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There’s a saying in the mechanical engineering world that really captures the gap between design and manufacturing: Anybody can design it; few people can make it.  As a design engineer, your job is to create a part or an assembly that will work properly. The manufacturer’s job is to make the part, make the assembly, […]

At Fictiv, we’ve always valued time spent together, whether it’s for team building activities, watching a solar eclipse together outside the office, building an electric bananaghini for the Bay Area Maker Faire, or just chatting at lunch. Those shared experiences create deeper bonds among team members and make collaborating on work projects more fun and […]

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re profiling a few of our Fictiv team members of Hispanic origin. Learn more about these amazing employees–where they began their careers; what drew them to Fictiv and what they value most about working here; what motivates them professionally; and how they spend their free time. Ricardo Ortiz, International Logistics […]

Through conventional paths, ordering parts from overseas can often be a complex, risky process. In addition to quality risks inherent in working with unknown suppliers, the logistics involved to import goods from overseas can be confusing and overwhelming. And if importation documentation is mismanaged, you may be held liable for fines or even jail time.  […]

In the wake of severe supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19, OEMs are looking for new manufacturing solutions for a more resilient future. In fact, 87% of the manufacturing leaders surveyed in Fictiv’s 2020 State of Manufacturing Report said their companies are now initiating digital transformation initiatives. Similarly, 99% said their companies are focused on […]

When we shared our last international logistics update on August 27, we had seen significant improvements in lead time reliability. Today, we’re excited to share that after many months of the COVID-19 pandemic, our overseas lead times have stabilized. Overseas orders placed on the Fictiv platform are now being delivered within 3-5 days.  Fictiv Updates […]

Learn how HEBI Robotics streamlined their supply chain with Fictiv, to increase speed and agility.

Learn how Mira Labs leveraged Fictiv’s Multi Jet Fusion printing solution to produce customer-ready products for customer feedback.

Learn how Gecko Robotics partnered with Fictiv to manufacture tight tolerance custom robotics parts and accelerate development schedules.

Animax Designs partnered with Fictiv to get reliable, high-quality parts at speed. With Fictiv, Animax Designs knows that they will receive the quality parts they need, when they need them.

Learn how Alea Labs partnered with Fictiv to prototype and manufacture injection molded parts for their smart HVAC system.

How Lampix used Fictiv as an experienced injection molding partner to support their lean hardware group.

Healthcare’s digital evolution is real. It’s happening at every stage of the value chain in every segment of this critical space. Tightened development cycles, resilient supply chains that support rapid change while diminishing risk, and vigorous controls, certifications, and traceability models to ensure patient safety are important steps on a path to a viable healthcare […]

According to IDC research, manufacturers able to establish flexible and resilient supply chains, innovate products, rapidly ramp up production, and create value from data-driven services will be among the winners in the “next normal.” This IDC Perspective provides a view of how manufacturing organizations can benefit from a digital quote-to-order platform. Such solutions offer lower […]

Conducted with Dimensional Research, the fifth annual manufacturing industry report polled hundreds of senior manufacturing and supply chain decision makers at companies producing medical device, robotics, automotive, aerospace, and consumer electronics products. Key themes from the 30-page report found: COVID-19 Has Negatively Harmed Most Businesses (89%) and Industries Digital and AI Advances are Important, But […]

Supply chain unpredictability is a reality of life. Whether it’s a pandemic, natural disaster, an economic slowdown, or something else – there will always be “something” that comes up. Only 4% of companies feel fully prepared to address new risks to their supply chains. It’s becoming more difficult for supply chain managers to appropriately deal […]

Skip the questions, eliminate redundant ordering, and get the finishing option that works best for your part. With Fictiv’s CNC finishing guide, learn everything you need to know about surface finishing. We’ll give you in-depth information on the protective properties and aesthetic benefits of each finishing option. The guide will cover a variety of finishes, […]

2018 was full of challenges (old and new) for product developers bringing new products to market. Agility is key in the midst of trade tensions 62% say tariffs have increased their material/component costs More teams are turning to local options for prototyping and production manufacturing Bridging the production gap is still high risk 30% of respondents don’t […]

