Engineering & Prototyping

Development of your series-ready HMI solution

Now it’s time to make your vision real. In the second phase of your project, we shift into high gear—bringing together expert project management and hands-on engineering to develop your input solution all the way to functional prototype.

With deep industry expertise and an eye for detail, we transform your custom concept into a precise 3D design, fully compatible with standard CAD environments. This ensures seamless data integration, allowing your HMI component to be incorporated effortlessly into the overall 3D model of your product. You gain full visibility into how it fits, functions, and performs—long before the first prototype is built.

By visualizing every detail early on, we help you eliminate design risks, streamline adjustments, and stay ahead of potential challenges.

To bring your solution to life, we leverage a range of advanced manufacturing techniques—3D printing, vacuum casting, and precision milling—to create high-quality prototypes that meet series production standards. Fast. Reliable. Cost-effective.

With us, you're not just developing an HMI—you're building a product experience that’s engineered to perform.

 

Project management

We manage and control the development meticulously and keep an eye on the project goals at all times.

Development

We take care of the design of your input solution and all the tools required for production.

Prototyping

We deliver prototypes in series quality with the shortest lead times.

 

Fast-Track to Series-Ready Prototypes

Once the product specifications are defined, our design team jumps into action. We typically create multiple 3D models to showcase design options and help you make informed decisions early on.

A key advantage? At our headquarters in Steißlingen, Southern Germany, our design and sales teams work side by side, ensuring a fast and frictionless exchange of ideas. This close collaboration accelerates the process—allowing us to deliver a production-ready prototype in record time.

 

From Sketch to Series-Ready Prototype

Your Vision, Expertly Engineered

Even the simplest sketch is enough for us to start. Our design team transforms rough ideas into precise 3D models—building a solid foundation for further project development. Working hand in hand with sales, we ensure every detail you share makes it into the final design—nothing gets lost in translation.

Throughout the entire planning phase, your dedicated project manager is by your side—ready to address technical questions and coordinate every step. When needed, our design team works directly with your developers for even smoother collaboration.

Once you're fully aligned with the design, we move swiftly into sample production. We coordinate every detail:

  • 3D printed or vacuum-cast plastic parts
  • Glass components
  • Custom PCB development

You’ll receive a fully functional prototype, ready to test and impress.

We also manage tooling for plastic and silicone parts, and oversee injection mold manufacturing with our trusted partners in Germany and Asia. You’ll always have one reliable, expert point of contact—so you can focus on your product, not the process.

 

The use of 3D printers has become indispensable in development and prototype construction. This process allows individual plastic parts to be produced easily and cost-effectively.  Previously, when plastic parts were needed, elaborate moulds had to be produced first. This was time-consuming and subsequent modification was correspondingly expensive. 3D printing is therefore predestined for single pieces and small series of plastic components. Our designers are thus able to realise our customers' ideas within a very short time and implement changes efficiently. 

 

3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping

Speed Meets Precision in Prototype Development

3D printing has become a game-changer in modern product development—especially when it comes to rapid prototyping. It allows us to produce custom plastic parts quickly, flexibly, and cost-effectively, without the time and expense of traditional mold-making.

Where complex tooling was once required for every part, we now go from idea to tangible prototype in just a few days. This is perfect for one-offs, small batches, and for making quick design iterations—helping you stay agile throughout development.

At the heart of this process is rapid prototyping: using 3D design data to create physical samples fast. These prototypes are ideal for testing fit, function, durability, and user interaction—long before production begins. Need to make adjustments? No problem. Our designers can adapt models on the fly and deliver revised components almost immediately.

And while 3D-printed surfaces are typically a bit rougher than injection-molded parts, we offer finishing options like grinding and polishing—especially valuable for optically or haptically sensitive parts like light guides or display elements. The result: prototypes that not only work like the final product—but feel like it, too.

The acquisition of an FDM 3D printer opened up a wide range of new possibilities for our in-house designers. The aim was to become more independent of external suppliers in prototype and sample construction. We can also respond even faster to our customers' wishes and changes. Our 3D data serves as the basis, which we read directly into the printer software without conversion and send to the printer from there.

We can manufacture housings or small plastic parts from ABS ourselves. With the processing of TPU92A (a thermoplastic polyurethane with 92 Shore A, which is flexible and stretchable), we also have new possibilities in the development of soft parts. This enables us to provide our customers with prototypes at the touch of a button and in the shortest possible time.

 

In-House Prototyping

Agile. Independent. Fast.

