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GD&T: A Step-By-Step Guide

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) is the building block of modern engineering drawings. To learn the basics of GD&T, check out our GD&T 101 article which includes the definitions and utilization of:  CNC machining tolerances The Datum Reference Frame (DRF) Interpreting GD&T Symbols Applying Geometric Symbols to Engineering Drawings The Feature Control Frame Communicating Basic […]

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Autumn Holidays Overseas: How to Mitigate Manufacturing Delays

The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely celebrated throughout Asia and is fast approaching. The festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar when the moon is full and celebrates the end of the autumn harvest — it’s similar to Thanksgiving in the US. In 2022, the festival falls on […]

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How to Prepare Files for Uploading to Fictiv

At Fictiv, we receive lots of different types files each day. In the world of 3D modeling, there are lots of options for sharing CAD data, each with their own strengths and weakness. When preparing to upload files to Fictiv, we prefer to receive a STEP file, but also accept properly exported STL files. STEP […]

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O-Ring Groove (Gland) Design Guide

Let’s say you designed a mechanical assembly that requires some sort of mechanical sealing. Or you have a maintenance project that requires additional sealing to a new joint. Perhaps your assembly has a fluid reservoir, requires cooling fluid to pass through, or you’re joining two components together and need them to sit flush. To solve […]

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Product Study: Part Tolerances in Injection Molding

The Challenge: Avoid Incorrect or Incomplete Tolerances Designers can specify less expensive commercial tolerances or more expensive precision tolerances on part drawings. There isn’t just one type of injection molding tolerance, however, and using the wrong tolerances can result in parts that don’t fit together correctly or that cost too much to produce. For injection […]

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How to Design Snap Fit Components

Designing components with snap-fits can save you time and money in production by reducing material costs and part quantities, as well as making assembly easier. In the past, injection molding was the only viable method for producing snap-fit joints in plastics. However, today 3D printing has opened up both new opportunities and challenges in their […]

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Overview of Types of Vertical Mills

The world of CNC machining services can be overwhelming — I’ve personally gotten turned around by all the CNC machining jargon before. There’s a whole dictionary of commonly used acronyms and when you head to research what they mean, there isn’t a lot of data available.  Within the CNC milling machine classification, there are many […]

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How to Design for Stiffness Using Material Properties

Improving part stiffness is critical for load bearing applications, and can be accomplished through both design geometry and material properties. In this article, we’ll employ many of the same formulas we discussed in our previous article about leveraging geometric structures to improve stiffness. However, here we’ll focus on material selection, altering the properties of materials […]

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Fictiv Strengthens Global Presence and Technology Talent with Opening of New Office in Pune, India

PUNE, INDIA & SAN FRANCISCO, August 22, 2022 – Fictiv, the operating system for custom manufacturing, recently announced the opening of its new office in Pune, India, which will serve to complement its U.S. headquarters as an additional engineering center and provide an anchor for further investment in Fictiv’s India manufacturing partner network. These investments […]

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How to Conduct a Tolerance Analysis for 3D Printed Parts

Once you have modeled your parts in CAD software, you may be tempted to send them off to be manufactured in your 3D printer. However, before doing so you should perform a tolerance analysis to make sure what you’re printing “stacks up.” Tolerance Analysis, or tolerance stack-up as it is sometimes known, is a critical […]