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Finding the Right Secondary Operations After CNC Machining, Part II: Finishes

CNC machining is but a single step in the new product creation process. First, you design the part, then it’s carved by a CNC machining service or shop, and finally, you put the finishing touches on it! This is the second in a series of three articles discussing those finishing touches. Here in Part II […]

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Your Guide to Injection Molding: From Design to Production Parts

For any engineering project, countless hours go into 3D modeling, prototyping, and refining the design. Often, the final step is to prepare your designs for the injection molding process, but where do you start? How long will it take to go from the initial part designs to your first molded parts? This is a long […]

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A Visual Guide to GD&T

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) is a language of symbols and standards used by engineers and manufacturers to describe a product and facilitate communication between entities working together to produce something. By deepening your knowledge around how to create a well structured GD&T, you will improve communication with your machine shop and ensure everyone involved is […]

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Getting Started with CNC Milling

Computer numerical control, or CNC, is one of the most common and well-known automated processes in manufacturing. CNC machines help companies and individuals make manufacturing processes easier to inspect and control while reducing human errors. They’re used for milling, turning, plasma cutting, electrical discharge machining, water jet cutting, punching, drilling, laser cutting, and more. This […]

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Engineering Tips from the Director of Program Management at Igor Institute

In this edition of Engineering Heroes, we sat down with Kathy Fedirchuk, Director of Program Management at Igor Institute. During our conversation, we talked about overcoming the challenges of new product introduction during COVID, the importance of setting clear expectations with internal teams and suppliers, and the advantages of using a form template to facilitate […]

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What You Need to Know About CNC Machining Aluminum

Aluminum is the name of the most abundant metallic element found in earth’s crust, which is part of the reason why it’s used in so many objects that we use every day. In fact, it’s the most widely used non-ferrous metal (meaning that it doesn’t contain any iron). Aluminum is found both in common objects, […]

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Injection Molding Design Guide

The information in this article is also available as a free e-book download. Download the Injection Molding Design Guide  The Injection Molding Process Injection molding is a fast and efficient way to produce plastic parts. The tool that it uses, an injection mold, has two main parts: the core and the cavity. These two halves […]

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Milling the Future with 5-Axis CNC Machines

Have you ever seen a beautiful piece of metalwork and wondered “how did they do it?” There are no seams, no signs of welding, and it appears as though it’s one piece. The surfaces are too complex to have been wrought manually, so what’s the secret? A 5-axis CNC machine. These machines have transformed the […]

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How to Select CNC Machining Tolerances When You Have Complex Requirements

Sometimes juggling all the requirements for tolerancing your part can feel like a circus act. As a design engineer, you must choose machining tolerances for fit, form, function, customer requirements, industry specifications,manufacturing capabilities, and don’t forget about making sure it can be inspected and properly defined. Whew! It’s a struggle to create parts which are […]

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The Many Types of Steel, and What You Should Know About CNC Machining Them

Steel comes in many forms: sheet metal, plates, bars and beams of various geometries, pipes, and of course, the solid stock material used when CNC machining steel. Steel is used for so many applications and by so many industries that it makes sense for there to be many different types of steel. But what’s the […]