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Material Options for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing

Stereolithography (SLA), the technology used to produce them, supports the creation of plastic parts with tight tolerances, intricate geometries, and smooth surface finishes. And parts printed using SLA stand out because of their exceptional accuracy, resolution, and level of detail. One key advantage of SLA is its ability to achieve finishes that are both highly […]

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Common Plastic Materials for Injection Molding

Plastic materials for injection molding range from commonly used polymers to specialty plastics and polymer blends. There are hundreds of different plastic resins available, and they each have different end-use properties and processing requirements. Plus, there are different grades of the same plastic material, including resin types with fillers such as glass fibers or carbon […]

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Fictiv Session To Highlight How Automation Can Drive Productivity & Time-To-Market At Automate 2023

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2023 – Fictiv, the operating system for custom manufacturing, today announced that Director of Product Marketing Riley Hall will be speaking at Automate 2023 in a session titled “How Automation Can Drive Speed to Market and Reduce Costs for Low-Volume Custom Manufacturing.” It will take place on Tuesday, May 23rd, at […]

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Scaling Up: From 3D Printed Prototypes to Injection Mold-Ready Designs

Are you ready to scale up from 3D printing to injection molding? Then it’s time to tailor your part design for a process that uses metal tooling and has its own unique design requirements. This article begins with some injection molding basics and then explains how to optimize your part design to reduce tooling costs […]

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Engineering Fundamentals Refresh: Mechanical Creep (Deformation)

In mechanical engineering, creep is a metallurgical phenomenon where a metal slowly deforms due to prolonged exposure to stress below its yield strength. Read on to learn more about creep and how it works, then see some visual creep depictions and examples.  What is Mechanical Creep? In Engineering Fundamentals Refresh: Strength vs. Stiffness vs. Hardness, […]

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The 4 Phases of IoT Product Development Made Easy

This article is based on Breadware’s IoT Product Development in 4 Smart Steps, which outlines the four phases of IoT Product Development. The Internet of Things (IoT) market has exploded in recent years, and now IoT-connected devices outnumber non-connected devices. Thus far in 2023, 3.22 billion new IoT devices have come online, so now the […]

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Our Guide to Aluminum Casting

Humans have always produced tools and parts in various ways, and some of the oldest methods leverage the flexibility of metal at or near its melting temperature, such as casting and forging. Aluminum casting is a centuries-old manufacturing process that produces aluminum parts by pouring molten aluminum into a mold, then allowing it to cool […]

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NEW: Increased Milling/Drilling Sizes Make Instant Quotes Available for More Geometries

As a general rule, simplicity is the name of the game in mechanical part design. But we know that sometimes, complexity is required to get the functionality you need. That’s why we’re excited to share our improved CNC milling and drilling capabilities.  We have increased diameter-to-depth ratios for CNC milling and drilling — which you […]

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Guide to Foamcore Joining Techniques

Foamcore (also known as foam board or foam core) is a lightweight building material typically consisting of an inner foam layer sandwiched by paper or another thin, lightweight material. If you have put together a poster for a school project or a work-related presentation, odds are you’re familiar with rigid foam core poster board. Foamcore […]

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Corrosion vs Oxidation vs Rust

It really grinds my gears when people use the word rust incorrectly. I spent years working as a metallurgist and design engineer analyzing material samples for failure. I love chemistry and have an obsession with relaying factual information. That’s why I dream of the day when all humans understand the difference between corrosion, oxidation, and […]