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SAN FRANCISCO, January 17, 2023 – Fictiv, the operating system for custom manufacturing, today announced that Joanne Moretti, Fictiv’s Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), has been recognized as Selling Power’s 2022 CRO of the year in the category of Digital Manufacturing. “I’m honored to work for a company that is trusted by well-known businesses, such as […]

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a transparent amorphous thermoplastic homopolymer that’s also known as acrylic or acrylic glass. PMMA plastic is an excellent alternative to glass and polycarbonate because it’s naturally transparent and has a glass-like appearance. PMMA has numerous modern-day applications and some highly useful properties.  One common method for shaping and finishing PMMA is […]

Injection-molded parts can be complex to manufacture. For best results, designers must understand the molding process, design for manufacturing (DFM) best practices, and the importance of material selection. One of the key factors to consider is the part’s wall thickness.  There is no single, universal minimum wall thickness and maximum wall thickness for injection molding. […]

It’s a given that you need to take your time to perfectly CNC machine a part. But what happens afterwards? Freshly machined parts are covered in machining marks and have edges so sharp that you could use them to carve your overcooked turkey at Thanksgiving dinner — but this is where bead blasting is useful! […]

Plastic injection molding can apply a specific type of finish — described in terms of polish or texture — to molded parts, and many different polishes and textures can be achieved. The desired surface finish is applied toward the end of the mold-making process, and during plastic injection molding, the finish is transferred from the […]

Historically, gear fabrication methods have been classified into three main categories: generation, forming, and form cutting. As new gear manufacturing technologies are developed, new methods will be added to the list, but for now, those three are still the most common ways to machine a gear: Gear Generation Sunderland Method Rack-type cutters are one of […]

So, you’ve finished the initial design for a new product or part… congratulations! Your R&D stage is complete, which means you’ve started iterating on the design and have a clear vision of:  The next, critical step in the development process is to research the best materials for prototyping and ultimately for mass production — a […]

Once your plastic part design for injection molding has been completed and reviewed, and DFM feedback has been implemented and approved, the next step is to design your plastic injection mold: the tooling. This may sound obvious, but quality plastic injection molded products are only made with quality injection molding tooling. Your tooling must be […]

Jacob Schweizer isn’t a household name, but in the engineering world, it should be. It was his desire to build better watches that led to the invention of precision manufacturing equipment now used worldwide. To make watches more portable, he invented the machinery required to build the tiny components that go inside pocket watches and […]

When choosing a metal for your application, there are countless options, and each has pros and cons. Material strength, ductility, toughness, fatigue resistance, hardness, and conductivity are key properties that must be considered when choosing your metal for CNC machining. And depending on the metal, your machining methods and costs can greatly differ due to […]