Resource Center Home   /   Filter  

search

Topic

filter by

Content type

▸

Role

▸

Industry

▸

Manufacturing Processes

▸

Subscribe to MechStack

for articles, videos, and puzzles for the mechanically inclined.

mechstack phone

Article

Choosing the Right Stainless Steel for Your Manufacturing Program

Picture a food mixing agitator that runs fine for a year. Then salty product and the daily sanitizing cycle find the crevice where a paddle meets the hub, and pitting starts under a surface that still looks clean. The drawing said “stainless.” It just didn’t say which one. Stainless steel is a family of alloys […]

Article

Metal Material Selection Guide: Choosing the Right Alloy for CNC Machining and Sheet Metal Parts

Picking a metal for a custom part is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make in the design process. Get it right, and your part performs as expected, machines or forms cleanly, and ships on time. Get it wrong, and you’re looking at cracked bends, corroded hardware, blown budgets, or a part that’s simply […]

Article

Precision Grinding: Processes, Tolerances, and When To Use It

Most engineers have a solid feel for what CNC machining can do. But far fewer have a clear picture of what to do when conventional CNC process capabilities are exceeded by the need for tighter tolerances, finer surface finishes, or hardened work material that quickly wears through machine tools. When that happens, manufacturing engineers move […]

Article

CNC Machining for Medical Devices: Materials, Tolerances, and Design Considerations

CNC machining is commonly used to manufacture various medical devices—surgical instruments, fixtures, structural elements, fluid-handling parts, and components that attach to or form part of a tissue-contacting implant. The machining operations themselves are familiar shop-floor work. The practical difference in medical device machining is that material definition, surface condition, traceability, inspection, and documentation aren’t just […]

Article

Design for Sustainability (DFS): A Guide for Engineering More Eco-Friendly Products

We want the products we design to last—to perform reliably, win market adoption, and deliver long-term value. But it’s not ideal if they last forever in a landfill, or negatively impact the planet we depend on.  That balance is at the heart of sustainable product design. As environmental awareness grows and regulations become more stringent, […]

Article

6+ Axis CNC Machining: Capabilities, Design Rules, and When It’s Worth the Investment

For engineers designing complex machined parts, the advantages of moving from 3-axis to 5-axis machining are well understood. The most capable higher-axis configurations— including 6-axis machining centers, turn-mill platforms, 9-axis and 12-axis cells, and Swiss-type turning—are less clearly defined and often poorly understood by engineers who haven’t worked with them directly.  This article explains what […]

1 2 3 … 35