With our in-house FDM 3D printer, we’ve gained the flexibility to build prototypes quickly and independently—without relying on external suppliers. This means faster turnaround times, greater responsiveness to last-minute design changes, and full control over every iteration.

Using native 3D data, our team sends models directly to the printer—no conversion, no delays. We produce functional housings and small plastic parts in durable ABS, and thanks to our ability to print TPU92A, a flexible thermoplastic, we also create soft-touch components for more complex input solutions.

The result? High-quality prototypes at the push of a button, delivered in record time.

Vacuum Casting – Fast, Cost-Effective Prototypes for Custom Input Systems

Vacuum casting is a rapid prototyping method we use to produce high-quality plastic parts for custom HMI sample components—quickly, flexibly, and with excellent surface quality.

Based on a 3D CAD model, we begin by creating a master pattern using 3D printing. This printed part is carefully post-processed to refine the surface, then used to create a silicone mold. The vacuum casting process removes air bubbles during molding and enables the production of up to 30 high-fidelity prototype parts that closely resemble injection-molded components.

 

🛠 How the Process works:

  1. 3D model → printed master part
  2. Surface finishing → smooth, injection-mold-like texture
  3. Silicone mold creation under vacuum to avoid air pockets
  4. Liquid resin casting into mold → curing → part removal
  5. Repeatable up to approx. 30 times per mold

 

✅ Benefits of Vacuum Casting

  • Smooth surface quality close to series production
  • Fast turnaround and low tooling cost
  • Suitable for low-volume production and design validation
  • High dimensional accuracy
  • Wide range of resins simulating production-grade plastics
  • Integration of inserts (e.g. threaded bolts) during casting possible

 

⚠️ Considerations

  • Limited mold lifespan (approx. 30 uses)
  • Casting materials must be compatible with silicone mold temperatures
  • Slight dimensional variation due to silicone shrinkage during curing

At PDS, we collaborate with a trusted rapid prototyping partner to deliver accurate, functional prototypes that support your product development—from concept to final HMI integration.

 

Prototyping in our company

In order to make the prototyping process as efficient as possible, we use different methods for sample production depending on the requirements. 3D printing always plays a key role in the sample production of plastic parts. Based on our 3D design data, we have individual parts produced in a 3D printer by one of our selected suppliers and reworked to injection molding quality. We then assemble the initial sample in-house from these plastic parts and the other mechanical, electronic and connecting components.

In many cases, it makes sense to produce several samples before deciding on series production. For small sample series and for simpler production of particularly smooth or finely structured surfaces, the 3D printed product provides the basis for a silicone casting mold. With the vacuum casting process, several identical parts can be produced cost-effectively for sample production, eliminating the need for time-consuming post-processing of the surfaces.

Our in-house milling machine enables us to quickly and cost-effectively machine parts for prototype construction. Large parts in particular, for which 3D printing or vacuum casting is no longer profitable, can be processed easily and quickly on our CNC machine. This process is therefore a useful addition to our prototyping capabilities for housing parts, among other things.

 

Advantages of CNC milling technology:

- Cost-effective and fast production of large parts;

- Different materials can be processed with different parameters and tools;

- Milled parts can be duplicated as required by repeating the milling process;

- CNC technology enables very precise work and therefore accurate results;

- Very small parts with complex geometry can only be realized to a limited extent;

- Surface structure depends on the milling tool.

Using 3D scanning technologies in-house allows us to combine speed, precision and flexibility in prototype development, helping our customers to realize their product ideas faster and with confidence in quality. By using 3D scanning, we support innovation at every stage of development, from initial concepts to production-ready prototypes.

3D scanning is an innovative technology that captures the shape, dimensions and surface details of physical objects and converts them into precise digital representations. With 3D scanners, we can create a high-resolution 3D model of the object, regardless of its complexity.

 

Rapid prototyping through 3D scanning

There are two main tasks for which we use 3D scanners in development and prototyping.

3D scanners offer unparalleled accuracy in capturing the dimensions and details of an object, ensuring that every curve, edge and feature is accurately represented. For this reason, we use 3D scanners to check the quality of milled parts.

3D scanning enables the rapid capture of physical objects in 3D data, which is later converted into realistic models through 3D printing.  In this way, we can simplify and speed up the design process when it comes to integrating input solutions into an existing system. By 3D scanning and then 3D printing, an accurate model of existing parts for which 3D data is not available can be created and incorporated into the prototype as an individual body part. This approach saves time in prototyping without compromising accuracy.