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Part geometry was adjusted to cut cost without losing function.
Vacuum Cast Prototypes for VR Shoes
RapidDirect vacuum cast and 3D printed structural components for a VR shoe prototype, delivering iterations in 10 days across more than 20 materials.
- Process
- Vacuum Casting
- Materials
- POM (Acetal / Delrin) & Nylon (PA)
- Parts
- Structural shoe components and housings
Background
Prototypes That Had to Behave Like Production Parts
A VR shoes project needed components strong and clean enough for user testing while the design was still moving. Injection molding was too slow and too expensive at that stage.
Key challenges
Surface Quality Without Tooling
Structural parts had to look and feel like molded production parts.
Design Still Changing
Revisions landed while earlier parts were already in test.
Ten-Day Iteration Cycle
Prototype rounds could not stall the schedule.
How the Prototypes Were Made
Critical structural parts were vacuum cast for surface quality, and simpler geometry went to 3D printing for fast rounds.
Vacuum Casting
Silicone molds produced layer-free parts comparable to injection moldings.
3D Printing Fast Iterations
Simpler parts were printed to keep the review loop short.
Prototypes in Hand Within Ten Days
The team moved from design intent to testable parts in ten days and kept iterating on the same material set.
After delivery
Material Options Kept the Design Open
With more than 20 materials available, flexibility, wear resistance and appearance were tuned per part instead of being locked in early.
10-day prototype turnaround across 20 materials
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