Proto Labs

Category:	Corporate Campus
Address:	5540 Pioneer Creek Dr, Maple Plain, MN 55359, USA
Phone:	+1 763-479-3680
Site:	protolabs.com
Rating:	3
Working:	7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 4

Reviews 5

A Private User

Protolabs is a prototyping company. They make your 3D drawings into prototypes using either CNC or plastic injection molding. I would evaluate their business using 6 performance criteria- Speed, Quality, Flexibility, Dependability, Cost and Customer Service. Speed- This is the only area where theyre good at. Your part can arrive within 5-7 days. I would give 5/5 on this criteria. Quality- Not good. You have to check your part thoroughly in their online system. Some holes may not come as clean and you may have to redo it once they arrive. So you may end up wasting lot of time in rework. If you require transparent part, it may not come transparent at all- you will have to vapor polish yourself. I would give 1/5 on quality. Flexibility- Not good. They wont provide materials of your need if they dont have in their system. They wont polish parts even if youre willing to pay extra. Their system is very stubborn- dont expect anything additional from what they specify on their system. I would give 1/5 in this area. Dependability- I wanted transparent PC, which was available in their online system. I ordered transparent PC but when the part arrived, it was translucent. I wasnt too pleased with the job. I would give 2/5. Cost- Not cheap. Theyre a bit more expensive than any local CNC, SLA, SLS shop. I would give 2/5. Customer Service: Not good. They treat you like a Walmart customer standing in a long checkout line. They dont want to listen to your special needs or requirements. In addition to that, their sales rep are not experts in prototyping or CAD. It is frustrating to talk to nontechnical reps. I would give 1/5. The average of all above is 2/5. I recommend a local CNC, SLA, SLS or injection molding shop for prototyping. I feel that there can be much better interaction with a local prototyping shop and their performance can be far superior to Protolabs.

Michael Hoskins

This guys are completely crazy, I submitted the most simplistic (injection mold) part imaginable, - a bracket measuring 4x4x3 - and they came back with a quote for $20,000. They have completely lost their minds! Proto Labs is a perfect example of a greedy US-based firm helping to drive manufacturing overseas. Stay away!!!!!

MrAmoslemi

I wouldnt recommend Proto Lab if you have parts with some complexity. They are just good for simple parts. Please pay attention to the details of their quotes. The colored parts cannot be machined. Thats what I didnt pay attention and now I have two non-functional parts.

Joshua Brand

I use Protolabs (First Cut) very often for quick turns of my prototype parts. I get a reasonable value and faster turns than other machine shops. Their selection of materials is good, too. I highly recommend ProtoLabs!

Jerrod Boos

Great place to work!