Proto Labs moves to larger premises

The Queens Award-winning company's new, 12,600 sq m home has plenty room for its growing fleet of injection moulding machines and CNC machine tools, and is close to main transport links, including Birmingham airport. "Five years ago, when we began our operations in the UK, we set some very aggressive growth targets. I'm happy to say, we have reached or exceeded every one of those targets, not least because we continue to invest in technology and people, focusing resources on developing a world-class service and a team of highly trained engineers," said Proto Labs managing director, John Tumelty. "As a result, our business in the UK and Europe has expanded at an impressive rate. This new building will give us the space and the facilities we need to continue that growth for a long time to come." Proto Labs offers two services: Firstcut, which see CNC precision-machined prototype components produced – suitable for one to 10 parts; and Protomold, which provides rapid injection-moulded parts in batches from 10 to 10,000 parts. Both operations employ powerful computers and proprietary software to help designers to optimise a part for production, meaning that even customers with absolutely no manufacturing experience can still use its on-line, automated quoting and ordering system. The company's online operations and services, ProtoQuote and FirstQuote, allow the company to analyse and process thousands of 3D CAD models every day.