In 2006, Nintendo took the world of interactive gaming by storm. The launch of the Wii welcomed gamers and, more importantly, non-gamers alike to physically interact with a virtual world. Whether the user was playing a competitive round of Wii Tennis or customizing their Mii, the Wii remote (otherwise known as the Wiimote) invited users […]

During pandemic lockdown, I noticed several issues with my home, including the broken sprinkler head, dog stains on the carpet, and my mother’s spice cabinet. My mother has a metric ton of spices that used to have labels that have rubbed off after constant use. I bought a portable label maker to replenish the labels […]

One of the coolest things about Fictiv’s San Francisco HQ office is that it’s dog-friendly! Our furry friends can work alongside us everyday, getting their daily dose of head scratches and belly rubs, and we get a daily dose of adorableness. For National Dog Day, we thought it would be fitting to test out and […]

For our teardown of the Anki Vector Robot, we were joined in the studio by Leanne Cushing, captain of Team Valkyrie on Battlebots.  Anki’s Vector Robot, released in late 2018, was designed to listen and respond to its user, interact with its surroundings, recognize people and objects, and avoid obstacles. When released, the robot sold […]

In this clean-shaven teardown, we’re celebrating Father’s Day and looking at two different electric shavers—the Philips Norelco S9311 and the Braun series 7. We put the two shavers head to head, with our first Fictiv employee to become a dad volunteering his face to see which one left the best shave. Then we put them […]

Recently, we did a teardown of the iRobot® Braava® 380t Mopping Robot, to understand the different mechanical and manufacturing design elements that help to get you those squeaky-clean floors. Before we got started, we decided to take a step back and evaluate what features would make up a good mopping robot. The two items we […]

Press fits adapt to many situations, hold parts in perfect alignment, and are easily introduced and form a lasting bond. Press fits are the perfect choice for designs like machined parts of similar materials with tight tolerances requiring close-tolerance alignment. How do you know if the interference is enough to hold the parts together in […]

In the world of mechanical product design, engineers and designers complete what is known as a tolerance analysis, or tolerance stack up analysis, on an assembly as they prepare to send the components out for manufacturing. This is done to ensure that when you order parts, they are manufactured to dimensions that guarantee the components within an […]

In a world of ever-increasing electronics, our lives are continuously impacted by devices that incorporate some sort of heat-generating circuitry. When it comes to electronics that dissipate power in the form of heat during normal operation, it is often necessary to manage this heat, to ensure the components don’t exceed their maximum allowable temperatures. One […]

A Visual Representation of CNC Machining. The CNC Periodic Table of Elements is a knowledge-sharing project, designed to visually represent some of the most foundational elements of CNC machining.  Table Architecture The periodic table is organized by three major categories of information related to CNC machining: 1. Capabilities – materials, finish, machine types 2. Manufacturing – cutting tools, machine […]

In this webinar, we introduce you to the concept of design for least effort CNC machining. This concept will take you beyond the fundamentals of DFM (design for manufacturability), which is about do’s and don’t, and help you uplevel your DFM skills to design parts that are cheaper, faster, and less risky to manufacture.  You’ll […]

Manufacturing parts overseas can be an overwhelming process, but there are effective strategies to streamline the experience. 96% of respondents to our 2020 State of Manufacturing survey said their companies are working to increase the agility of their supply chain. Our team of logistics & international supply chain experts is here to help! Join this […]

One thing is clear from the past 6 months: Manufacturing as we know it must change. In the wake of severe supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19, on the heels of a trade war with China, OEMs are seeking alternatives to the old way of doing things for a more resilient future.  In fact, 87% […]

As it stands today, many of our customers manage NPD and NPI processes in the dark with spreadsheets, take calls with overseas suppliers at 2am, or send teams of people across the globe to inspect manufacturing processes and quality controls. Those approaches were costly, nerve-wracking, and with this current pandemic, hardly even possible. Not anymore. […]

The global manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem has been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. And for the first time in modern manufacturing history, the critical variables of demand, supply and workforce are all impacted globally at the same time. In this power panel, IDC’s Head of Manufacturing Insights, Jan Burian + Fictiv’s COO, Jean […]

COVID-19 is changing our lives in almost every way. One of the big ones is how we get work done. Working from home might be simple for software engineers, but msgbox( “hello world”) is much different than physically building the world. Parts are designed to exist physically and be assembled.  Is it possible to be […]