OTR Introduces “Breakthrough” OTR3DLab Prototyping Service

Rome, Georgia-based tire, wheel, and track firm OTR Engineered Solutions has launched OTR3DLab, a new prototyping service that the company says will “dramatically reduce development timelines.”

Touted as the first of its kind, OTR3DLab uses advanced, large-format 3D printing technology for full-scale prototypes of new product concepts. Covering off-the-road tires, wheels, and tracks, the new service can create prototypes in mere weeks, a feat that used to take some companies months to pull off.

“OTR3DLab gives customers something they have never truly had before in the off-the-road market: the ability to physically experience a full-scale concept before making major tooling decisions,” says Patrick Sexton, global VP of engineering and innovation at OTR Engineered Solutions. “Instead of relying only on drawings, renderings, or small-scale models, customers can now see the product, touch it, and review it on actual equipment. It allows them to make quicker decisions with reduced risk.”

The new service provides OTR customers with the ability to not only assess on-vehicle aesthetics for each product, but assess filaments, product proportions, clearance, and overall design. All of this can be done, the company adds, before committing to any tooling.

Prototyping concepts for the modern era

The new service will be a complement to OTR’s existing TreadIQ product, an AI-powered tire design platform that customers can use to develop custom off-the-road concepts for both OEMs and product distributors. The company says its engineers can also apply customer preferences for styling, performance, applicational needs, and visual aesthetics.

Once TreadIQ generates the prototyping concept, OTR3DLab can turn it into a reality, the company says.

“Combining AI-powered tire design with full-scale 3D prototype development provides OTR customers with a faster, more interactive, and more visual innovation experience,” says OTR president and CEO Oscar Torres. “It allows us to move from idea to concept to physical review much faster than traditional development methods. That speed can be a major advantage for customers working to launch new products, refresh existing platforms, or differentiate themselves in competitive markets.

“Ultimately, it’s another way we’re making customers’ lives easier.”

All new physical tire prototypes can mount directly onto standard steel or aluminum wheels, according to OTR officials. Customers will be able to review assemblies in a “more realistic format,” the firm says, and can place them directly onto equipment for evaluation.

OTR3DLab is available now for purchase.