full fledged 3D Printing Paradise.
The Workbench Has Arrived
Finally, as we neared the end of the Rapid Development phase of the Rawrycat Mask™, the time came to install our workbench. It needed to be large enough to make sure the Form 3, Form Wash, and Form Cure were in a stable environment. Now we were in business. No more spilled resin, drips of Isopropyl Alcohol, or misplaced tools.
From Prototype To Launch
Every journey begins with a single step. Rawrycat's first step was adding the Formlabs Form 3 to our lab. We printed nearly 100 prototypes in the first six months or so that we had it. And it has since become a critical part of Rawrycat HQ.
It allowed us to print hard plastic prototypes (so we could make sure the fit and form of the mask was perfect), flexible and durable prototypes (to test other parts and prototypes that would be nearly identical to what our factory would ultimately produce), and elastic prototypes (so we could test the function of the masks before going into production).
Even now as we prepare new and exciting products for launch (hint: pet products), the Form 3 remains a critical part of our operation.
