Protolabs unveils ProDesk platform for prototyping and production
Protolabs, headquartered in Maple Plain, Minnesota, USA, has launched ProDesk, a platform intended to accelerate innovation for product development and procurement teams. ProDesk offers real-time, AI-powered quoting with design for manufacturability (DFM) analysis, collaboration tools, and a suite of features supporting prototyping and production projects.
“To better serve our customers from prototyping to production, ProDesk serves as the ultimate manufacturing resource for innovation,” stated Suresh Krishna, Protolabs President and CEO. “We are excited to deliver an online experience that elevates Protolabs as a tech-enabled partner for quality parts throughout the entire product life cycle.”
ProDesk features AI-driven DFM analysis across injection molding, CNC machining, and Additive Manufacturing services for instant feedback on parts before production. Configurable quotes include material options, secondary operations, and finishes for real-time quotes. Lead times are also configured within the quote, allowing users to tailor quotes depending on turn-time needs and budget.
As customers advance through the product development timeline, ProDesk’s Production Catalog allows users to designate parts that are ready for production and simplifies management, organisation, and reordering of those parts.
Through each stage of the ordering process, ProDesk is designed for collaboration: all quotes and orders can be shared across teams to monitor order status and track shipments. The Production Catalog can also be shared with colleagues to instantly view and reorder parts, as well as to access order history, documentation, and part details.
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ProDesk’s support centre acts as a central hub for assistance around orders, documents, billing, and quality documentation. The support centre also provides direct communication to Protolabs’ team of applications engineers for design assistance, along with service line-specific guides with DFM information.
The platform integrates these features into an interactive dashboard with real-time updates on recent orders, providing key information upon login.
“Our goal with ProDesk is to deliver an online environment that modernises the experience of working with Protolabs,” said Mark Flannery, Protolabs’ Global Product Director for E-commerce. “The nearly 50,000 customers who will access ProDesk this year will now have an industry-leading online experience that will accelerate product development timelines.”
