We have been producing Ministry Of Defence MOD prototypes for many years, like most Ministry of Defence contracts, confidentiality is a must, here at Malcolm Nicholls we pride ourselves on our discretion and work with over 75% of our clients on strict NDA’s. Finding examples of work that we are allowed to show is therefore very difficult.

What we are showing here is our own version of a series of designs that a Ministry of Defence customer commissioned us to do.

The design of this component meant that producing investment waxes via conventional techniques was almost impossible. Utilising the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printing process and Castform PolyStyrene powder was the ideal candidate to produce 75 waxes for investment casting.

In the following sequence of photos in the header, you can see the de-caking of the parts immediately after the SLS process, followed by the wax infiltration stage.

This de-caking and infiltration process is a very delicate procedure. The material prior to infiltration is extremely weak. Skilled technicians handle the components with extreme caution.

If you want to discuss a MOD prototype or have any other enquiry get in touch with us