Case Study: Realize Inc achieves production‑quality, playable ukulele prototypes in days with 3D Systems

Realize Inc. and Outdoor Ukulele Hit the Right Notes With 3D Printed Musical Instruments

Outdoor Ukulele, a maker of rugged, travel-ready ukuleles, needed a full-scale prototype of a new tenor model that matched the size, strength and exact tolerances (including scale length and fret placement) of the final glass‑filled polycarbonate injection‑molded instrument. The company struggled to find a prototyping partner willing and able to produce a part this large and precise.

Indiana rapid‑prototyping firm Realize Inc. used 3D Systems SLA printing with Accura® 60 resin to deliver a highly accurate, durable prototype in just days. The result was a fully playable instrument that met Outdoor Ukulele’s specifications—customers assumed it was production—and Outdoor Ukulele named Realize its approved prototype supplier.

Realize Inc

Scott Seelye

Realize Inc