There are a thousand reasons why you might want to add text to a part. For an item of self-assembly furniture, text may be needed to explain how one part slots into another. For an electronic part, text can provide crucial safety instructions that are required by law. Other components simply display...

When creating a part or a product, the first step is often the hardest. Even if you are a highly skilled CAD expert, a professional engineer or a handy machinist, it can sometimes be difficult to step back and ask: How should this part be? What specific shape and arrangement would best serve its pur...

Whatever your line of work, physical prototypes are an important part of product development, bridging the gap between ideas and production. Prototypes can be used to assess the physical performance of a part, to pitch ideas to potential investors and to provide proof of concept. In some ways, they’...

CNC machining is a marvelous technology that offers a range of possibilities for accurate parts, but your end-product is only as good as the design you set out with. There are some major considerations one has to make when developing any machined part, taking into account its full geometry.

Living hinges are a simple and cost-effective way of incorporating flexure bearings into plastic objects like containers and food packaging. While most hinges typically require at least two separate components, a living hinge is made from the same material as the two sections it connects. This artic...

The manufacturing world has been revolutionized by the emergence of rapid prototyping, an umbrella term for a range of manufacturing techniques that can fabricate prototypes and parts in a quick and cost-effective manner.

Whether you’re making sheet metal, injection molded, or CNC machined parts, threads are a simple way to facilitate assembly of multiple components. Over many decades of manufacturing, threads have become standardized, so components made by different manufacturers can still be joined together with s...

Like any other manufacturing process, CNC milling requires the careful application of design for manufacturing (DfM) principles. Although CNC mills — and 5-axis machining centers to an even greater extent — can produce a wide range of parts in a variety of metals and plastics, there are certain de...

Non-Destructive Testing is a critical group of analysis techniques used in science and industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component, or system without causing damage. Unlike destructive testing, NDT does not alter the item being inspected, making it an invaluable process for saving b...

Radiographic testing, commonly known as X-Ray material testing, is a process used in the non-destructive testing of materials across various industries. This method uses penetrating X-rays or gamma rays to capture images of an object’s internal structure, identifying any hidden flaws.

In-process inspection is a critical element in manufacturing, that ensures that products meet quality standards before reaching the final stages of production. This preliminary examination helps identify defects and non-compliance early, significantly reducing the cost and time involved in rework.